Impressions of the Mont-Royal Park in Montreal

View down to the City of Montreal

Mont-Royal Park

Not sure who loved this park more: Me or my dog.  We enjoyed wonderful walks at all times of the year.  He knew all the roads that lead to the park and jumped up and down in the car when I drove towards the Mont-Royal - the royal mountain.

There are activities for all ages, no matter the season or the weather.  Parking is not cheap, but if you are fit, you can walk up from downtown via Peel St or Pine Ave.  One of the best ways to explore as much of the park as possible is through a walking tour. 

Lots of visitors in July/August

Whether you decide to wander on your own or join a discovery walk, it’s a great way to spot wildlife and admire the abundant flora during the warm season.  Come winter, join an organized snowshoe excursion and enjoy the fresh air while keeping yourself warm with a cup of hot chocolate.

Winter sports galore: As soon as the snow covers the once lush greenery of the park, Mount Royal becomes a winter sports paradise.  People come for ice skating under the starry sky, snow tubing on the hills overlooking Beaver Lake, and even cross-country skiing.  There are lots of organized events available for all ages.

View in late November

Activities for the warmer days: Trade the heated city streets with the shaded forest paths in Mount Royal Park.  In summer, the park welcomes visitors to go paddling on Beaver Lake, rent a remote-controlled sailboat, or stay on dry land and explore the trails.  There are lots of outdoor cafes to cool off, as well as other events to take part in.

Belvedere Hall

While exploring the park you will find several of its landmarks, including Smith House, a former private residence, and Beaver Lake Pavillion.  Check out Camillien-Houde and Kondiaronk Belvedere spots for breathtaking panoramic views of the city from high above.  The Belvedere has an impressive hall with comfortable chairs, clean washrooms downstairs, and a self-serve cantina that they call Cafe.  It’s not cozy, but the small selection of cakes and pastries are tasting delicious.  Sit in the impressive hall on comfy chairs with a view of the city and enjoy your coffee.

Leonard Cohen Grave

Leonard Cohen’s Grave

By chance, I found it on a Google map: If you love Leonard Cohen’s poesy and songs, don’t miss visiting his grave at the Mont-Royal cemetery.  A rather small grave - compared to the huge Cohen grave next to it.  Visitors place small stone pebbles on it and lots of red roses.  The Hebrew word for pebble is tz'ror which also means 'bond''. The bond, between the deceased and the mourner...  Leonard Cohen died in November 2016.  One can see that many people are coming here, as the grass around the grave has totally gone. Drive or walk to 1250 Foret Rd Cemetery, it's just steps from one of the entrance doors.

Hallelujah

See also a wonderful large Cohen mural on Crescent St, and one on the corner of St. Dominique and Napoleon St, in the Plateau area.  A larger-than-life work of art, for a larger-than-life artist.

On the one-year anniversary of Leonard Cohen’s death, a massive mural of the famed artist was inaugurated on Crescent Street.  The mural took two artists, 13 assistant artists, 240 cans of paint, and thousands of hours of work. The 22-story portrait measures a whopping 1100 sq. ft.

Mural of Leonhard Cohen

Leonard Cohen's last modest home can be seen on 28 Rue Vallières, next to the Parc Portugal, and his favored Deli (Schwartz).  Listen to some of Cohen’s most famous songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRjVdu_cLwI&t=4853s

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Flying Freight to NWT and Nunavut: Buffalo Airways

 

Curtiss C-46

Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories is an aviation enthusiast's paradise. Not only the airport with its passenger and freight airplanes but also the floatplane bases within the city’s limits invite visitors to sightseeing flights and airplane spotting. 

Buffalo Hangar

BUFFALO AIRWAYS

Jade-green aircraft paint and thick letters on the fuselage: that's how Buffalo Airways aircraft are known. Buffalo Airways is the largest cargo line in the Northwest Territories that delivers year-round freight to remote Arctic places like Cambridge Bay, Deline, Ft Good Hope, Hay River, Kuflukruk, Norman Wells, and Tulita. 

Curtiss C-46

The Curtiss C-46, one of the cargo planes once belonged to the German Lufthansa.  Buffalo’s Douglas DC-3 flew one of the 1944 Allied landings in Normandy, France (D-Day).  The L-188 Electra aircraft - which carries 33.000 lbs of freight - is another rarity, still in service.  

Elektra & KingAir

But Buffalo Airways also operates Canadair CL-215 firefighting planes.  However, the Naval N3N floatplane, a Noorduyn Norseman, a Cessna A185E, and a Fleet-80 Canuck you might discover in the hangar - they all belong to the founder Buffalo Joe's private collection.  A hangar tour is a delight for all vintage aircraft enthusiasts. Best of all: it's free!

Naval N3N

Oldest Fleet

The cargo airline has the oldest fleet of aircraft of any commercial airline in the world.  It's not uncommon for a Buffalo Airways pilot to fly three different aircraft types. To keep the vintage cargo planes airworthy, they work day and night in the hangar.  

BuffaloAir-DC-3/C-47

The military version - with large cargo doors - of the DC-3, a Douglas C-47 was the first airplane to reach and land at the Northpole in 1952.

The spare parts supply is not easy, because there are usually no parts for the old machines available.  Buffalo Airways does, however, have a large fleet of old, sorted-out aircraft, mainly at its Hay River location, which serves as spare parts shop for its cargo fleet.

Elektra & KingAir100

Today, it is mainly the diamond mines in the Canadian Arctic expanse that account for a large share of the cargo volume.  Importantly, the aircraft can also land on a gravel runway in the far north - even if there are no mechanics, fuel station, or ground power unit there.  For fuel transport, Buffalo has converted some aircraft to tankers.

KingAir90

Passengers to the far north are flown in Beech King Air 90 and King Air 100 aircraft by Buffalo Air.  The Northwest Territories government-owned Air Tractors are also maintained here and flown at firefighter missions. 

Fleet80Canuck

Buffalo Airways doesn't only restore historic planes but has also successfully shipped all cargo in all sizes and weights throughout its more than fifty years of service, using these planes. 
See also the video:

Snowed-In DC-3 

Video

DC-3 Restoration by Buffalo Airways

Plane Savers E1 "First Episode!" 

https://youtu.be/GXKR822cfzI  

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Ice Pilots Freight Flights Over the Arctic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P3SCH5yWoA&list=PLgAfZdKiJiYEJvHGjjlJ0s4GKEJYHTs4A

Local Airlines in Yellowknife:

Canadian North

https://canadiannorth.com/

Fly Summit Air

https://flysummitair.com/

Buffalo Airways
https://buffaloairways.com/

Air Tindi

https://www.airtindi.com/

Great Slave Helicopter

https://www.gsheli.com/

Airlines That Fly To and Out of Yellowknife Airport

Air North

Air Tindi

Canadian North

Buffalo Airways

Kenn Borek Air

First Air

WestJet

DREAM JOB PILOT?

In a Series of Three Editions Explained:

Pros and Cons, Every Day Pilot Life,

Training Possibilities in the UK, Australia

In the USA, Canada, Europe, South Africa,

and the Middle East, and most importantly:

How to Find a Pilot Position

Apple Books, B&N, Kobo, Amazon, etc.

Also available at Thalia in Europe.

https://books2read.com/u/47glDa

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG12NSRX/

Photos of Beautiful Elora, ON, North of Guelph

 

A. J. Casson, one of the Group of Seven painters, called Elora once “Ontario’s Most Beautiful Village.”  It is a charming destination for a weekend trip or a longer stop between Niagara and Georgian Bay, just north of Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo.  Elora’s population is only just around 3,000 people, giving this small village a quaint and quiet atmosphere and a small-town feel.

The first visitors to the area were Roman Catholic missionaries who arrived in the 1600s.  They attempted to turn the Indigenous People into Christians.  The first British early settlers came in 1817.  The Elora Mill – a five-story grist mill was built in 1832.  

In the 1970s, it became the Elora Mill Inn.  After a 27 million renovation, the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa opened in July 2018 and featured 30 rooms and a restaurant, and was voted the #1 spa and wellness destination.  Besides this luxury gateway and spa with its scenic views are several cozy Bed & Breakfast places and Inns, inviting you to stay longer in Elora.

Stunning clifftop views and smooth hills, 19th–century architecture homes, beautiful gardens, and lots of charming little coffee and ice cream shops and restaurants, most with additional outdoor seating and local galleries and stores are inviting visitors.

For me, the most exciting natural wonder is the Grand River Gorge.  To get to these wonderful overviews down to the very steep gorge, take a leisurely walk from downtown via James St and Henderson St.  Walk from Victoria Park towards the "Lover Leap" and overhead the Irvine Creek all the way to the David St bridge.

Several picnic tables and benches invite for a stop under shade trees or to play on the lawns of Victoria Park.  The best time for a quiet and peaceful visit to the Elora Gorge Lookout is early during weekday mornings - at least in the summer.

Riverside trails with safety barriers and scenic overlooks provide hikers with stunning views of the water far below where kayakers and tubers make their way through the rapids.  The Elora Gorge Conservation Area (including a campground) surrounds the Grand River gorge with its 22-meter high cliffs, riverside trails and camping, and kayaking and tubing on the rapids.  The gorge is pretty steep and makes for stunning views with the Grand River cutting through it.  

Tour the 100-acre conservation area and nearby trails and a 20-meter waterfall.  Local outfitters provide all you need for tubing, paddle-boarding, camping, hiking, swimming, and canoeing adventures on the Grand River — you can even zip-line through the abundant foliage.  The Elora Paddle Company on Mill Street rents out canoes and kayaks. 

The Cataract Trailway is the route of a former 47-kilometer railway and links two rivers, following the old Canadian Pacific railroad bed.  It runs through rolling countryside east of Elora, through the historic community of Fergus, and past Belwood Lake to the Forks of Credit Provincial Park at Cataract. 

Don't miss to visit the Saturday Farmers Market in Bissell Park and on Sundays the Flea Market on Geddes St, right downtown.  A one-minute drive or a ten-minute walk brings visitors from downtown to the Grand River Casino if gaming is your thing.

The Elora Center for the Arts is located in a restored, three-story limestone school house, just steps from downtown and across from the Grand River and Bissell Park.  It has a main gallery space where artist exhibitions are featured ongoing throughout the year.  A second gallery and artisan shop features unique and affordable handmade and artist-designed pieces. 

Elora Quarry Conservation Area: This two-acre limestone quarry (Elora's former building material) is encircled by magnificent cliffs up to 12 meters high.  There is a myriad of bicycle paths along the Grand River.  Equally relaxing is a tour through the downtown heritage core with its tree-lined quiet roads and beautiful residential homes.

A train runs in one hour from Toronto to Guelph, but you would have to wait for the bus to Elora.  Coming from Toronto, there is a bus - also a slow connection - to Guelph and then another bus or a taxi to Elora.  Parking is free on all city streets. 

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/644891557788296430

I spent several weeks in this area and in the lovely town of Elora and was smitten by the friendly folks, the stunning heritage architecture, and the well-designed and cared-for lush gardens around every building.  Glad I discovered this gem of a town in Ontario.  Elora is one of the best places to see fall colors in Ontario due to the abundance of leafy trees, especially Mape trees.  A visit in fall is on my bucket list!  I'll be back.

Find out more:

https://eloramill.ca/2021/01/11/voted-1-spa-and-wellness-destination/

https://www.inspirock.com/canada/things-to-do-in-elora

https://roadtripontario.ca/things-to-do-in-elora-ontario/

https://mywanderingvoyage.com/2019/02/24/ultimate-list-things-to-do-in-elora/

https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca/elora-gorge-conservation-area

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/644891557788296430

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Au revoir Air Canada...

 

OPEN LETTER to Michael Rousseau Air Canada CEO

Bonjour M. Rousseau,

I am a former commercial pilot, now turned travel writer, and also have been flying on hundreds of airliners for more than 50 years and I am now in my seventies. I can't imagine that you train your pursers to behave to your passengers this way, touching them inappropriately during a flight. At least I have never watched or experienced this by a female purser. 

Flight AC832 19:30 (YUL) to Brussels, arriving at 08:10 Tuesday 20 Jul 2021 - Seat 29D (28C on my boarding pass).

A male purser touched me inappropriately on my butt, in a humiliating, sexist, and chauvinistic way to tell me to buckle up. He could not know if or not I was buckled up as I had a blanket over me. I was sleeping after a very long day (about 19 hrs on my feet) and was glad to have a 3-seat row to stretch out. At around 11 pm (EST) I awoke when I felt hands on my body. 

Both his colleague and the customer service purser (head purser?) declined to tell me his name, but it was the older one of the two male pursers on this flight.

However, this was not the first incident of this kind, I experienced the same on an Air Canada flight (which was on October 13, 2020). So, to me, it seems like it is either the same person or this behavior is "company policy". 

If a male passenger would do this to Air Canada female pursers, he would be arrested and charged, or the flight would be diverted and the person kicked out of the plane.

Why does the inappropriate behavior of your pursers have not consequences? His male colleague whom I asked for the name found it quite ok... And why is it that you know the names of your passengers, but the passengers may not know the names of your employees?

Why I won't fly in the future with Air Canada anymore? 

This was not a single incident, last month I wrote already to you when one of your call center's employee screamed and yelled at me on the phone. You never bothered to answer... And this after I waited for two hours until "Amalia" or "Amelie" answered my call. She also made an error in my booking that caused a disruption/confusion on my flight on July 19th from Montreal to Brussels. Only because I had my laptop with me and could prove that I had a flight confirmation and even an email that same day to check-in online, plus my Visa card receipt, could I catch that flight at the last moment. Sure enough, your Air Canada ground staff blamed me for the error until she saw the proof!

Another female purser humiliated me on a March-18th, 2020, flight home from Frankfurt to Montreal. I had booked this flight long before the Covid lockdown.  By chance, it was the second-last flight before Canada closed air traffic due to Covid, and it was fully packed.  I sat on an aisle seat and a mask-less passenger across me was coughing the whole time.  I asked a purser if they can't do anything, like handing a mask to her as I do not want to be infected with Covid. The purser looked at me in a derogatory way and said: "That's your own risk, why do you fly at all?" It sounded to me like "Why do you fly at all with Air Canada?"  Shortly after that, the passenger had suddenly a mask over her face...

Instead of slighting me, the purser could have said: "I understand your concern, let's see if we have a spare mask for this passenger" or something like that. Why are Air Canada employees so mean, impolite, and vulgar to their passengers???

Money and Time Lost

Due to untrained/less knowledgeable Air Canada employees, I lost a lot of money and time. For example:  Last September a flight from Halifax, NS, to Frankfurt, Germany (with a stop in Montreal) in the evening was canceled and bounced to an early morning flight, taking off at 6 am in Halifax. At that time I was living 200 km from Halifax (in Antigonish) and no bus or train, or even a friend/relative would have been able to drive me at 2 am to Halifax to check in at 4 am. 

I called as I had booked for an evening flight and Air Canada had canceled it (NOT me!) - to offer to board in Montreal as I was there two days earlier. This way, Air Canada could have sold the morning flight to someone else and I could have boarded in Montreal. I talked with three different agents, and they all declined and said that I need to get a new ticket for a flight Montreal-Frankfurt and charged me an additional $160. Only later in Frankfurt, I learned at a German Air Canada service counter that it was not true and the evening flight cancelation was done by Air Canada and I should be reimbursed. 

On another transatlantic flight, arriving late morning in Montreal in March 2020, I was booked on a connecting flight to Halifax at 5 pm! I hang around at the airport and found out that there was a flight three hours earlier to Halifax, which was not even half booked. But it was too late! When I boarded and placed my small handbag into the overhead bin of this Montreal-Halifax flight, my fingers almost stuck: The handle was so filthy, it felt like it had not been cleaned for months. And this in times of Covid! It was just disgusting...

I Have Had Enough!

These are only a few examples of how I have been treated as a customer by Air Canada. My decision to avoid your airline in the future might not come as a surprise... During the last two years, I had only one single positive experience when I met a very nice person from your company on the phone. The rest was only frustration, anger, and lost time/money. 

Please retire this chauvinistic purser from flight AC832 and spend some (or better a lot of ) money on customer service and training - instead of fat bonuses to CEOs.  After all, we are the customers who pay for this all - and want to be treated with respect and politeness.  I will warn everyone and tell my experiences with your companies' employees.  Word of mouth - or word of the mouse - is often mightier!