Like A Band Of Gypsies

I suppose as far as things go there are worse things I could have left at home. God forbid we had forgotten Edward's tahssies (his word for his blankets - why?) or the fleet of Little Red Cars or Caroline's duct tape. Still, I regret that my media card reader is on the kitchen counter because I wanted to post some pictures of our trip thus far. We saw a rainbow and a tractor supply company and a vintage VW bug stretch limo (thereby crossing about a dozen things off our I Spy list in one awesome fell swoop) and a whole lot of Canadians. Patrick the forest kid was dazzled by the majesty of Ottawa's twenty stories buildings and Edward turned bright red and then bright white and bright red again when he discovered the giant crane working directly outside our hotel window. It was perhaps the only time in my life that I was delighted to learn there was a major construction project underway within six inches of my hotel room and it didn't even bother me when they got back to work again at seven o'clock on Saturday morning.

"Yook. At. Dat. OOGE. GUYANT. BIG. Cane," Edward kept saying, an Arthurian in a Yankee courtyard.

The drive was mostly terrific. Very easy and enormously scenic. While I can see what you mean about the relative dearth of stuff along the Trans-Canadian highway between Sault and Ottawa we thought it was beautiful.

"Ooooh what a pretty lake!" I would say and Steve would murmur an enthusiastic agreement, then ten seconds later Steve would point and say, "Hey! Nice lake!" and I'd say oooh again. Edward and Caroline talked to themselves and occasionally to each other, mostly about Little Einsteins' episodes they had enjoyed in the past. Every three hundred miles or so Patrick would agitate for better living conditions but I handed him another new/borrowed book from my enormous black backpack of books (not to be confused with my large green backpack of snacks or my tiny blue backpack of things to bring into restaurants) and he settled back down again like a placated swamp creature. I discovered that the I Spy list was actually for me as I was the only one who was really into it - Steve and Patrick just humored me at intervals; Caroline kept saying she saw water towers (true - but I already got that one; thank you Escanaba Michigan and your whimsical town council for giving me my smiley face water tower) and wire towers (also true but not on my list) and rollercoasters (a patent falsehood until Montreal.) I - modestly - am kicking ass on that list, by the way, and we still have the return trip in which to see your blasted inflatable giant rat and someone wearing a costume.

The Peapods are officially the greatest thing ever in the history of all time. You can always just rip hunks off a loaf of bread but what else would have kept Caroline out of the broken hotel bathtub that took ten hours to drain a foot of water? I was worried about how Edward would adapt to the change in sleeping accommodations but he was fine. The first night he cried and said Get Out? for about five minutes and then he shrugged and resigned himself to the new state of affairs. He's a very sanguine kid in many ways. Sleeping within ten yards of Edward reminded me of why I moved them to separate rooms back when they were four months old. He is the loudest sleeper. Very Heorot. He snores and he snuffles and he kicks and he scrabbles and sighs and says things like "Hey guys I'll help you" in his sleep. The first night Patrick sat with a book light and his brand-new summer journal and recorded events as they unfolded:

Chapter One - The big bad boring beginning

Things were LOUD in room 204....

And they were. But it was fine and we all (eventually) slept much much better than I expected.

What else?

I packed a lot of medium-sized bags with very specific purposes and I think that made things easier. There was the diaper bag that just had diapers, wipes, ziploc bags, antiseptic hand things and a big old towel to use as a cushion. I used a very small backpack (Patrick's old preschool bag actually) to take into restaurants. It had sippy cups and a couple of pictures books and some astronomy trivia cards and a travel shampoo bottle filled with dishsoap and an old bottle washing scrubby. We just drank water in the car but the twins got milk when we stopped for a meal. Rather than put the milky cups back into the car I took a second and washed them before we left the restaurant. Yes I felt a little gypsy caravan when people found me washing dishes in the bathroom sink but it enabled me to have the cups clean and ready to use again at the next stop. Other than that I had an overnight bag with pajamas and toothbrushes and our books and booklights and Caroline and Edward's special bedtime things. An outdoor bag with swimsuits and bug repellent and sun hats. A day bag with clothes - for some reason I vastly overestimated pajamas (they really could have worn the same pair for three nights) and underestimated clothing changes. I mean, one pair of pants per day per kid was just dopey. Three minutes into breakfast on the second day Edward tipped an entire bowl of Cheerios and milk into his lap.

"Aaaaaa!" He said. "Cold! Wet! Mahk! Need new pants!"

By the time we got to Vermont Edward looked like he had been rolling in lasagne for days, a state of filth that was very distressing for him. Oh well. Life is messy, Ed-wad.

Sudbury was unexpectedly interesting. You go past enormous mining, uh, operations and then drop into a neat little college town. I don't even know if there was a college there but it felt like it. We used priceline for all of our hotels (ever since you told me about priceline I have become a bit of a name your own price junkie. I like it because it's like gambling. be advised that you get much better deals on four star places - we spent the same on a four star in Ottawa that we did on a two star in Escanaba - so when you only have two star hotels available it's not a great deal) and they were all fine. Fine except...

I mean more disrespect to Steve than to any faith when I say this (Steve has Issues with organized religion, specifically those that proselytize) but the funniest moment of our trip for me was when I saw Steve's face as he realized that I had pricelined us into a hotel which was also hosting a... Jehovah's Witness convention. I am laughing all over again as I think about it and I would like to add that we shared the pool with many of the conventioneers and their families and they were absolutely lovely.

Speaking of friendly I have to thank you for the Laurentian View Dairy recommendation in Deep River. We had an excellent lunch and terrific ice cream. We did have to wait a while for the food which is always hard with little kids but a woman sitting at the table next to us assessed our situation and then got up and went and rummaged around in the waitress station, emerging with crayons for our table.

"It's a new girl," she said apologetically of our waitress before she sat back down to her own lunch.

I think that pretty much sums up the Canadians we met: WOW. I am sure there are surly, unhelpful, antagonistic, brutish Canadians as well - I would hate to further stereotypes - but everyone we encountered was very kind. And I loved Ottawa. Very pretty, livable city. I always like it when you have downtowns that blend history and commerce and neighborhoods all together.

Also funny: Patrick decided to pass the time by increasing Caroline's number awareness. After drilling them on zero through twenty he moved on to place values.

"What comes after ninety-nine, Caroline?"

She thought about it.

"Tenty ten," she announced and absolutely nothing Patrick said could dissuade her. He's still frothy about it. 

We're in Vermont right now which is a post unto itself and it will get one. Hopefully by then I will have tracked down a card reader. Don't you want to see pictures of my kids in the car? Sure you do!

PS If you can only have lunch in one restaurant in Montreal - preferably in Vieux-Montreal - and see an afternoon's worth of things there what would it/they be?

PPS Hope you are well. Oh and check out the featured reader ad for a Reader's Retreat. It sounds like it is right up our alley.

Comments

[Cris]

I think you should suggest to Steve that in swimming with the JWs it means he was probably secretly baptized. I would like to see that face.

Although the sleep is never very restful, I love the feeling that comes whenever we have the whole family together in the same hotel or guest room. After everyone has drifted off, I give a big sigh of thanksgiving that we are all there together and that for this moment at least, everything is well. I am happy to be woken up tenty ten times by apneic children in exchange for those snuggly moments of wellbeing.

Thank you for sharing your trip! Enjoy all the rest of it.

[Cris]

p.s. For full disclosure - meant to add that the Mansfield was just thrown in for fun. Its enjoyable, but not on par with RAL.

[bethany actually]

I have nothing to suggest for Montreal, having only been there once (my triumph there was successfully ordering chaud chocolat entirely in French, and I don't really speak French) but I have to tell you I'm entirely jealous of your sojourn through Ottawa. I believe I've mentioned before that we lived there for two years? We loved it there and miss it still! (We're American, not Canadian, but I like to think that the niceness of Canadians rubbed off on us a bit while we lived there.)

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[Abby Spice]

You're in Vermont? You should come over to Albany and visit me! Random stranger you've never met but who religiously reads about your kids and so thinks it's totally okay to invite them over to play!

God, the internet is weird.

Glad the trip is going well. We drove all over the US (except the upper midwest--no Idaho for me) when I was a kid and even if the memories are fuzzy and run together, they're all fantastic. Bravo to you for doing this!

[Heather]

I have also experienced the joy of finding a construction site next to our hotel. Sitting on the window air conditioner looking out was very close to sitting on the couch watching the "I love CAT(erpillar machine)s" DVDs I'd been checking out from the library. But much better.

My husband grew up JW, and I highly recommend having JWs as in-laws. They don't celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the like, so all discussions surrounding which set of grandparents to visit on holidays are a non-issue.

[Colleenwidener]

Monreal-- BioDome and Schwarz's deli. Archeaology museum for Patrick.

[Sarah in Ottawa]

Hooray! I am glad that you (a) enjoyed the Laurentian View Dairy, (b) liked Ottawa and her short skyscrapers (we are very proud of our city) and c) are now safely in VT. Have a wonderful time!

[Jessica]

I second Schwarz's deli. It's the best place to get a Montreal smoked meat sandwich and you order by selecting the level of fat you want in yours! It's famous and sort of a cultural mecca.

Also be sure to get the pickles. In Montreal lots of restaurants put a little metal bucket of pickles on the table the way other places give you bread. And they are delicious, if you like a savory pickle (as versus a sweet pickle... shudder).

Enjoy your trip. I'm glad to hear my fellow Canadians are treating you properly.

[tuesy]

I'm so glad that the Canadian part of your vacation is going well. We really do like people to have a good time while they're here.

[LawWife]

Caroline's tenty-ten reminds me of something stupid about me. :) Once when I was in high school (and w/out the excuse of being a toddler), I couldn't for the life of me remember how to pronounce 22. The only thing I could think was "secondy-two." This went on for a few days before I could remember the correct pronunciation. I'm sure Patrick would have been appalled.

[Sarah]

Ottawa is extremely livable... until February, then it's extremely die-able. SO COLD.

I went to Montreal for 24 hours once, actually less than that, but I had lunch in an upscale deli with enormous [montreal] smoked meat sandwiches. I had a tuna melt because I was pregnant and "meat" grossed me out, but I have to say it was AMAZING and the place was packed with locals that worked downtown and there was a line-up! If you're looking for something (business) casual, I send you to my deli that I can't remember the name of. Aren't I HELPFUL!

[Erin]

I used to live in Montreal. Old (Vieux) Montreal has tons of lovely little cafes to eat at. If you're only staying in Old Montreal, then I recommend seeing Notre Dame Catherdral and taking a calech (horse & carriage) ride through the area. The Montreal Science Museum is also there. I have to second going a little further and taking the kids to the Biodome, they will love it and if you're at the Biodome, walk over to the Olympic Stadium and take the trip up the tower, the view is FANTASTIC!

Here's a good site for information on Old Montreal: http://www.vieux.montreal.qc.ca/eng/accueila.htm
Here's the site for Parc Olympic:
http://www.rio.gouv.qc.ca/index.jsp?locale=en
And this is the Bidome site:
http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/

[tk_zk]

Schwartz's deli is great, but it's cramped and has seriously long lines. It's also not in the old city part, I don't think. Sorry not to have any counter-recommendations, just wanted to give you the complete pick on the deli. Best pastrami sandwich ever, though.

[lizardek]

You should TOTALLY check out The Reader's Retreat at the Squam Art Workshops. It's run by the inimitable Bluepoppy and is part of a series of great creative get-togethers rumored to be nothing short of WONDERFUL.

[Birdy]

Schwartz's is great, but north of the Old Port and often crowded, although the St-Laurent Street fair is on, and they will have outside tables.

In the Old Port/Vieux Montreal, there is Le Jardin Nelson, which has a variety of choices, but it's not my absolute favourite.
http://www.jardinnelson.com/

Steak Frites St-Paul is nice, but may not be the best to go with kids. http://www.steakfrites.ca

Biodome is amazing, the Science Centre is ok.

Have fun, and enjoy my city!

[Neuromama]

The biodome and the botanical gardens are great with kids. Lots of space to run and cool insects to check out at the insectarium next door. Love, love, love Montreal (live in Vermont, so it's a close big city to visit).

[Jess W]

If they weren't closed for the next three weeks, I'd jump up and down gleefully pointing you to the Sparrow for your Montreal lunch. Alas, no go since they too are vacationing.

If you're sticking to Old Montreal and you somehow manage to get there on a day with a kid-friendly wait, I'd say Olive + Gourmando. They have absolutely delicious gourmet-type sandwiches and baked goods in a very casual-chic setting. But it's very popular with the dot com types who work in the area so the crowds might not be a good bet with kids.

My other thought is Stash Cafe. They serve excellent Polish food, it's never been crowded and the staff seems really friendly. Plus the desserts are awesome.

The Biodome is a nice suggestion, though it might make for a hectic afternoon. Since you'll have a car, I'd just drive to the top of Parc Mont-Royal. If you can get them to the Chalet, there's a beautiful view of the city. Plus lots of room to run around!

Should you want a tour guide in the form of a long-time kidless reader, I love to share Montreal with visitors :)

[Birdy]

I totally forgot Olive + Gourmado!

Also, I love Le Cartet, and they are family friendly.

http://montrealbreakfastreview.com/le-cartet

I would totally babysit or be a guide, I feel like I know your kids... but that's totally internet creepy :)

[unexplained]

So I have two blogs I still read from back in the deep, dark IF day - you and Julie. SO jealous that you're vacationing together!!!

[kellie aindow]

hey there I'm in OTTAWA and I work next to the hotel EDC (Export Dev Canada) that is the new building they are creating beside the ARC hotel which is where I'm SURE you stayed. I love Canada, and you would be surprised at how awesome Canadians are especially with folks from another country who are visiting.. We all are very proud of our nations capital!

I'd say Olive + Gourmado also for Montreal and i love the old port and the Bio Dome its awesome as is the archeogical museum as stated.

I'm so glad you liked Canada and especially Ottawa, it is an awesome place to live and work and really its practically recession proof as its very "govie" as you can imagine.

Enjoy Vermont!

[Orenda]

In Montreal, my recs would be the Biodome http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/biodome/site/site.php?langue=enand the Montreal Science Centre http://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/programming/permanent-exhibitions.html. I have spent probably no more than 2 weeks total in Quebec, but am firmly of the opion that there is no such thing as bad food there. Even the premade sandwich I bought at the Montreal airport was excellent. Do try to make it to St-Viateur Bagel for a lunch, breakfast, or snack, though. You can watch the bagels being made while you eat. The menu is small and bagel-centric, but delicious enough that I am salivating at the thought four years later.

[jan]

OF COURSE we want to see photos of your kids in the car! So pleased to heart trip out went so well. Have a wonderful stay in Vermont.

[yanicka]

I see you had many good suggestion about montreal. I am happy to share my city with you and your family ;) I hope you won't be in town before monday because it was Grand-Prix F1 week end here and it was insanly buzy!!!

[rosie_kate]

"Tenty ten"?? She came up with that on her own? That's actually quite genius for a two-year old!

[jan]

Oh, "tahssies" -- do you use the expression, "toss me a blanket/throw" in your house? And agree, "tenty ten" is genius!

[Meri]

The bronze sculpture in the chapel at the Notre Dame Basilica is one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen.

[MomVee]

My son took naps in the Peapod at the beach both days this weekend. How can I ever repay you?

[tree town gal]

I agree with the brilliance of tenty-ten... but not surprised. Yeah you for organizational savvy and checking off that list of fun - someone has to enjoy it. I got nothin' for advice as you travel through the beauty of our Northern neighborhoods but just thanking you for taking us along on your very own Julie and Julia adventure, part II.

[Alexicographer]

I'm really of no help but it's a delight to read of your trip and it sounds like you are (all) having loads of fun. I laughed and read the bit about the crane out loud to my husband because we can so relate (having a fellow crane-lover in our household). Also, I'm taking notes on the packing strategy.

Um, about a dozen years ago I either stumbled across or tracked down a yummy creperie in Montreal ... I have an affinity for the crepe and of course decent ones are hard to find outside of areas with French in their history (and present). But I regret that I have no idea where it was, so other than suggesting the idea -- well, as I say, no help.

[parodie]

Le Jardin Nelson has been suggested to me as "the one place that's not a gamble in Vieux-Montréal", and my dad seconds that recommendation. I haven't tried it myself (yet!) but trust those who've told me, so I'll recommend it.

Schwartz is the quintessential smoked meat deli experience, complete with sitting a long tables with strangers. Not sure I'd want to go with 3 kids. Basically guaranteed a line but it's definitely a Place To See in Montreal.

I like Frites Alors! (they have various franchises around the city) because I was raised on french bandes dessinées and they are very much in that genre. They also have excellent fries. There's a kiosk in Vieux-Montréal, on the street along the port. If you walk by and want a snack... Well, I'd stop. :)

Other's recommendations sound good. I'm happy to know you're visiting our city! I hope you like it. :)

[elsimom]

How funny - we just got back from a kid -free vacay to NYC, and we saw BOTH people in costumes (Times Square) AND a Giant Inflatable Rat (across from Grand Central Station - I did not accept their flier - what the hell would you sell using a giant inflatable rat?! Nothing i want!) Made me think of ROUS's.
TentyTen makes a lot of sense!

[Andrea]

No recommendations, but we were in Montreal recently and the Biodome was closed due to workers striking-- just checked the website and it's open NOW but likely will close later this week for more strike-related stuff... so before you waste an hour driving over there, please check! (No other recommendations bec. we were primarily there for a conference, and didn't leave the hotel much-- did have a fabulous dinner of mussels + fries at a Belgian place in Vieux Montreal, but I'm not sure they're open for dinner and anyway don't know the name- how's that for helpful? they were very kid-friendly, though) Hope the rest of your trip goes as well as the first part did, and looking forward to seeing pics when you're home.

[Hetty Fauxvert]

You are a miracle of organization (all the bags -- inspired!) and I am taking notes for our upcoming trip wtih our twins. Also there must be something about preschooler boys and cranes and "snorts" (heavy equipment) because nothing keeps our boys enthralled like some good old bulldozers and a crane or two. Is it genetic? Y chromosome?

Also, just how big a child will fit in those Peapods? I think our rather large preschoolers might be a tight fit. How long/heavy are your two, and what's your best guesstimate for how large a child would comfortably fit in one of those lovely straitjackets -- um, I mean, portable beds? ;)

[FlippyO]

I know this is going to sound too obvious to really work, but are you sure that your laptop doesn't have a card reader built into it? My laptop is fairly ancient and it reads all kinds of cards. If not, I apologize and wait for your pictures with bated breath. Glad the trip is going well and am jealous that you've been through Ottawa, where my in-laws live.

Continued success with your travels. I enjoy hearing about them.

[MJ]

For elsimom: the giant inflatable rat is not trying to sell anything; it is a labor demonstration, complaining about the employer in the building where the rat is. Now does it make more sense?

[MelanieH]

Tenty-Ten! Haha, I laughed for a solid 10 seconds. And the fact that she won't let Patrick convince her otherwise is the best part.

[Diane]

More support for Biodome and Schwartzs Deli, although I gather Lesters and Brisket also make a wonderful smoked meat sandwich (which is the quintessential montreal experience). Definitely worth trying.

Also, St-Viateur Bagels makes the best Montreal style bagel (there have probably been wars fought over whether Montreal or New York makes the best bagels) so you must stop and try them!

Old Montreal is lovely and you will enjoy just wandering about.

And yes, Sudbury is a 'college' town as it boasts Laurential University.

Have fun!

[ali]

Right across the street from St. Viateur Bagels is a fantastic Greek restaurant called Arahova's. It is very family friendly and the souvlaki is absolutely incredible. When we're in Montreal we have Souvlaki for dinner and bagels for dessert (and midnight snack).

I recommended the bio-dome in a previous post and stand by it.
Have fun!

[Tine]

I'm afraid we'll just have to agree that with Canadians, stereotypes are unavoidable. They ARE all nice. Even the cranky ones are cranky in a polite way. And they didn't mind at all when I pretended to be one of them whilst traveling in the Middle East. :)

[Leah]

My Jack (who we've e-mailed about before - same age as your little ones) counts like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 14, 16, 20, 16!! And when counting objects, there are ALWAYS 6. Even if there are only 2. Or 10. Caroline is a genius, says I!

[Andrea]

I love that there are so many of us Montrealer's on here commenting! I agree that Schwartz's is a great experience, but I also have three kids and am not sure I would brave it with them, especially with the guaranteed lineup just to get in (and it's not in Vieux-Montreal). I don't have any great rec's for the food because we don't eat out a ton, but you could EASILY pass an afternoon just wandering Vieux-Montreal and the Old Port, especially if you tour la Cathedrale de Notre-Dame and visit the Science Museum (right on the water at the Old Port). There is a section in the Science Museum that is very kid friendly with various stations for discovering different scientific principles. Edward & Caroline would love just running around and pushing and pulling and banging on all the things, but Patrick would definitely be more interested in manipulating them to explore the concepts described. We try to go at least once a year. And hey, if I'm late on posting this and you were already here, hopefully you realized that this past weekend was free entry to the Science museum because of the annual Eureka science festival that takes place in the Old Port!! ;) Happy travels!

[victoria]

"Panic" best describes the emotion your blog inspires in me. (1) It's that funny and (2) that capable of convincing me I was an idiot not to have kids.

But you know, I wouldn't have loved my kids the way you love yours. I just wouldn't. I'm not as sweet as you.

Had Caroline & Patrick & Ed-wad been born to me, my blog would be all about my miscarriage-related PTSD, my resentment that Some People still weren't potty trained, my sleep-deprivation, etc.

They would be every bit as adorable but I'd be missing it.

Somehow, though, when you edit and parse and caption and frame and spotlight their cuteness, even I, curmudgeon that I am, get it.

[tgsdmom]

So glad you're having fun.

Be prepared to send Caroline to Patrick's school when she grows up. "Twenty ten" is brilliant.

[Rupiedupie]

Tenty-ten could'a been the title for this post. LOVE IT.
Totally effervescent in my heart and head now...thanks for the fun read in an otherwise mundane Monday homemaking kind of way.
CUTE stories about your fam. You've already banked into GREAT memories from this road trip. Best wishes for the rest of it!

[Rupiedupie]

Victoria,
I appreciate your honesty.
Hind sight is 20/20 right?
I think everyone has regrets at times regarding parenting choices...and what life throws at you.
I'm sorry for your loss and PTSD. I've been down a road like that. I think SEVERAL readers here have.
You are among friends.

[winecat]

delightful as always. You and Steve are the coolest parents ever. I also am childless so I vicariously live through yours.

Tenty ten makes perfect sense to me but I can understand why perfectly precise Patrick would find it quite annoying.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and I do hope a giant inflatable rat show up in you future.

[Dawn]

Tenty ten? That's brilliant reasoning, especially for a two-year old.

Thanks for the compliments about my fellow Canadians. You should try the Maritimes and Newfoundland some day. We make Ontarians look cold by comparison. (Not that they are.)

I will caution you about parking in the Biodome parking lot. If you have a hotel room, offload your luggage first. I was there a few years ago, and even though there is a parking lot attendant (which is why we chose that lot), someone cleaned out our car trunk, stranding me thousands of kilometres from home with just the clothes on my back. Not ALL Canadians are nice, unfortunately.

Other than that, I LOVED Montréal and can't wait to go back.

Hope the rest of your trip goes just as well!

[victoria]

Hi, Rupiedupie, thank you. My comment was misleading. I have never suffered a miscarriage, or infertility (that I know of). We never tried.

;-)

[Amanda]

Tenty ten! I love it!

[chicago sarah]

YAY for you, Julia- the best photoless post I have ever read. The Science Museum in Montreal is great and very kid friendly- I was pealing my nephews off the wall and no one so much as shot me a dirty glance. I hope you continue to have a good trip!