Montreal

 Gail and I left the country for the first time in several years.  We went to Montreal for a long weekend, long enough to walk over 30 miles.

Marsha joined us for the ride.  She used to live there and visited friends.

We tried to get breakfast the first morning at the cafe near Leonard Cohen's house, but since they got written up in the NY Times, they make a point of turning away the first customers.  We did eat there the second day by returning after being turned away.  If you go, they open for the second customers who ask to get in after 7:30 am.

Leonard got a cool mural after his death.  He's looking up at the overlook at Mount Royal Park, and his heart is still glowing.

We went to the botanical gardens, the second largest in the world!  The gardens are next to the Olympic Stadium.  I thought about taking in an Expos game if they were in town.  Then I was reminded they moved away in 2004.

Alpine zone in the botanical garden.

Easter Sunday at the cross on Mount Royal.  The first cross was put up in the 1600's by some desperate French traders.  I don't think the original had lights.

Elvis-themed furniture and appliance store.  Dylan is the doorman. 

We hit up the gluten-free bakery a couple times.  My first eclair in over a decade. 

There was a Nick Cave exhibit in town which we really enjoyed.  We just saw a wonderful movie that he and Warren Ellis did the soundtrack for.  I wasn't much into punk back in the day, but he's an interesting guy and saved everything.