We thought it'd never end ...

Olive et gourmando

Our last day is brief. I am anxious to leave before we should experience any residue of Hurricane Irene which is bombarding the Eastern seaboard and causing devastation. Only a few hours before we must leave for home. Where to go? What to do? We opt for wandering through Old Montreal searching for sustenance. A friendly hostess in another restaurant that does not serve breakfast points us towards Olive et gourmando, 551 Ste. Paul, O.

Ricotta with apricot jam and fresh bread - really unbelievable ...

Hard to explain this bright, chaotic, very cool restaurant environment. It was packed when we arrived with a long line-up of customers snaking their way to the back of the restaurant and out the door. We had to wait about fifteen minutes for a table. You sit very close to your neighbors at large or small tables. There are long floor to ceiling windows bringing in lots of light on to a pretty view of the quarter. The waitress took our order by verbally reciting the menu (nary a paper menu in sight which I would have preferred). We order egg sandwiches, coffees, lattes and chocolate brioches - all excellent - with some pastries to go! It's a crowd pleaser alright.

Choices choices

A passing tourist recommended going down to a farmers market further south. I believe it was the Bonsecours Market with colonialists, "Indians" in full head gear carrying spears, herds of sheep and goats, homemade goods, a stockade ... yeesh, we couldn't hightail it out of there fast enough. I have no nostalgia for the good old days of French colonialism. All those middle aged people dressed in 18th c. period costume. Not for me [insert emoticon for shudder here].

Cobourg's main street

We leave at noon, regretfully, as it's been a great deal of fun with TTK. But it ain't over yet ... Closer to home we stop at Daizies, 74 King St West, in Cobourg. The fresh and organic food is a welcome surprise as I imagined we'd be eating at a Wendy's on the way home: steamed edamame, quinoa salads, organic juices, avocado club sandwiches and Cobb salad. What a lovely surprise!

R and M

Forty minutes from home, we had just passed Bowmanville on the 401 and our right rear tire blows ... luckily R was at the wheel and guided us safely from the express lane where we were traveling 120 km/hour to a safe shoulder a ways down. We examined the tire - entirely shredded to pieces and looking like a heap of black crumbly residue now. When the CAA driver comes to our aid half an hour later he takes one look at it and says he can't change it ... he will radio for a flatbed truck to tow us to Toronto. Really?? A flatbed truck? The second CAA driver is a little more sensible (and questions why the first driver could not change it). He changes the tire to our spare, advises us to add more air pressure at the next gas station and we will safely make it home. He's right ... Two hours after the blow out and driving at a moderate pace we make it home.
Aaaah, the house is intact, the cats are alive ... and there's one more day to relax before we get back to our regular schedule. As my kid said upon her first taste of a very nice hotel: This is the life!