The Metro was literally around the corner from us so we hopped on and navigated our way to St. Georges Anglican church for Sunday service. Our friend Brett used to pastor there. You may recognize it and the nearby park from “Just for Laughs”. The church is a Designated Historic Site of Canada. We found many of these sites around Montreal and Quebec City. That is because churches, being an important piece of our history, are too expensive to keep open on a daily basis. No congregation could support the church’s operation and so the Federal Government kicks in. St Georges was built in 1869 in the High Victoria Gothic Revival Style. I make this specific statement since our friend Brett might read this. Besides being a priest, he is an architect and I know that specifics are important to him.

St George’s is on STANLEY St. See if you can guess the connection with the next picture.

D had to get a picture of himself dissing the Habs (NHL Montreal Canadiens) to bug a friend who is a diehard fan.

Next up was our mission to find chocolate croissants for breakfast. They were the second item on our “must eat” list (poutine being the first).

We were in the vicinity of another historic landmark. Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral was built as a Roman Catholic place of worship. Building commenced in 1870 and was based on the model of St Peter’s in Rome (you wouldn’t recognize that from this angle). It is an example of the Baroque Revival Style, right Brett?

Nearby was the Macdonald Monument in Place du Canada. It was unveiled in 1895. Just yesterday, Wab Kinew (Premier of my province of Manitoba) challenged Mark Carney to abolish the Indian Act which was written in part by John A Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada.

We knew that we were very near the Ring. We were to meet there the following morning for a walking tour, so we scoped out the location in advance.

We found the Metro again and then made our way to Jean Talon Market. I loved these dahlias on display and for sale.

They had so many good food offerings from around the world. I enjoyed a vermicelli bowl and D enjoyed a couple of varieties of arancini. We first tasted these in Sicily.

We stopped for some supper fixings and then walked home. We put on 14,000 steps that day. Pretty good for a guy that just got out of a walking cast. We had 3 hr walking tour the next day so we rested up with our books for the evening.

Our Home Exchange was in the perfect location but was a bit spartan for our tastes. For example, there was no TV. When we travel we like to do some of the same things that we enjoy at home, like watching a favourite Police Drama. It is one of the ways that we feel like locals and not tourists. Que sera…reading is nice too.

Kath’s quote: “The only way to truly get a feel of the local life is to spend a few days with someone born there.“-author unknown. Our Home Exchange host was from Nice, France but you get my drift.

Love never fails.

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