October 26-27, 2007 - Montreal
I head to Montreal early in the week for a work trip. Jill joins me for the weekend.
The hotel is right next to Chinatown.
It's the weekend of Halloween, a holiday they take very seriously in Montreal.
All sorts of freaks walk around with very elaborate costumes.
We head out into the middle of it all to have dinner at a quaint French restaurant.
(There are a LOT of those in Montreal.)
This is the building across the street from our hotel - their Congress Center sort of building. There is a mall and subway stop downstairs and offices upstairs.
It's a rainy day, but we make the most of it by going to their indoor zoo thing, which they made out of various interconnected venues at the old Olympic stadium complex.
Some animals have free roam of the Biodome.
The largest arena is a tropical paradise.
Red ibis hang in the trees overhead.
A capyberra, the largest rodent.
Golden marmosets.
Snazzy.
Hyacinth macaws.
Onto the temperate room. This is a typical view - not too crowded.
One of two porcupine sleeping trees.
The Biodome also included an arctic room with penguins, a room with lynx, and a desert room.
On to their botanical gardens and "Insectarium."
This is their tree house, which had nothing to do with what you'd think...
It is mostly exhiits of wood products.
The indoor gardens are pretty.
Orchids.
Local schoolchildren decorated pumpkins which were on display.
There was a bonzai exhibit...
Walking back to the subway, we get a great view of the former Olympic stadium, which now houses the Biodome.
Their subways run on rails and rubber tires. Odd.
That night, we head back to the main square after an AWESOME French dinner and have a local Montreal treat - maple syrup, frozen until thick...
...and rolled into a lollipop.
Very tasty!