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!

stuffed sunday

This morning James and I headed out to beat the brunch rush at L'Avenue, a 15 minute walk from our apartment. (Looks interesting, right?) I had read great things about this little restaurant, and the repeated claims that they serve the best Eggs Benedict in the world had James sold.

We did wait quite awhile for our food, but when we got it, we knew we'd be waiting quite awhile until we ate again. James got the Chorizo Eggs Benedict, and I got french toast with shredded cheddar cheese and caramelized apples. James was able to fight through his, but I had to stop about halfway through my scrumptious dish. Cheese and apples are two of my favorite things in this world, and they did it right! It was pretty reasonably priced, too...especially when you consider that one meal will have you feeling stuffed all day long!

After brunch we watched Djokovic win Wimbledon, James went to work out, and then we took Jeter to the dog park. He always has so much fun meeting new friends and exhausting himself! Then we did our grocery shopping for the week--it's getting cheaper every week as we eat less meat and opt more for seasonal items--definitely getting the hang of this thing!

TGIF!

Friday James picked me up from work at 5:00 since it was on our way to our evening activities. We walked about 40 minutes to get to downtown Montreal and the Place Bonaventure, the site of the World Beer Festival. Admission was free, but each 3-4 oz. sample of beer cost between $1-$5, so we were tapped (haha!) pretty quickly. I stuck to the fruity ciders, whereas James blew half of his drink tickets for the heavy Vermonster. We had a good time though, and there were TONS of people there that were very entertaining to watch.

Following the beer festival we went by the FrancoFolies festival and heard some French music, then walked through the Formula 1 Grand Prix festival, and ended our evening with the highlight of our time so far in Montreal--Schwartz's deli. Schwartz's is a Montreal landmark, and serves massive smoked meat sandwiches in a no-nonsense manner. We had to wait outside in a line for about 30 minutes, but were eventually ushered inside to the primo location for eating--the counter. The staff was extremely nice, and our buddy Mikey made sure that we got the full Schwartz'z experience. The sandwiches were great, and I'm sure we'll return there sometime again before we leave this great city!

After crucifying a chicken, all the children of the world are happy.  

food sweet food

So during my 5 weeks of no classes, I did something productive. I sat down and made a list of all the things I really want to eat once I'm back in the U.S. So if you happen to be craving any of the same foods, leave me a comment and you can be the first person I eat them with once I'm back home! What an honor that would be, huh?

• CHEESECAKE
• GRILLED HOT DOGS
• CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
• OATMEAL CREME PIES
• CHIPS AND SALSA--Megan Mathews
• TACO BELL
• PIZZA HUT
• TEXAS ROADHOUSE--Mr. Cotter, you will love Texas in Iowa
• COLD STONE--Emma Sue, this one's all yours
• MILKSHAKE FROM STEAK AND SHAKE
• OLIVE GARDEN SOUP AND BREADSTICKS
• FROSTY FROM WENDY'S
• MY MOM'S STRAWBERRY PIE
• MIKE'S APPLE PIE W/ICE CREAM
• CORN ON THE COB (I KNOW, ME CRAVING A VEGETABLE...SCARY)