Wishing You All
A Heart Healthy Valentine's Day!
A
My Other Montreal Related Posts:
Montreal: Mont Royal and the City
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Montreal got its name from the green bump on the edge of the city, “Mont Royal;” an urban forest similar to New York's Central Park. Actually it was landscaped by the same guy, Frederick Olmsted. It was an enjoyable walk up the hill and the greenery was refreshing. We were surprised by the crowds at the top – yes, it was a beautiful day and the locals were out in force. At the top, I clicked this serene vista.
From here, the views of the city were breathtaking. I told you, it was a beautiful day. Enjoy!
My Other Montreal Posts:
Montreal, A Walking City
We must have pounded all the sidewalks in Montreal! On their popular Rue Ste Catherine, we saw this movie theater showcasing an International Film Festival. The alcove was beautifully rimmed with flags. I was mesmerized by the glass ceiling, 25 -30 feet high up, which created its own art with the reflected flags and people at ground level. Here, I appeared well positioned to the right of the white ticket booth, and a crowd was starting to gather near the front. M saunters behind me with her red bag.
Continue reading “Montreal, A Walking City”
Breakfast in Montreal
I get cranky without a good breakfast. Particularly when traveling. I do more research on breakfast places, than on sightseeing. So it was with Montreal. On our first morning, we walked over to Chez Cora Dejeuners (1425 Rue Stanley, off Rue Ste Catherine). I had read a lot about it and was ready to be disappointed. When we came up the street, seeing customers lining outside was a good sign. After about a 30 minute wait, we got a nice table with sunlight streaming in from large windows. We ordered random things from the menu. An omelet wrapped in a crepe for M (see next pic), and a waffle on a bed of fruits for me (see above). This place is known for its generous fruit servings and all their breakfasts are accompanied with lots of fruit. Yes, it was del-i-cious! Fueled us for a long day walking around Montreal. Another of my characteristics – once I find something good, I hang on to it. So for the next couple of days we started our days at Chez Cora. Continue reading “Breakfast in Montreal”
From Montreal – Bouquets of Joy
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A couple of weeks ago we drove up to Montreal, Canada for a short holiday. What a beautiful city and a beautiful people! Oh, those restaurants! Certainly more about those in a separate post. Strolling on the heavily walked, St Catherine's Ave, we saw a little stall surrounded by buckets of flowers for sale. The guy had very simple, yet colorful bouquets in his bucket and gladly agreed to let me shoot. There was no rearrangement of the flowers. I just pointed to the bunches he had placed in the bucket and shot! Spectacular! Spectacular!
Merci Montreal!
My Other Montreal Related Posts:
My Flower Posts:
On Flower Sellers:
New Year Greetings 2005
Wishing Everyone
A Happy and Fun-filled New Year!
M&A
Walking on the Athabasca glacier, with the A-A cirque glacier in the background, was the high point of our Canada trip in October. The Columbia Icefield is the largest (200 sq Km) of the upland snow fields high up in the mountains. The Athabasca glacier is one of several glaciers which “flow” off the Columbia Icefield at about 15-20 m/year. The winds racing from atop the Icefield (behind me), bring snow and gusty, bitterly cold winds. Because of the winds, M and I are hanging onto each other tightly, in the pic above.
Tourists gathered in front of the SnoCoaches on the glacier. Notice how tiny they look in front of the monstrous SnoCoach.
We were only permitted to walk on a 'groomed' part of the glacier. The normal glacier surface is 'turbulent' due to tumbling of ice-chunks as this frozen river flows downstream. The trapped air and meandering light give it an iridescent blue glow. After numerous attempts, a brief glimmer of sun and a very low angle of the pic permitted me to capture this color.
For a sense of the size of this glacier note the humongous tour buses parked in front of the glacier’s toe, which appear as little specks. The glacier is receding; about a century ago the toe was at the edge of the road. What part of global warming don’t people understand? Our SnoCoach had traversed just beyond the horizon on this glacier where the ice is believed to be more than 100 meters thick.
The access road along the lateral moraine. The trees though tiny (about 2-3 feet tall) are about 50 years old. Thats because of the ultra-short growing season (2-3 weeks/year) the bitterly cold winds and snow even in the middle of summer. This is also technically in the tree-less alpine region. Notice how the trees appear to be drawn along the road. I think the minimal – but significant – heat from the tour buses is sufficient to give a boost to the surrounding trees. Another sign of global warming!
One more.
Other Posts from our Calgary Visit:
- Breakfast In Calgary
- Lake Moraine, Canada
- Elements: Moraine Lake
- Scenic Drive to Columbia Ice fields & Banff
From our Montreal Visit:
Scenic Drive to the Columbia Icefields
We had rented a car and drove from Calgary to Banff and then continued along the Icefield Parkway. This is a uber scenic drive named after the chain of glaciers and 'icefields' topping the Rockies. At every turn we were awed by spectacular vistas of snow capped peaks and glaciers creeping down! Here are a few pics taken along the drive.
The Fairmont Springs Resort in Banff!
Crowfoot glacier. Peyto Lake is one of 100s of turquoise lakes fed of the glaciers.
Mistaya Canyon
From our Calgary Visit:
- Breakfast in Calgary
- New Year Greetings – Walking on the Athabasca Glacier
- Lake Moraine, Canada
- Elements: Moraine Lake
From our Montreal Visit:
Moraine Lake, a few more pics
Continuing my photo tour of Moraine Lake, in Banff National Forest, Alberta, Canada. Another view of Moraine Lake with only a few of the ten surrounding peaks.
On the right, this impressive mountain keeps a watchful eye on the serene lake.
Behind me was this 'terminal moraine.' The glacier coming down the hill deposited remnants of rock in a nice pile before receding. Probably from 1000s of years ago. The pile of dead trees in the previous photo were to the left of this pile
View from the access road, which closed the day after we returned and becomes a ski trail for the winter.
Even the simple evergreen forests of douglas fir, white spruce and pine were breathtaking!
From our Calgary Visit:
- Breakfast in Calgary
- New Year Greetings – Walking on the Athabasca Glacier
- Elements: Moraine Lake
- Scenic Drive to Columbia Icefields & Banff
From our Montreal Visit:
Elements Part III: Water, Wood & Earth (Moraine Lake)
In response to Minn’s query, I want to share this confluence of nature's elements.
About ten days ago we were in Banff National Forest, Alberta, Canada. There, nestled amidst ten tall mountain peaks was this crystal clear, azure blue Moraine lake, fed by long receding glaciers. The pile of dead trees have collected over centuries, when a rock slide likely sheared off a side of the mountain and created a wood and gravel pile. The absolutely dry weather, coupled with the ultra freezing temperatures keeps the wood from rotting. As part of the conservation effort, the Park rangers do not disturb anything in the wilderness and let nature take its course. The piles of earth on the left are also from rocky erosions over many centuries.
From our Calgary Visit:
- Breakfast in Calgary
- New Year Greetings – Walking on the Athabasca Glacier
- Lake Moraine, Canada
- Scenic Drive to Columbia Icefields & Banff
From our Montreal Visit:
Breakfast in Calgary
We started our Canada trip with a couple of days in Calgary. It's a well laid-out city and easy to walk around. We enjoyed the ethnic foods and the coffee shops a lot. The folks we met were also friendly. The girl at the Patagonia outdoorsy Store, for eg, was gushing with suggestions for things to do in the mountains, places to stay and lakes to visit.
We got up early and headed out to a Diner we had noticed the previous evening. When its doors opened at 7:00 am, we were there. It was a quaint 60's styled Diner, with barstools, chrome strips and all. They had expanded in the back with regular tables and booths, and that's where we relaxed.
M treated herself to a Mushroom and Spinach omelette made from free range hens, accompanied by sauteed potatoes and whole grain bread toast. I settled for buckwheat pancakes with mixed berry preserve (see pics below). It was one of the best pancakes I have had. Not the usual white flour ones which get soggy when you add the syrup. These had a nice grainy and an earthy taste. I also 'helped' M with her potatoes and half of the toast. Simply healthy, delicious food! And very filling. We took more than an hour to finish off the breakfast. A perfect way to start the day.
M's Mushroom & Spinach Omelette
Buckwheat Pancakes with mixed berry preserve.
After breakfast, we ambled over to the North end of downtown, where the Bow river ripples. Along both shores are nice walking paths, running and biking trails, and tiny sitting gardens. With picturesque bridges and numerous ducks, it made a perfect setting. The rising sun showcased the clouds beautifully over the fall trees. Picture Perfect!
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Other Posts from our Calgary Visit:
- New Year Greetings – Walking on the Athabasca Glacier
- Lake Moraine, Canada
- Elements: Moraine Lake
- Scenic Drive to Columbia Ice fields & Banff
From our Montreal Visit:
Arun Shanbhag 