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Escape from Oaktown

heading north of the border

By Carl Fisher

September 25^th, 2021

Getting away

After nearly a year and a half confined to in and around the Bay area, I was finally able to head back to my native soil to visit to friends and fam without having to quarantine. At least on paper. In actuality, it felt a bit like forced confinement as soon as I touched down because it took 3.5 hours to finally get my luggage from the carousel. It was quite the cluster &%$. But I was happy to have finally arrived.

Farm fresh

I’m used to hitting farmers markets on a regular basis, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the bounty of St Jacobs during the peak summer harvest. If only I was a canner and able to take some of the bounty back with me. Still, it was a feast for the eyes.

Summer color

Most of my first week was spent in and around Kitchener, but I did make it into Toronto to take in a few of the sights and do a some shopping (mostly of the window variety).

Montreal encore

It had been decades since I'd spent any time in Montreal and, even though it was brief, it was still a tasty treat to be able to explore it.

Night sights

I was only in Montreal for only one night, but it was enough to give me a good sampling of St. Catherine street action (or inaction). It was quieter than I was expecting, but it could be that it was not even eleven, which was probably the time many were only just beginning to apply that first layer of foundation.

As in many cities, Montreal had an abundance of new outdoor dining and drinking options to choose from.

Nice to know there's a place to go when you gotta go, even in the wee hours ;-).

Muralific

As luck would have it, the Montreal Mural Festival was happening and I was able to book a tour along with several like minded folks conducted by a local expert on the street art scene. There were only a few new murals this year, but there were still plenty that were worth seeing and that were in great shape.

Murals+

Beyond the murals, there was a lot of other street art, primarily in the form of tags. Sure there was a lot of crap, but there was enough of the better stuff to make up for it.

Doubling down on the QC

After a single overnight in Montreal, I headed further north to Quebec City to spend some quality time with my nephew and to visit an old friend (who's not as old as I am ;-). When I think of Quebec City I think of the old part, which has lots of charm, but during this visit I was able to venture a little further from the center and do some modest hiking in Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier, a short drive from QC. We had a choice of doing the full Les Loups or just going to the half way point. We opted for the shorter, followed by a much needed dip in the cool waters that awaited us upon our return to the trail head. Next time I think I'll rent something with a paddle and hit the wet stuff.

In the city

There were also captivating scenes closer to the QC city center.

Lots of options, if only they were open.

Fitting ending

I've been to Quebec City several times so there was a lot that I've already seen, but I must admit, this was a first. With a subject matter that everyone is intimately familiar with, how could the Musee de la Civilisation go wrong? I certainly got more out of it than I was expecting. O merde is right.