Quebec City

Getting settled yesterday afternoon on the cruise was surprisingly hassle free, and last night we sat with some lovely people at dinner--stimulating conversation and fascinating stories.  But before we leave Montreal, here are a few final observations and pictures.  

Below is the lovely little boutique hotel where we stayed, sweetly called Le Petit Hotel.  The staff was so kind and helpful, the room was big and filled with personality (though a bit noisy with street revelers until the wee hours), the bed heavenly, and the neighborhood was walkable not only to Vieux Montreal, but to the edge of downtown as well. Although Montreal isn't the prettiest city we've seen, we give five star kudos to the food.  Each of the three lunches and two dinners we had was not only outstanding, but reasonable.  When does this ever happen? The bowl of onion soup you see below was right out of the streets of Paris and cost about $6.00 US.  It was more than enough for lunch before we left to board the Seabourn.  The night before, we tried to reserve in a tapas place a couple of blocks away, but it was full, so we decided to take our chances and go find someplace to eat without a reservation. Risky for a Friday night.  When we reached that very place, we popped in and asked if there was a wait and were seated immediately!  There had been a cancellation.  Stone walls, a chopping block table in the center with cured hams, an antique meat slicer and a huge bowl of garlic; raffia wrapped peppers (piquillos, a sweet red pepper from Spain) hanging from the ceiling; and an ancient wood carved fireplace lit with twenty or thirty dripping candles of all sizes, it reeked with romance and atmosphere.  I had Acadian Pearl Oysters from New Brunswick, among the best I've ever had, Tom had a Mixte Frites (fried smelts) that were as good as anything that can be sampled on the Riviera--tiny and crispy and NOT fishy-- and then we shared a simple pasta dish with linguini, pecorino, black pepper and truffles, that was on a par with one we had had several times in Italy when we were renting the villa in Tuscany with Mary and Neil.  I still dream and salivate over that Spaghetti Vongole from ten years ago, and now this Pecorino Linguini will share the spotlight in my dreams.  

Le Petit Hotel

The world's best soupe l'oignon

The view from our stateroom leaving Montreal