Montreal!! As school was out for Good Friday, all four of us were able to start our Spring Break early. We found a great log cabin in St. Sauveur, north of Montreal, Quebec. Luckily, Dave worked his driving magic as we made it north of Montreal in 6 hours instead of the 7.5 which we thought. I secretly love long drives with Dave because I get to take naps along the way. Upon arrival, our mouths dropped open. For last minute accommodations, the place rocked! The log cabin was nestled on a lake in St. Sauveur with exquisite wood work in every room. Olivia and Zach flung themselves down on the bear rug and writhed around, saying "this is the best place ever!" Unfortunately, I had the idea of a warm Spring Break, but this was one very chilly week! The lake was frozen over, so our thought of fishing off the dock went out the window. As the week progressed, the lake thawed and the paddle boat had a larger area to explore. At one point early on, Dave and Zach resorted to hacking through the ice to make more room to paddle around. That's tough work (must be a guy thing).
We immediately played a game of foos ball and Dave and Zach were regulars on the pool table. Dave taught him 9-ball and 8-ball; Zach could not get enough. I think Olivia was either frolicking around on the bear rug or playing on the queen sized bunk beds with her animals. Over the course of the week, we finished a puzzle and tried to stay off of the iPhones (unfortunately we are all addicted to various mind enriching games...I'll tell myself that).
Hot shots playing pool
Saturday, we drove into Montreal and visited the Botanical Gardens with the most amazing butterfly exhibit we have ever seen (and we have seen many, believe me). It was like a fairy land of magical butterflies all around, bright colors, big, small, all floating around you, but rarely touching you. It even had a waterfall in the exhibit and I think we could have stayed there all day. But on we moved to the Japanese Gardens and the delightful bonsai trees, some as old as 90 years.
Dave and I have been to Montreal before, but since it was the first time for Olivia and Zach, we wanted them to see experience Old Montreal...and the wonders of crepes! As you can see, Zach loved them. Olivia stayed away due to her nut allergy. It was such a lovely day. Dave was thrilled to show Zach the F1 (as in Formula One) track in Montreal. To our surprise, they allow you to actually drive the track. The race is held every June in Montreal. Dave and I have been to the race, pre-kids, but this surprise to be allowed to drive the track blew all of us away. Of course, we'll never forget the laughs we all got as Zach was sitting in my lap in the front seat (we weren't allowed to go fast) and Olivia unbuckled in the back seat. Dave took a corner, Olivia braced for it, but forgot to counter brace. Before we knew it, we heard "Whoa!". Clunk! We look in the back seat and she is upside down against the door, giggling and said "whoops".
The Jaguar XJ on the track....no, Zach wasn't really driving (he wishes).
On our way off the track, we spotted a groundhog and subsequently, the fox on the hill, ready to pounce. We sat for 10 minutes, ready to nature in her pure self, but the sly fox didn't want witnesses and the groundhog was frozen. Maybe they were really friends and were just putting on a show for the tourists?!
Our frozen lake, began to thaw over the days we were visiting. Another visitor (the golden) dropped by the cabin. He was a friendly guy, so I assume he knows the owners.
Playing with frozen ice over Spring Break.
This did not stop Adventure Dave from paddle boating on the frozen tundra. He and the kids worked on chopping the ice for a couple of days and had a blast doing so!
Easter day we drove north to the city of St. Agathe. It was a lovely day to sit outside, so we took advantage.
A little iPhone break
Olivia hanging with Daddy.
Happy Easter, sweethearts.
Downstairs in our lake cabin - foos ball and pool table.
Cool bar stools situated to soak up the sun with a great view of the lake.
Easter - snowball fight and a campfire with marshmallows
Outside view of the cabin
Our two cutie pie Spring Breakers roasting marshmallows
View of the kitchen...one of our favorite places
Trip to Mont Tremblant - ski area
People were still skiing, it was a bit slushy, but the gondolas were working, so we took a trip (the kids' first) on the gondola.
This gondola took us to the other side of the mountain....with the casino! I had to snap a photo of this for Mimi & Papa.
More campfire fun
The trip to Montreal lasted for almost 5 days, but we also had a trip to the beach (Jersey shore) planned for the second part of the break. Montreal and it's French speaking citizens were lovely, but I needed some warmth and sunshine. I can't complain too much with the cozy fireplaces, truly incredible house and all the wine, cheese and sushi (yes, sushi) I could hold. Thank you Montreal for the wonderful Spring Break memories 2012!
