MONTREAL
The only non fun part of this tour is the amount of time we spend in our very uncomfortable bus getting to our next destination. The seats and seatbelts leave a little to be desired. First world problems!
A looooong day of driving gets us to our first stop in French Canada, Montreal. I’ve forgotten the very few words I learnt way back in April at the beginning of my adventures. Luckily they mostly speak English here too and if they don’t, they are usually lying. Just like France!
Montreal is infinitely more interesting to me than Toronto. In fact we all warmed to the city quickly. It has a European vibe about it. The old town area has cobblestone streets and lots and lots of tourist shops. Just like Europe! We arrived for dinner at our chosen restaurant, who brewed their own beer, just in time for happy hour to enjoy five dollar pints. I got two! At once!
NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL
Another city, another Notre Dame, another extraordinary church. Unassuming on the outside but gasp worthy on the inside. Staggering beauty. Another religious money spinner with a five dollar entry fee but worthy of both the dollars and time.
MONTREAL JARDIN BOTANIQUE and MOSAICULTURE
The visual feast just got better with a visit to an extraordinary sculptural plant exhibition at the local botanic gardens. The gardens are just next to the Olympic Stadium which are worth a visit too but we didn’t get there. A real turn off at $29.50 entry but it turned out to be some of the best money I’ve spent the whole trip and worth the stop in Montreal alone. This special event is held every three years in different countries around the world and by god I hope it comes to Australia someday. I’ve seen plant sculptures before but nothing had prepared me for what I was about to see. It even has its own special term – Mosaiculture.
It started off ordinarily enough with cute, clever and quirky life size designs of the like I have seen before.
I had to indulge my fetish in other ways.
What truly affected me was their ability to display true emotion and pathos in the sculptures. The Mother Earth Mosaiculture as well as being grand evoked such peace about her that it nearly brought me to tears. Staggering beauty so many times in one day. Lucky happy horti.
Phoenix
Mother Earth
Shaggy dog, the animal sculptures like this are not strictly Mosaiculture but are included in the exhibition because they are just so damn cute
Plant species used
Despite the diversity in the designs the Mosaiculture overall tend to use the same species as they are ideal for their hardy, low maintenance requirements. Compact, slow growing, colourful, hardy and water friendly.
Alternanthera, buxus, cuphea, curry bush, festuca glauca, asparagus fern, heuchera, bedding begonias, marigolds, rudbeckia, petunias, prostrate conifers, ivy, potato vine, prostrate ornamental sweet potato. Many of these plants (in italics) I wouldn’t use in a million years in Australia as they have extreme weed potential.
Nemo has been found
Succulents were popular too with species like echeveria, sedum, seaweed like euphorbia firesticks, senecio blue chalk and kalanchoe flapjacks.
The sculptures themselves took all of my attention so I did not really see much of their other gardens but I did spend a little bit of time in their vegetable patch. Impressive to say the least. It just goes to show how something useful can also be colourful, artistic and beautiful.
CAFE O NOIR
Dining in the dark. Not a bit dim or candlelit but in complete and utter darkness.
The waiters in this restaurant are blind and the dining is designed to allow patrons to experience their world. We’d heard mixed reviews of this Canadian innovation but couldn’t pass up the opportunity. There is a bit of a process to make it work. Before entering the dining room we had to order our food and drink in the lobby with the sighted staff. Our waiter Fay then collected us and led us into his sightless world. The group had to connect to each other in a line with our left hands on each others shoulders as we entered into the pitch. Like a family of elephants holding trunks and tails! He seated each of us and let us know where our glasses, plates and cutlery were.
The absolute darkness is unnerving. I had moments of feeling an irrational claustrophobia as the dark closed in on me. It is surreal being in a space for which you have no visual reference. I had no idea how big the room was or how many other diners there were. The only physical reference of space that I had was the wall I was seated next to and the curtain we came in by. My assumption is that the space is divided up into curtained areas and pathways to make it easy and safe for the staff to navigate.
Eating food by feel with cutlery is no easy feat. If one is really brave, which I was not, one can order the mystery entree, main and cocktail. The idea is to engage your taste senses and guess what’s in your dinner. I played it safe and had a lamb shank and sorbet. Thankfully the meat just fell off the bone and I managed to eat it all without resorting to my fingers and without getting it all over myself. I had worn black just in case.
An extraordinary and unusual experience. I can cross that off my to do list! Once is enough. The light was bright and loud when we eventually emerged. I was very grateful to move back out into my cacophonous sighted visual world. For obvious reasons there are no photos.
QUEBEC
Wet, Wet Wet in Quebec, Quebec, Quebec.
I’m sure it would have been lovely if it hadn’t rained. Everything is better with a bit of sunshine. Our mode of travel means we only get one day in each town and our one day here was wet wet wet. The main visual attraction is the posh Hotel Fairmont or Le Chateau Frontenac that looks more like fairytale castle than a hotel. We did wander in on the look out for the dog that the hotel reputedly keeps as a mascot but no luck. The town is in fact resplendent with fine architecture, cute streets and quirky shops but we were just too damp to get really enthusiastic. We did manage to eat lobster though. In this neck of the woods there must always be lobster!
Quebec is a walled city with loads of history and a pretty harbour. If it had been a sunny day and we could have actually seen it we would have done a walking tour. It would have been nice to learn something about the city. I left as ignorant as I arrived. I know that’s not hard.
And that’s it for Canada. Too short.
NEXT STOP THE USA STATE OF MAINE
But first I have to keep sharing the wonders of Mosaiculture
And of course my hugs
And Mother Nature one more time. Isn’t she pretty!
Happy Horti 
