Where Was I? OH Yes, Canada!

So we drove for a little bit before we crossed the St. Lawrence into Montreal. (yes that's the lovely picture above that I took of the lovely city on our approach) We arrived at our hotel and got settled after some overflow issues. (overbooking so we got one bed instead of two, and parking further away since the regular lot was full) The kids went right to bed and didn't wake up until 8am. (This was a GREAT vacation) We took some time getting ready and spent a lot of timelooking out our 25th floor window, who knew bendy buses and commuter trains could be so fun?!
After an overpriced buffet breakfast we set out. First stop the Biodome! (a very large greenhouse or similar structure with a controlled internal environment in which plants and animals from regions are kept in conditions similar to nature or much warmer or colder) The biodome in Montreal was a big hit. The animals were right there for the kids to look for and find and there was plenty of room to run around (surprisingly it was not very crowded).

The puffins were the cutest, they would come right up to the glass and follow the kids, Claire was making faces at one of them and every time she would make a face it would puff up it's feathers. :)
Also they had capibaras and I got to sound all informed (thanks Sara!). I was really surprised to see just how big they were. The kids had a blast seeing everything and 'using' the binoculars.

But our adventures weren't over yet. Montreal also boasts the tallest leaning structure in the world. Conveniently it is located right next door to the biodome. So UP we went, WAY up!

In that second picture is the botanical gardens, the second largest if I remember right. But we didn't do that this time, cold weather and all. Largest bonsai collection according to my friend Steph's research.

After this much activity we just wanted to sit down and eat, maybe a nap?

Baguettes for all!

After lunch we wandered around in what we think was the underground city. But everything seemed to be closed (it was a Sunday?).
Time to think about home. Claire really wanted to go back to the hotel and swim, too bad we had already checked out. :(
On our way out of the city we caught a bit of Old Montreal. Just enough to make us want to come back again when it is warm so we could wander the streets and explore the little shops and things.

Home again, Home again. So soon. Even though I was apprehensive in the beginning it turned out to be the perfect little weekend excursion.