We arrived in Syracuse around lunch time. We are staying at The Craftsman Inn in Fayetteville. It’s a really cool hotel - very Upstate NY.

After having lunch at the hotel, I went to LeMoyne College with Kate Sullivan for a meeting and my talk. I didn’t get a big crowd as that night happened to be Dolphy Day (the big senior send-off party), but we had a great discussion after the film regardless.

While I was working, Dan and the kids were playing! They checked out the ropes course at Wonderworks and then on to some problem solving at 5Wits!

A day that wasn’t planned to be very eventful turned out to be pretty great after all! And now....Montréal!

The landscape here is really stunning. It’s amazing how different a place can look while only being a few hours away.

We stopped for lunch in Brockville at Kelsey’s Roadside. Perfectly fine chain - we were hungry so we would have eaten anything.

A few hours later and we were finally in Montreal. It was after 6 p.m. so we went straight to the apartment. It’s a great space, perfect for our long weekend. The fire was roaring when we got here, although it wasn’t much needed today. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and rainy so it will be lovely when we get back tomorrow night.

Once we got settled, we took a short walk to Le Sans Taverne for dinner. The kids devoured the pizza and Cillian was tickled that they serve butter to serve on top.

Onward to a full day in the city tomorrow!

Waiting for their first Uber...

We took a drive up to Plateau Mont-Royal to get some food. Our driver was great and gave us a short tour on the way. We had to wait in line at L’Avenue -l there is a lineup no matter what time of day, and they try to make it as accommodating as possible. While waiting, they graciously brought umbrellas to guests and moved it as quickly as possible. We waited about 30-45 minutes and it was worth every minute. The food was incredible, decor is cool, and the glow-in-the-dark bathrooms sold the kids on the coolness.

Hot chocolate

Nutella French toast

Eggs and sausage!

Steak & eggs benny

After lunch we hit a few record shops - Aux 33 and Freeson’s. I found a few gems in both before we headed back out.

We tried to explore but the rain was relentless. Instead, we headed towards the RESOS (underground city). The kids took their first subway ride to get there.

We arrived, but at the wrong center. There wasn’t much there, except a piece of the Berlin Wall. That was cool, until a Fionnuala tried to climb it 🤦🏻‍♀️

We tried one more center which turned out to be under construction and really just a variation on King of Prussia. At this point, we all needed a break so we grabbed dinner at a Universal and hopped back on the Metro. We found this guy on the way....

Attempts at touring seemed futile at this point, so we are taking a different approach to experiencing local flavor. We hit the IGA and stocked up on wine, cheese, and snacks, turned the fireplace on and will try again tomorrow!

We figured the Basilicia of Notre Dame was a good way to hide from the rain, so we headed there next.

A quiet church only kept the kids’ interest for so long, so we headed for a place we’d all enjoy - the market! The Jean-Talon Market is incredible, if not completely overwhelming. We did manage to find some delicious treats and even some gifts and souvenirs.

We even found a cat!

It FINALLY stopped raining so we headed to Mount Royal to see the view. We got really lucky to see the clouds mostly part. The view was incredible.

The chalet offered a nice spot to take a break. Cillian and Fionnuala did a photo shoot while Dan and I relaxed. She even did ballet for everyone!

Mr. Peanuts!

To get down, we took a series of staircases and a serpentine trail.

And of course, these two hams posed for more photos at the bottom.

Contemplating whether the next dessert will be macaroons or creme brûlée.

We wandered back towards the metro to get to our dinner reservations....and more photos!

Chatting with the ladies!

We had dinner at Modavie, a traditional French bistro. The food was excellent, but we were all exhausted so we headed back home for the night.

Tomorrow is the big birthday celebration!

We stopped for coffee at Ballet Hop!, a ballet studio/cafe. Fionnuala was in love and bought a ballet headband, just like the “big kid ballet dancers.”

Cillian is turning into a decent photographer!

More exploring led us to Old Montréal where we caught some street performers.

We meandered back up the hill, headed towards dinner, soaking up every photo op along the way.

We covered a LOT of ground today, trying to get in all of the time lost to the rain. We finished the day at Les Enfants Terrible for dinner. The restaurant is on the 44th floor of the RBC building so in addition to great food, we had incredible views.

On our way back, we made sure to check the hours of Chez Raoul so we can squeeze in one more taste of those amazing croissants before we head south!