week-end du monde!

Today James and I set out to discover some new areas of Montreal, as we realized that we only have one more weekend left after this one! Pretty hard to believe!

We first stopped in a different area of Old Montreal at this restaurant called Olive + Gourmando.

This little sandwich/bakery shop was pretty well hidden in Old Montreal, but it was pretty obvious that the secret was out. James and I both ordered panini sandwiches, and James got this cold spinach/split pea soup. The food was masterfully put together, and I loved the atmosphere...lots of cute decorating touches, and we got to sit right next to the cooking station--my favorite place!

After lunch we headed out to the Parc Jean-Drapeau, a park that spans two islands on the St. Lawrence river. We set out with the intention of seeing the Biosphere and checking out the Festival Week-ends du Monde, a multi-cultural festival over the next two weekends. However, I had read something about the Canadian National Rowing Team Trials happening at the Bassin Olympique, so we decided to see if it was still going on. We caught a bunch of 200m men's kayaking heats, and it was pretty cool to sit in the stands and realize that people watched Olympic events from them 35 years ago. It was also a reality check about the Olympics...this great complex was built for rowing events, and now it's obvious that it rarely gets used...there were spider webs all over the seats and a classical music radio station in one of the buildings.

We then walked around the island to see all the countries that were represented at the festival today (it changes every day of the festival). Today was Turkey, Jamaica, and Peru.

After a short break at home to take Jeter out, we headed out to Little Italy to go to the Pizzeria Napoletana--I had the lasagna, and James ordered this great meat-stuffed tortellini in tomato cream sauce with mushrooms and prosciutto. YUM! We wanted to catch the fireworks after dinner, but they were already done by the time we made it back to the metro station. Still, a great day in a city that always has something new to offer!