Travel Tips

My American branch office is located near Detroit, MI, and August was a perfect time to combine work and leisure. We decided to put some extra miles on our CTS and went to Chicago and northern Michigan, then left for the real vacation. Destination Nova Scotia, Canada, through Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. Return route to Detroit was through Maine, NY and Ontario.
After visiting Niagara falls we dropped by our friends in Toronto, next stop was Montreal and what a nice city!
Long drives were paid back with scarce traffic and beautiful scenery
(to be continued)

We hadn't seen our Chicago friends in a long time. Like any place, there's no better way to rely on locals for an inside perspective....and rooftop parties with a wonderful Chicago skyline!

This quiet city is the political capital of the country.
We had a long way to go and we only stopped for a day of sightseeing around the clean city center. Nice spired government building complex.

Bien sure! Very interesting city!
A mix of old and new in an interracial context make of this city a place not to be missed. French language here has different sounds than that spoken in France, anyway English is predominantly spoken in Montreal contrary to the rest of Quebec Province.
Strolling in Rue Sainte Catherine and its intersections during working hours is a pleasant experience and tempting for shopping, but this street gives its best after dusk when it populates with lots of outgoing people for the happiness of local businesses, bars and restaurants. Try a smoked beef sandwich at Reuben's, 888 West S.te Catherine, and you won't be disappointed. This street alone would probably make anybody wanting to stay longer in Montreal and try all places here! View of Cathedrale Christ Church is what best represents the essence of old-and-new in Montreal. The old church facade superimposes a glass-and-steel modern building and this sight is outlined in a sketch that symbolyzes the city.
Downtown has lots of monuments and buildings of interest. Marie Reine du Monde is an imposing cathedral modeled on St. Peter in Rome, but just half of its size.
The Old city and Old Harbor teem with tourists, and ethnic neighborhoods deserve a visit too.

French ambience gives the streets in the Old City a remarkable European flavor.
Accommodation in the massive hotel overlooking St. Lawrence river would have been a little too snob. We stayed at a nice small hotel just outside the old city wall west of the Old City. This street has many restaurants and it's a good place for strolls. Architecture and cobblestones inside the fortified Old City definitely remind France. Some "dehors" street cafes and restaurants find home in buildings dating back to AD 1600 as well preserved and decorated as they were freshly built.

Following the north bank of St. Lawrence river eastbound, the road is interrupted and all vehicle traffic is loaded onto a free of charge ferry that crosses the river fjord between Baie S.te Catherine and Tadoussac.

Except for notorious traffic jams in large cities, Canada's roads are nearly empty. Long drives are pleasant and relaxed through the vast territory. Canada adopts the metric system, therefore distances are in Km and and speed limits are in Kph. Don't mix with mph....
There are a few toll roads. In Toronto, a system takes a picture of the license plate upon entry in the toll section and the vehicle owner will later receive the toll ticked by mail.