2015-06-28 - Sunday - Pots. (Remember pots?) and Father's day

We returned home from Montreal on Sunday morning so I went to Clayworks to get my fired pots. I was very pleased with the results. I love my shinos.

Stephanie and Meredith got me a great Father's Day present. I look forward to using this on the grill to flip hamburgers for everyone. Isn't that a wonderful gift? We have good kids.

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2015-06-26 - Friday - Montreal

Friday we explored more of Montreal. We went through the convention center and caught the Metro to the old (1976) Olympic grounds which now house a biodome, a botanical garden, and a planetarium.

The Metro is an underground railway that runs on tires instead of steel wheels. It is clean, fast, and efficient. It's also very smooth by design.

Near the botanical gardens we grabbed some snacks and took a much needed rest, then it was back on the Metro and the Jazz festival.

Later we had some more food at an outdoor cafe and bar in the middle of the festival.

It was a great afternoon with a lot of walking.

Colors in the street...

... from these windows in the convention center.

At the Olympic park.

In the biodome.

The botanical gardens.

Interesting tiled wall in the snack bar.

Walking takes its toll.

Back at the Jazz Festival.

Food.

Presentation.

Fin.

Another jazz stage.

More people arriving.

Crowds on the street.

All kinds of entertainment on each street.

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2015-06-25 - Thursday - Montreal

Thursday I went on a "Taste of Montreal" tour. It was quite nice and we covered a lot of areas during the course of it. We had food, saw markets, and heard a lot of facts about Montreal. It's a fascinating city with a lot going on. It has a very European feel to it with the sidewalk cafes, the bicycles everywhere, and the mix of old and new architecture. A very nice place to visit.

Schwartz's smoked meat sandwiches.

Imagine pastrami or corned beef,
but marinated for 10 days,
smoked for 8 hours,
and steamed for 4 hours.
Talk about melting in your mouth...

Large, covered market with a lot of local goods.

The first time I had poutine.
It sounds bad, but it's the ultimate comfort food.

In the convention center.

Cirque du Soleil performers.

Pretty building I saw in our travels.

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2015-06-24 - Wednesday - Montreal

Wednesday we went for drinks and dinner with some of the folks Karen works with. We stopped in an absinthe bar, and then on to a restaurant for supper.

We walked almost everywhere and we got to see some of the Montreal downtown area. Beautiful place.

Plates on the wall outside the bar.

I like the way the moon
echoes the flagpole ball.

The bathroom mirror had a lighted border which made my pupils look square.
(It's the little things.)

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2015-06-23 - Tuesday - Montreal

Tuesday Karen and I left for Montreal. She attended a conference there and I was her plus-one. We flew through Newark, NJ to get there.

To say Karen is not a good flyer would be an understatement. Her stomach just does not handle air travel well. I'm used to her using the air sickness bag, but this was very different. When we got off the plane in Montreal she was so dizzy she was having trouble standing and she felt very sick. We found a wheelchair in a hallway and I commandeered it to push her down the concourse.

A gate agent stopped us and asked if we needed help. She called for the airport first aid crew and when they arrived they sent for an ambulance. The paramedics convinced her to take a ride to the hospital, so we went. The customs agent said our paperwork was good and the bags would stay there until later when we could retrieve them.

It took quite a while to get to the hospital since it was rush hour and there was a major accident snarling up two of the main highways. So we were on city streets along the St. Lawrence river most of the way to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital there was a paper taped to the wall at the intake desk that stated if you were non-Canadian or a Canadian without insurance it would cost $682.74 up front to see a doctor. They wanted cash, but were willing to take a major credit card.

We sat in the waiting room for almost four hours without seeing a doctor and by then Karen was feeling much better so she suggested we leave. We talked about it and I made her walk around a bit to make sure she was ok. I tried to get the money back at the intake desk and was told that accounting was closed for the day and since tomorrow was a holiday we would have to wait until Thursday. We called an Uber car to take us to the hotel.

On the way we mentioned that our bags were still at the airport and Halil, our driver, said he would take us there now if we wished him to. We did and when we got to the airport I was told that our bags were sent back home. I questioned that and was told that was what happened and they were gone.

On the way to the hotel I called the main United Airlines number and got a foreign country. The man on the other end of the line called the Montreal airport and told me the bags were still there. They would be put on a truck and delivered shortly, usually within a four to six hour window.

We got to the room and ordered room service at midnight. That club sandwich was the best thing we ever tasted since we hadn't eaten since 8:30 that morning.

The next day, Wednesday, was my birthday and also St. Jean Baptiste Day, and Quebec Day.

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