Having spent a wonderful four days in Montreal celebrating 25 years of marriage, it was time to head off again.
Montreal
French speaking Montreal charmed us with highlights including an anniversary meal in Restaurant Bonaparte (unashamedly French but with friendly waiters), a helicopter ride over the city straddling the Lawrence River, and a trip to the wonderful biosphere near the Olympic stadium (lots of hilarious penguins!).
Oh, and not to forget the stunning cathedral.
Quebec City
Our departure was for the much smaller regional capital, Quebec City.
About 90 minutes away by Via Rail train, the mediaeval city was a joy to spend 24 hours in.
The journey was smooth with plenty to view outside as we rolled along. The Gare du Palais was a beauty as well.
Quebec City had featured on a series of Race Across The World, and this convinced me it was a must see. It did not disappoint with the Le Chateau Frontenac a particular highlight.
Toronto
Next morning it was a return to Montreal, 4 hours at the train station and then another train to Toronto.
This journey dragged a little as it grew dark before we arrived on a busy Saturday night.
We only had a little over 24 hours to enjoy the city, but as we arrived late we ordered pizza into our hotel and vouched to explore next morning.
First up the eclectic area of Kensington, a sort of Camden Town with legal cannabis & magic mushroom shops.
It was a colourful spectacle with brightly painted buildings and shops selling ethnic & vintage clothing and objects. We picked a good spot for lunch and lingered to watch the world go by.
We had booked a touristic boat cruise that evening on Lake Ontario. The food was pretty good and the scenery splendid as we slipped into darkness. The onboard DJ took requests. Autumn Leaves by Coldcutt did the trick for Mrs Wilbur.
We took the arbitrary cheesy/romantic photos, and then concentrated on the skyline.
The CN Tower looked great all lit up.
Next morning we had an early start for Niagara Falls which left shortly after 8. It was an Amtrak train destined for NYC and would take a couple of hours.
Coming next: Niagara and back to New York.
