Arriving in Montreal

We arrived in Montreal late on Monday 13 January and stayed at an airport hotel that night. Next morning, Tuesday, we were picked up by Isabelle Tardif and her husband Pascal Dostaler, with two of their three children. We felt welcomed straight away.

 

A welcome sign made by the children.

 

We spent a lovely day together, eating crepes (how French!), learning about their house, talking, playing, tobogganing, eating yummy food and drinking wine. It was a lovely day and Isabelle and Pascal are wonderful hosts and we feel very comfortable about swapping houses with them.

 

On the front steps of their-our house. We love the red front door.

 

The family were very kind in leaving many winter coats, clothes and boots for us. The children are all dressed in borrowed clothes, right down to the shoes. There are coats for the -20 degree days; then coats for when its -5 degrees, then coats for when its wet snow, positive temps .... and then the same with shoes. There is so much stuff! Tony and I are managing in our own clothes thus far, and have worked out what we will wear next week when the temps are predicted to drop.

 

During the afternoon, we went to a local park and did some sledding, which the children loved!

 

 

They had this nifty snow board that is used to teach young children the basics of boarding. Sophie picked it up straight away! She might be a snow-boarder by the time we get back! Haven`t told her yet that Daddy is a very dedicated skier, not a boarder!

 

 

Sophie now thinks that sledding is a daily activity in Canada and is not happy when we say that its really only a weekend activity! 

 

Isabelle, Pascal and family left early on Wednesday for their journey to Australia. We started our first full day on our own. Boy! There were a few challenges along the way, such as coping with driving on the opposite side of the road; directions being in French (everything is in French); finding the local shops and then finding the food we wanted; dealing with the bureautic system to enrol the students into school .... and so on. We found that everything took longer than we expected. All good challenges, but draining at the same time.

While we haven`t had snow since we`ve arrived (its predicted to arrive on Saturday), it has been cold. Nights are down to about -7 and days reach highs of about 3-4 C. Leaving the house involves snow boots, coats, beanies and gloves ... so it takes a while! This is us leaving this morning ... borrowed clothes again ......

 

... I`ve borrowed a jacket and hat but the rest is mine.

 

Our first impression of Montreal is how European it looks and feels. It is also very French! The first greeting is always Bonjour hello; depending how you respond indicates in which language the conversation will proceed. I`ve now learnt not to say Bonjour in response!!! French is the dominant language but everyone is very happy to speak in English. Tony and I both feel that we could be in Sweden. The streetscape is similar, the houses are similar and the amount of snow is similar. Most of the snow is melting at the moment, so we look forward to a fresh dump on the weekend.

 

While Tony and I feel that we need to buy coats, school uniforms, food, etc ... the children aren`t interested! They simply want to play in the snow. We didn`t realise they would get so much fun out of just playing on equipment in the back yard in metre-deep snow!

 

                 

 

The back yard - the play equipment and the deck at the back of the house. The amount of snow on the deck gives you some idea of how much snow there is around.

 

 We are using Isabelle and Pascalè`s car while we are here. Canadians drive on right hand side of the road. Tony has done most of the driving but I have had a few drives now - after a trial with Tony (I passed!) I even was brave enough to go to the shops on my own. New found freedom! The speed liit for most of Montreal is only 40km an hour, so its a good, sedate pace for me! The freeways have higher speeds.

The children start school on Monday and we`ve started to look into French classes for adults. We are keen to learn more. We`ve met some of the neighbours but are looking forward to meeting some more adults. We plan to ski on Saturday, at a mountain about an hour away. The neighbours recommend it and go their themselves: their son is a ski instructor there so we hope to join his classes.

Take care, au revoir, Gemma xx

Days at Disneyland

Hello!

 

We have had four wonderful days at Disneyland. Last year, when I suggested we buy the four day pass for Disney, Tony did think I was going over the top! He thought 2-3 would be sufficient. We were very glad we went for the four days. We all had a fabulous time. We went on many, many rides. Some required more bravado than others!

 

 

 

 

We discovered a new level of bravery with the children. Anything that goes fast from side to side or moves up and down delighted Sophie; however any quick drops where you get that feeling of `losing your stomach`weren`t too her liking. She loved swinging chairs and rockets that fly up high around a central pole. Heights didn`t worry her at all. Meeting Minnie Mouse was a big highlight for Sophie also.

 

 

Lach liked any ride where he could push buttons or hold things or steer: he loved the Buzz Lightyear ride where he could shoot laser guns; and the tea cups where he could spin his passengers as fast as they could cope with. He also loved the water rides - a white water rafting ride was one of his favourites. None of us really like fast rides in the dark: we all got caught out and went on one (Space Mountain for those familiar) and hated it! Lach loved the Jedi training also - they choose about 25 children from the audience and he was lucky enough to be chosen.

 

 

 

Olivia was in between. She feels motion sick at times, so was cautious to not go on rides that were too fast. She gave most rides a go but often chose not to go a second time!

 

Sophie passed the height restrictions for most rides; however because she was under 7 years of age, she needed an adult on all the rides. That did get a little tiring after a while, as she would like to go 2 & 3 times, and subsequently Tony or I would need to go with her again ... and again .... then we refused!

 

We all loved the tea cups ride; as well as It`s a Small World and the newest ride at Disney California Adventure, from the Cars movie called Radiator Springs Racers. It is very popular and the line was often over an hour long.  With the Fast Pass option, we were able to queue from 8.30am for about 30 mins and then we were guaranteed a time slot later in the day. We did that twice.

 

 

We had a character breakfast one day, which was a highlight for all of us. We had brunch and while we were eating, many characters came around to greet and pose for photos. We were lucky and got to meet most of the characters familar to the children. The restaurant was not busy so the characters came around several times which made everyone smile.

 

 

The weather at Disney was perfect. Cool mornings and jackets on until late morning, then tshirts and shorts until later afternoon. The crowds were small, so we are told, compared to summer. We rarely waited for more than 15 mins for a ride; most were 10. In summer, it is common to wait an hour or more; as well as fight the crowds for food and drinks.

 

The disadvantage to going in the low season was that fireworks were only on Friday and Saturday nights. On the Friday, we went home for a few hours snooze time, so that we could last until 9pm for the fireworks. They were an true highlight, and even Miss Sophie, who dislikes fireworks, agreed they were amazing. She had her fingers in her ears the whole time though! Tinkerbell Fairy flies across the front of the castle, so it is a magical experience.

 

 

 

We all did an animation workshop, where we were taught how to draw Minnie Mouse. In 15 mins, we all drew Minnie`s face - it was fun!

 

 

We did nothing else in Anaheim except Disney. The days were long, with lots and lots of walking, but an amazing experience. We feel very, very lucky and it was a great way to start our`adventure. Enjoy the last few photos.

 

Gemma xxx