Old Montreal

The Old Port

Being true to our “Buy Canadian” values, Peter and I chose Montreal as a short vacation destination. We were once again reminded of the ease of travel within Canada: no passports or customs hassles, no currency exchange, no health care worries, and no language problems. I even tried out my basic French occasionally and was rewarded with a smile. Or was it a smirk?

The last time either of us had visited Montreal was over 50 years ago. Peter visited expo in 1967 and I went to a conference in 1972. Would the city have changed since then? My recollections were of a hangover from too much free wine on the plane, and expensive shopping on St Catherine Street. Peter remembered sharing a room in a high-end hotel with about 4 other young guys. Several decades later, we were going with another older couple like us, and we needed a different plan.

We were told to be sure to stay in Old Montreal, near the Port and the waterfront. It sounded perfect – old and quiet. We found a perfect hotel too: L’Hotel near the port, with lots of eateries, and a subway stop. The hotel itself had large comfy beds, a convenient breakfast area, and art on all the walls in case we woke up with insomnia in the night and needed to go for a stroll.

Art in the hotel lobby

We spent the first day wandering around the waterfront and enjoying the architecture. It was a big contrast to Toronto, where old buildings have mostly been torn down and replaced with steel and glass skyscrapers. Here the buildings have been re-purposed: into restaurants, boutiques and markets. The 1864 Royal Bank, once the tallest building in the British Empire, has been transformed into office space, where the ground floor is now the Crew Collective Cafe- a place for small businesses to rent internet service and hold informal meetings.

Front doors of Royal Bank building

We limited ourselves to One church only – Mary Queen of the World 1894. We chose this one because the front piece of the altar, officially named the ciborium, was built in 1900, and is an exact copy of the ciborium in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome where the new Catholic Pope recently held his first mass.

Pope’s altar

On our wanderings we ran across this monument to Sir John A Macdonald, missing John, who was first painted red, and then torn down by protesters in 2020 because of his support for residential schools. (He is now residing somewhere else). Then we wandered through Hudson’s Bay, another sad ending for an historic building. We couldn’t even find any souvenirs to buy.

Where is John?

One of my reasons for wanting to visit Montreal was to see some installations by landscape architect Claude Cormier, famous for Sugar Beach, Berczy Park and Love Park, in Toronto. We saw 4 in his home town of Montreal. The grounds of the Clock tower at the Old Port are enhanced with a creation similar to our Sugar Beach. Dorchester Square has been reconfigured with bridges, benches and a fountain. The Ring separates 2 office buildings in Place Ville Marie. The most unique installation stands in the lobby of the Palais des Congress, a convention centre, where live trees and bushes are replaced by The Lipstick Forest.

We wound up each day with dinner close to our hotel. Our travels, mostly on foot, had worn us out and we didn’t want to miss our bedtime! So we chose: Brew Pub, Mexican, and Asian, with a glass of wine or a beer to start. And for those of you who are wondering about where was the French food? We did have one French lunch, all cheesy and delicious, on a patio near the port.

This, and other minor adjustments, meant that travelling for older folks is not only possible – it’s FUN!.

Sue

Patriotic Shopping

I wrote about shopping several times during the difficult years of the Covid 19 pandemic. I thought we were done with that topic. But politics has changed the shopping scene and now it’s harder than ever to navigate.

We Canadians are ethically challenged every time we visit a store or a website. To buy or not to buy? For example, after my last post where I joyously shared a photo of my favourite Miss Vickie’s potato chips, a reader wrote to correct me. His research showed that, while Miss Vickie’s were originally created by Ontario farmers Vickie and her husband, the company is now owned by Frito Lay in the USA. So my question changed: To eat or not to eat? I read the package over and over again, seeing only a red maple leaf with the words “Made in Canada.” I ripped open the bag and started munching. Really, how much temptation can a person stand?

Then I received a coupon in the mail for 25% off any item in my favourite women’s store, Talbot’s. Without a thought I drove straight over to the mall. And there, right in front of me, was the most glorious shirt in brilliant shades of red and pink, so spring-like. How could I resist? I handed over my credit card. At home I took the shirt out of the bag and thought…oops… is Talbot’s a Canadian store? My phone showed me that Mr. and Mrs. Talbot had started the store in the United Sates back in 1947. No question about being Canadian. So what to do? I rationalized about all the time and gas needed to make the return trip. And I am sorry to admit that my ethical self was outvoted by my colourful self.

This Canadian shopping can test even the most patriotic of us. Another real temptation is COSTCO. We have one location very close to us and it’s easy to stop by for a few bulk items. I’ve heard many people say they will never give up COSTCO, even if it IS American. especially when they think about inflation. What most people agree on is to buy only Canadian products there, which seems to be a reasonable compromise, since each COSTCO outlet also employs a lot of Canadian workers.

But how do we know what IS a Canadian product? The language is endlessly confusing. Apparently “made in Canada” means that the last transition of the product was done in Canada. The rest of the item may come from somewhere else. But “product of Canada” manes that most of it, over 90%, comes directly from Canada. There are now some apps available to help us sort all this out. Two that I know of are Maple Scan, and BuyBeaver.

I was delighted to discover that my favourite shampoo and moisturizer come from Quebec. While shopping for crackers I found that my go-to brand is made in England. Quite close to Talbot’s in the mall is Sportchek (Canadian) with nice shirts! Staples, a really handy store with a lot of useful products, is Canadian. It even has a recycling depot at the store I visit, where shoppers can leave empty cartridges, toner, used batteries, and other non-recyclable items.

But so far one item on my shopping list evades me. Every morning Peter has a cookie with his coffee. It is a plain biscuit without much sugar and it’s made by Christie. Christie was originally a Canadian company owned by Mr. Christie in Toronto. Then he sold the business to Mondelez, an international company headquartered in the US.

So last week I bought Peter some biscuits from Italy – too sweet. Then I bought some gluten-free ones at Sobey’s – too expensive! English shortbread – too buttery. Arrowroot – too childishly embarrassing. Can any of you Canadian readers help me out with this?

Elbows up!

Sue

JOY

It’s hard to find much of that this morning.

The huge snow piles are turning brown, the crocuses are hiding underground, and a super soaker rainstorm is in the forecast. Doug Ford has won permission to dig a billion-dollar tunnel under highgway 401, while he continues to ignore our failing healthcare system. And, after treating President Zelensky like dirt in the oval office, the Orange Guy is treating Canada like dirt with his tariff plans.

How can we find anything to be happy about in all this mess? I think I’ll just give up and cry somewhere in a corner.

No I won’t, and neither will you. We are Canadians and we will deal with this. First we’ll get out our raincoats and clear the catch basins in our streets. Then we’ll send our $200 Ford cheque to a food bank. Finally, we’ll go to No Frills and buy some Miss Vickie’s made-in-Canada potato chips to drink with our glass of Ontario wine.

One activity Peter and I have found helpful during this long winter is getting together with friends and family. We held a family birthday party with lots of laughter and THREE cakes! We hosted a Chinese New Year party where nobody wore kimonos, but we played Rumoli with nickels as bets, and you wouldn’t believe how competitive people were over those nickels. We invited some friends to an Italian lunch and held them all hostage until we served dessert late in the afternoon. Other friends who are neighbours invited us to their place for lunch and we got to walk all the way there!

Being with friends and family is soothing. Even if we talk about the bad stuff going on, it gives us a sense of comfort knowing that others are feeling the same way. Plus, sometimes we get new ideas. Or new slogans. Or new energy.

Another activity is to check out legitimate media sources. Go on a laptop or an Ipad and read some posts by the well-known journalist Heather Cox Richardson. Turn on the TV and watch Saturday Night Live or Bill Mahr ranting on American stations. Listen to the remake of the Gloria Estefan song: I Will Survive! and sing along. Watch the photo diary, Canada the Beautiful, and view gorgeous pictures of places in Canada that look exactly like other beautiful places in the world:

This may look like New Zealand but it’s actually British Columbia

Best of all, we recently put up a Canadian flag in our bathroom window. That way we get to see it often. And feel almost joyful for all the good things we do have.

Sue

PS One more idea: We will definitely Not be watching any orange guy speeches tonight at 8:00.

The Week In Politics

It is tempting to devote a post entirely to politics. There is SO much news these days that one can hardly step away to visit the bathroom without missing another headline.

In just one week Chrystia Freeland started the trend with her bombshell announcement about leaving her position as finance minister. That was followed by Trump taking advantage of our “weakened country” with no finance minister, to harp on tariffs: “I Love that word. T a r i f f s. Doesn’t that have a lovely sound?” Next we had Trudeau choking up on the steps of Rideau Cottage as he announced his decision to step down as Prime Minister. Which brought Trump back again with an even greater threat: to make Canada the 51st state. OMG I am exhausted just writing about it all.

But the week was not over. Not by a long shot. Then we had Jimmy Carter enter the picture, or well actually leave the picture, and tributes from far and wide pouring in about all his accomplishments during his one-term presidency: his kindness, his courage to take on civil rights, his success with the guinea worm disease, his peace-brokering with Egypt and the middle east, and lots more. Carter was a shining star compared to the Other one-term president sitting at the funeral and looking smug, even when other former presidents refused to shake his hand. Reporters were so distracted that nobody even mentioned Melania’s outfit!

Then, flip channel and find all the wannabe Prime Ministers making their case for the vacant position in Canada. And there was Poilievre promoting his strength as a leader. He only stumbled once – when the interviewer asked point blank what he would do about tariffs and Trump’s threats to annex our country. His reply: “Well I am Not Prime Minister yet. Give me a chance and I’ll try to figure it out.”(slightly paraphrased by me).

Meanwhile Rob Ford is making headlines with his plans to co-ordinate the tariff response by the provincial premiers, and trying to look like the leader he never was during the covid healthcare crisis, or the land developers taking over the greenbelt, or the potential loss of the Science Centre and Ontario Place, or the bike-lane fiasco. To name a few examples. Ford is expected to announce a provincial election for mid-February, spending more tax payers’ money before he makes another big goof up.

Then yesterday – the start of another week – did things calm down? Oh no. Now we have Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta Oil Company, and Kevin O’Leary of Dragon’s Den fame and another headline news story that is too tragic to even mention, linking arms and heading to Mara Lago as our what? Ambassadors? Who hired Them to represent our Canadian values?

But none of this is really important. In my mind, the biggest stories right now are the tragic wildfires destroying Los Angeles. No matter what threat a president proposes, or what plans our wannabe leaders have for retaliating, the most important news is how Canada is sending firefighters and “super scoopers” specially-designed to fill up and transport sea water, to help our neighbours fight these devastating fires. Nothing else matters if we don’t have a continent we can live on together.

Sue

Buffalo

Did you know that Buffalo may be Canada’s best revenge against Donald Trump and his tariffs?

I grew up in St. Catharines, not too far from the US border. When our car needed gas or my dad needed beer, we would often drive “over the river” (the Nagara River that is) and fill up, at very cheap prices. When the family wanted a Saturday night outing, we would travel to Buffalo and gorge on wings and fries. During school vacations we would go to the Niagara Outlet Mall and stock up on school clothes. We saved a lot of money that way. Not only were the prices cheaper to start with, but back then the Canadian dollar was at par with the US dollar.

Many Canadians living in cities and towns near the US border shopped this way. Holidays were built around a trip to a US mall. The mall garbage cans were filled with price tags and shopping bags and shoe boxes discarded by buyers, along with the old clothes and shoes they had been wearing in the morning. Families would stay overnight at a nearby motel that had an indoor swimming pool. Everyone was happy.

Crossing the border to return home, the family would meet the customs office who would ask: “What are you bringing across the border today?” The driver would smile and say “Oh sir, nothing to declare. We just went over for lunch.” Then he would sneak a peak at his gas gauge which read FULL. Meanwhile the kids in the back seat would stare down at their shiny shoes, scuffed up enough to betray their newness. And the wife would be wearing two new dresses under a jacket, as she wiped perspiration from her brow.

Even after I moved to Toronto I would sometimes join friends on a weekend shopping trip. We’d drive across the borer to the outlet mall, split up and raid the stores. Then we’d meet for lunch and share our finds. And then we’d go back at it again. After loading up the car with clothes, bedding and cosmetics, we’d drive farther along the highway to a boutique hotel, just past Buffalo. We’d settle in, enjoy a fabulous meal, and drink wine.

The next morning after a bountiful brunch, we’d head home, stopping here and there at antique stores and fruit stands. When we got to the border, we’d smile politely at the customs officer who usually asked the total price of our purchases. The customs allowance back then was $100 for a weekend away. Coincidentally each one of us had spent just under that limit – $96, $91, $94, and $97. Hard to believe that we were so good at doing math in our heads. In fact, when we added gas, hotel, food, and wine, we’d probably each spent well over $500 in the Buffalo area.

Nowadays these fun Canadian shopping habits are beginning to disappear. With the Canadian dollar trending downwards and gas prices going up, fewer people are making their way south to Buffalo, or Michigan, or Seattle. We stay put and make do with our local Winners and COSTCO. And with the Trump tariffs on the way, this downward trend is going to continue. We’ll be spending our holiday shopping sprees in our own country. And we’ll have fun too.

So Donald, take that! Who says that average Canadians can’t protest over the shameful results of the recent US election?

Sue

A Square To Be Proud Of

In 2021 the Canadian government voted to mark an official Day Of Truth and Reconciliation, on September 30. This September a new installation was opened in Nathan Phillis Square, Toronto. Last week we decided to investigate this new Spirit Garden.

We took the Yonge subway to Dundas and wandered through the Eaton Centre, stopping for lunch at the Food Court and remarking, as we headed through the shopping maze, that neither Peter nor I had been to Nathan Phillips Square in Ages. We have visited on a few occasions such as New Year’s Eve, but mostly we have used the square as a short-cut between Yonge St And University Ave.

This time we entered from the east side and had to weave through a lot of props, signage and equipment, as we made our way to the south-west corner of the square. Construction workers and event planners were setting up for the Diwali Festival Of Lights, happening on the weekend.

Then a series of new installations, the Spirit Garden, caught our eye. Attracting us first was a large turtle, symbolizing the First Mother. She is labouring up a hill, a look of determination on her face. She represents the Indigenous people struggling against land and cultural appropriation, evidenced by the residential school tragedy. The turtle is staring at the roadblock of listed schools in its path.

On one side of the turtle’s journey sits a large inuksuk, (a human-like figure guiding travellers and warning of danger ahead) and on the other side a shiny copper teaching lodge, built to be an Indigenous classroom. Nearby rests a canoe, symbolic of early travel from the north along Carrying Place, to the Great Lakes. Unlike practical vessels, this one is shimmering stainless steel with colourful patterns etched on its sides.

At one end of the Spirit Garden, a natural garden features crops of the 3 sisters: corn with its tall stalks planted at the back, beans next, using the corn stalks as support, and squash for groundcover to keep the weeds out and moisture in. These 3 vegetables are often cooked and served together in an Indigenous meal.

Satisfied with our tour of this new garden, we decided to explore the square a little further. Built in 1965, on land originally occupied by Chinese and Jewish immigrants, the square was named after former Mayor Nathan Phillips and placed adjacent to the new Toronto City Hall. In the northwest corner of the square a reflecting pool and eternal flame highlight a Peace Garden. A Henry Moore Sculpture has also resided here for over 60 years. A statue of Winston Churchill was added in 1977.

Around 2010 the city decided that a facelift was in order. A design concept, based on the ancient Greek “agora,” a large gathering place and market, led to the changes. A new restaurant with a rooftop patio replaced the old skate shack. Now it’s an updated eatery beside the skating rink, which features a colourful Toronto sigh, installed during the 2015 Pan Am Games. One of the Freedom Arches above the rink contains a piece of the Berlin wall at its base.

In the centre of the square a new stage was built to replace the temporary structures used for concerts and special events. This stage area, referred to as the Podium, has a “green” roof and feels very open and welcoming.

In fact, the entire area of Nathan Phillips Square feels welcoming. Whether you are a politician, a skater, a concert-goer, a Raptors fan, a shopper, a tourist, or an Indigenous person, there is a place for you there.

Sue

Leslie Lookout Park

I have had a crush on Claude Cormier ever since I visited Berczy Park and stumbled upon his whimsical dog fountain. What a clever idea he had: to construct parks that were more than just grass and trees; to make them a go-to destination.

Cormier died in 2023 from a rare genetic condition, at the young age of 63. What a loss for the environment and for the cities that benefitted from his genius. I was eager to visit this newest Toronto creation, Leslie Lookout Park, officially opened by Mayor Olivia Chow on September 14th of this year. The media reporting was full of praise for this park, crafted from a small piece of land near the Leslie Street Spit and the Portlands. Peter and I made our way there last Friday.

As usual, we took public transit – a subway and a bus – and then walked half a kilometer. And there, almost hidden between a huge postal station and a construction lot full of sand hills, was a tiny bit of magic. The park makes itself known through its lookout tower. No, this is not the CN Tower. But visitors can walk up the staircase to the second level and view the CN tower in the distance.

The beach, similar to Sugar Beach, (another Cormier creation), hosts about 25 Muskoka chairs looking out over Toronto’s Ship Channel. The sunsets are reported to be beautiful from this angle. The rest of the park is composed of small hills suitable for kids to roll down, and an area of porous asphalt which collects and disperses rain water. There are bike stands and water fountains. The entire park is planted with more than 5000 different kinds of greenery, including a mini-forest of bonsai.

After Peter and I had explored every inch of this clever creation, we still had some time so we wondered south the the entrance of Tommy Thompson Park. This park is a lot different from the Cormier design. It’s Vast. And Wild. Here the flowers, grasses and animals run free. In fact, there is a huge sign at the entrance, warning visitors not to bring dogs, not even on a leash. Wildlife is King.

We walked along for a while until we came to a sign indicating that the park continues for 10 kilometers. No wonder we had seen so many bike riders! A friend told us that, had we continued walking a bit farther, we would have come across public restrooms with ideal bird-nesting opportunities under the eaves. The restrooms are built according to current “green” standards, and the birds show off their flying skills there – much better for the environment than the Air Show.

Then it was time to go home. We walked back to the bus stop, past Leslie Lookout Park, grateful to have seen Claude Cormier’s final Toronto creation.

Sue

This dedication can be found on the inside of the lookout tower

Shipping News

Peter and I spent the last 2 weeks on a vacation which included a cruise. We didn’t stop to think that a 10-day cruise in the fall would be limited to one particular group: old retired people like us.

We haven’t been on a trip of any kind in a couple of years so preparing for this trip was a little stressful. The weather in the Maritimes and New England is supposed to be mild and sunny but there can be occasional hurricanes along the coast. So we had to pack a lot of layers to accommodate all possibilities. Our pill consumption has increased, so (I have to admit) I bought one of those pill box organizers. Then the airline tickets we had booked to go to our departure city were threatened by a potential airline strike! But finally we were ready.

Pill box organizer saved the day..

Peter wanted to take public transit to the airport but we had packed a lot of stuff. Two suitcases plus 3 carry-ons seemed daunting for a subway and 2 bus rides plus walking, so we agreed on taking an Uber. But Ubers arrive quickly and, in our haste to leave, an important item was left behind and we had to coax the Uber guy to turn around.

The flight was short and the attendants served wine so by the time we got to Quebec City we were calmed down and ready to have fun. We had booked a hotel for one night before our cruise left. But when we arrived at our lovely boutique hotel, we found out it had no elevators and no bell hops. We had to lug our suitcases and carry-ons to the second floor.

Boutique hotel with no elevators

We were almost ready to give up and go home, but our hotel was just across from the Chateau Frontenac and a lovely boardwalk, so we soldiered on.

After a walk and a delicious French dinner, we slept well and were all set to hike to the ship the next morning. The hotel had advertised a 10-minute walk to the port but we were still trudging after half an hour. We could see the ship but it was located behind acres of shipyards. Eventually a disability shuttle took pity and picked us up. We tried to ignore the wheelchair sign in the windows as we took our seats.

Peter walking the port

We boarded the ship and looked around. We have never before seen so many canes, walkers and wheelchairs gathered together on a floating vessel. There were a lot of wrinkled faces, grey hair and bald heads too. But there were also a few heads with blue streaks and even a moustache dyed green. And those wrinkled faces were smiling. Would this be a nursing home experience or not?

The Norwegian Sky

The ship made accommodations for our collective age. The mealtimes were adjusted to include lunch starting at 11:30 and dinner beginning at 5:00. We chose “sharing tables’ in the dining room and met a lot of interesting older people. They were from all over the world; not just Quebec but also Georgia, Arizona, California, the UK, India, Germany, and Australia. We learned a lot about healthcare, housing, education, weather and grandchildren in other countries. And we all acknowledged that we might forget each other’s names if we met again the next day.

There were shows after dinner. A violinist wore sparkly dresses she had designed herself as she played a variety of music types that we recognized. A group of performers presented an evening of show tunes from the 60’s and up. A comedian, who was also in his 70’s like most of us, told our kind of jokes. The shows ended at 10 pm and the guests, including us, walked directly to our staterooms and put on our pajamas; the casino sat empty.

Next Tuesday I’ll give you an overview of the many interesting ports we visited. But all in all, Peter and I decided that cruising is a definite travel possibility for older people.

Sue

Chateau Frontenac hotel in Quebec City

Canadian Chroma

Are the advantages of living in a big city worth the aggravations that sometimes happen? Last weekend we got to find out.

We took the subway to the Eaton Centre, the busiest shopping mall in all of Canada, with over 50 million visitors annually. Built in the 1970’s, it has been anchored by at least one major department store during most of its life. But that all changed when Nordstrom recently moved out.

The same thing has been happening to other malls across Canada and the US. Competition from Amazon and other online stores has drastically reduced in-person shopping. Sherway Gardens filled up vacated retail space with unique Christmas Markets. Another mall near us, Cloverdale, replaced a big Target store with – wait for it – pickleball courts! What would the Eaton Centre come up with to replace Nordstrom’s footprint? We read about it in the newspaper: Canadian Chroma.

Soon after we arrived at the Eaton Centre, the fire alarm began to beep at us. Shoppers stopped in their tracks, waiting patiently until we got the ‘all clear’ signal several minutes later. After lunch, Peter went to the washroom and came out reporting that a guy in one of the stalls was having a melt-down and the bathroom was full of security guards.

Finally we found our way safely to the new exhibit, a series of interactive displays highlighting the beautiful colours of our Canadian geography. The first stop shows dramatic photographs from coast to coast to coast: the majestic mountains of the north and west covered in sparkly snow, the golden wheat fields of Alberta and Saskatchewan ready for harvesting, the forests of Ontario dressed in autumn colours, the turqouise-blue waters of the maritime provinces. There are hundreds of photos in gorgeous hues; available by touching a colour and then a button.

Here’s one of the buttons between pink and coral:

The second stop in the display shows 4 photos of a log farmhouse from a nearby window, in all 4 seasons. The third stop depicts the Northern Lights in beautiful shades of green. The viewer stands on a set of footprints in front of the lights which respond to body movements with bubble columns and explosions.

Display number 4 promotes Indigenous art in a unique and fun way. There are 7 murals painted by 7 different artists, each divided into 7 panels. Viewers can mix and match the panels to create one entire mural by one artist or, if you have the patience, up to 49 different murals with 1 panel from each artist. It would be a good way to entertain grandchildren for quite a while.

(Here is your cheat sheet for the murals):

The final display is an interactive map showing where we Canadians originally came from. Virtual threads in different colours link places in Canada to other places around the world. For example, Peter found a fuscia thread connecting Toronto to Italy. He was so pleased to see his journey on display. All in all, Canadian Chroma was well worth a visit. And it was free!

Then we headed for home.

When we got to our subway station, the line was closed to sort out a security issue. We decided to walk south to Queen, and take a streetcar west to the University line. At Queen we discoveed that the streetcars were not running due to construction. So we had to walk to King, and then along King to the next streetcar stop. Finally we found a streetcar, and another subway, and then home.

Were the security issues, the costruction, and the subway delays stressful? Well they did slow us down. But heck, we are retired – we have the time. That seems a small price to pay for experiencing life in a big city.

Sue

PS Since our winter in Toronto seems to have passed with barely a dusting of snow so far, I thought you’d like to see this photo from the exhibit: