Returning to downtown Sydney, Susannah took the opportunity to explore some of the key sites in more detail, starting with the official Sydney Opera House tour. Her (not quite direct) walk from the Airbnb to the Opera House travelled through the expansive and peaceful Royal Botanic Gardens and past the site of Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, a rock bench carved to honor the wife of former Governor Macquarie who sat in it to take in the views of the harbor. Alas, the chair was under restoration, but Susannah followed Elizabeth Macquarie’s lead and took in the ever-shifting views – this time of the Opera House – as she walked along.

It turns out that the inside of the Opera House is just as captivating as the outside, offering new appearances around each corner. The architect, Jorn Utzon, was relatively unknown when he won the design competition for the opera house job. (Thanks to Eero Saarinen, one of the judges, for advocating for Utzon’s design, or the Bennelong Point structure might have been a much more mundane box rather than the iconic edifice that stands there today.) The process of designing and building the bridge took five times longer than planned and cost more than ten times the initial budget, but the end result was worth it, and was even paid off in less than two years thanks to funding from government lottery tickets.

Converting Utzon’s concept into reality was the real challenge, given the complexity of the geometry, the use of post-tensioned concrete ribs for the structure, the roof tile ceramic composition designed to provide just enough but not too much sparkle, and the interior material selection and placement to ensure excellent acoustics.

We couldn’t take photos in all the spaces because of intellectual property associated with the set designs for the shows in progress, but the photo of the main opera hall represents the grandeur of the performance spaces throughout.

Her engineering mind happily sated, Susannah headed to The Rocks area of Sydney to quell her hunger. Even a basic veggie burger is served artfully! (Note to self, beet slices are a great addition to burgers.)

In addition to food and shopping in The Rocks, one can also find walking tours to learn more about the area. Today’s guide Brian was a walking encyclopedia of Sydney’s history; he regaled us with tales of various convicts and politicians (sometimes one and the same!) and showed us many places we might otherwise have missed. One hidden park, called Foundation Park, was created from restored foundations of former slum housing – and then furnished by a sculptor to represent the previous use of the space. Another structure of interest is the (until a few months ago) public housing building that was designed to resemble a rock cliff; its location high on the hill adjacent to the Sydney Harbor Bridge provides some of the best views of the city.

Speaking of the bridge – Susannah had climbed on it (hooray for BridgeClimb!) but hadn’t yet walked along the roadway nor ascended a pylon, so took the opportunity to do both. The pedestrian experience walking across the bridge is somewhat diminished by the barbed wire fences but that didn’t stop the constant stream if walkers and runners. The pylon offers a more memorable experience – there’s a small but thoughtfully assembled set of exhibits about the bridge’s history, an accompanying film with pictures from the construction, and 360 degree views from the top.

Back at Circular Quay for dinner, Susannah was accosted by the bird of the day – the seagull. Indeed, not just once but twice, seagulls dive-bombed her trying to snatch her dinner (chicken crepe) right out of her hands. Gives a whole new meaning to “take away” food!

But being near the Opera House again was delightful, especially in the setting sun amongst the crowds enjoying Sydney’s harbor setting. And, Susannah caught a light show projected on part of the opera house roof – pretty impressive!

Nick’s conference started today, so Susannah ventures out for her own “walkabout” – an exploration of the eastern coastline of Sydney. Minus the bus to the start and the ferry back home, the rest of the day was all on foot, something on the order of 20 km all tolled!

The morning was along the most famous section of the Eastern Beaches Coastal Walkway – the 6 km stretch between Coogee (“could” + “gee”) and Bondi (“bond” + “eye”) beaches. The guidebook authors said this hike was not to be missed, and they weren’t kidding! It travels past 6 coves with beaches, each with its own distinct personality and unique view. The entire trail is well marked and thoughtfully appointed with regular drinking fountains (including spouts at dog height), restrooms, and benches. The surfers were taking advantage of the excellent waves, and Susannah had plenty of company along the trail – local Aussies out with babies and dogs, plus tourists from all over the world. One section has a cemetery with 80,000 graves – and views to die for!?

After getting lunch in Bondi at the delectable vegan Funky Pies restaurant, Susannah headed inland and north to the South Head peninsula. There she met the bird of the day (macaw?) in a tree alongside a golf course.

South Head features stunning views back toward Sydney Harbor, and very expensive real estate! For the more plebeian, there’s a lovely nature park and trail along the water so all can enjoy. Tucked in amongst the neighborhood a bit further in, there’s a hidden little cove called Parsley Bay, that has its own pedestrian suspension bridge!

And at the tip of the peninsula, Susannah visited the Hornby lighthouse, where she caught great views of North Head, where she and Nick has walked just the day before.

At the end of the day, Susannah joined Nick and some of his colleagues for dinner at a local pub – great beer selection, including a stout made with chili peppers!

Sydney has a wonderful incentive to get people outside on Sundays – through the Opal system, public transportation fees are capped at just under $2 US for the day. Once you’ve got that limit, you can ride as much as you want for free. So after a surprisingly delicious breakfast at a Yelp recommendation that turned out to be a food court restaurant, we capitalized on the transit discount by taking the ferry to one of its farthest destinations in Sydney Harbor – the community of Manly.

Ferries have long been an important component in Sydney’s transportation system given the expanse of harbor, and the main ferry terminal in the central business district – Circular Quay – is always bustling with yellow and green ferries coming in and out. Ferries are also a great way to experience Sydney and the route out from the wharf gives a close-up water view of the Sydney Opera House, which to be honest, looks stunning from just about any angle.

We wanted to explore Manly more than we could do just on foot, so bikes seemed to be the order of the day. Manly is best known for its beaches but we wanted to venture up to the North Head that marks one side of Sydney’s harbor entrance. The views were indeed sweeping but we hadn’t counted on the small yet persistent flies that gathered whenever we stopped. Nor had we realized how unsettling it would be to ride bicycles in a left-side-of-the-road environment.

As we took in the harbor views, we witnessed the progress of a tall ship making its way out of the harbor. Later we met our Bird of the Day (a magpie, none too pleased with us) at a roadside cafe that sold excellent gourmet popsicles.

After exploring North Head’s trails and views, we had to visit at least one beach. The day had become quite lovely and Manly was buzzing with people eager to experience the beach life. Aussies really do love their beaches!

A short hiking trail above Shelly Beach afforded views of the northern coastline, which stretches on as far as the eye can see alternating beaches with vegetated areas dotted with houses. Shelly Beach itself is enclosed in a cove and offers patches of shade under the palm trees. We poked our toes in the water, which was… we’ll go with “bracing”. We could see why the few people actually swimming were in wetsuits!

Back in downtown Manly, we had a late lunch at the 4 Pines Brewery restaurant and sampled some of their offerings. They make a delightful ginger beer too, which is reportedly the best in Australia.

Our return trip by ferry to Sydney was at sunset and featured light and clouds mixing in the late afternoon sun. After a transfer at Circular Quay we took another ferry under the bridge to Pyrmont Bay.

Along the way we glimpsed another group following our path from the day before.

Nick has a conference in Sydney and Susannah decided to tag along because she can – one of the joys of sabbatical! What a great opportunity to see another part of the world. And so, after 20 hours of flying (JFK-LAX-SYD), we landed in Sydney on Sat morning (local time) ready to start our adventure.

Hungry and with our internal clocks all out of whack, we started out with some delicious food in the garden of The Q on Harris cafe – yum!

We then ventured over to the Powerhouse museum (who kindly held our bags in their “cloaking room”) while we looked around. This museum, also known as the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, is a true STEAM museum in several senses of the phrase. The exhibits include science and technology (from the dawn of steam power to the rocket age) plus some fashion and photography, but the museum itself is housed in the turbine hall of the power generation facility of Sydney’s former tram system. The space allows for display of large machinery and installations – and the overhead crane system still in place doesn’t hurt either! We especially liked the “best of nature photos of 2019” exhibit – check out the image of a baby wombat in its mother’s pouch.

We had a light lunch in the museum cafe courtyard, soaking up vitamin D and listening to the birds, who really sound different from the ones at home. They also look different – in addition to pigeons, urban birds in Sydney include much-larger ibises who have adapted to city living and become quite bold.

Our highlight of the day was BridgeClimb – literally an excursion that goes over the top … of the Sydney Harbor bridge! It’s an expensive endeavor but unlike anything else in the world – and apparently some of the proceeds help with bridge maintenance.

The full climb takes about 2 hours up and back but there is about an hour of gearing up and orientation beforehand. All climbers have to pass a breathalyzer test and wear a specially designed bunny suit and harness. Literally everything we brought along had to be clipped on, including glasses, baseball hats, headlamps, and even our “emotional support” hankies. We were issued fleeces, raincoats, and headsets so we could hear our guide clearly over the traffic noise and be prepared for any weather. Susannah was geeking out on the precision of their prep routine – down to specially-designed jigs to help getting into harnesses, floor markings with “standing spots” to corral the wayward climbers, and sorting bins for gear return at the end – we especially liked the funnel-shaped “suit chute”. It felt a little like we were astronauts preparing for a moonshot, but this efficiency enables the company to handle up to 2000 climbers a day safely.

Unfortunately, while in the bridge climb, cameras are banned along with all personal items other than glasses, so the only photos we have of the climbing experience itself are the staged shots offered as part of the tour package. We guess it will have to remain one for the memory books! We definitely recommend climbing at twilight to see the transition from day to night. From the top of the bridge arch you can see the city and harbor laid out in all directions beneath.

The guide told us “riveting” tales of the bridge (over 6 million used in the construction, not counting the 10,000 that landed in the water). The steel arch is a beautiful structure – even more so up close than from a distance – and we gained a new appreciation of the challenge of building it, especially without any modern-day safety precautions.

We ended the day at the Hero of Waterloo pub, where we watched Australian rugby league over beer and dinner while listening to live classic rock performed in the adjoining room. The game was perplexing to follow until one of the waiters kindly explained missing details of the rules to us mystified Yanks.

Off to an early bed – we have no idea what day it time it is!!

While it would have been possible to drive straight home from Montreal, our advanced planning detected a cluster of attractions several hours to the east in the neighborhood of Lake Memphremagog. We duly divided our trip home into two days with an overnight stay in the truly delightful and surprisingly lively town of Magog at the northern tip of the lake.

Arriving in the area by mid-afternoon enabled us to take a guided tour of the Abbaye de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac, a working monastery of the Benedictine order. Our family formed the entirety of the English-speaking tour so we had a very personalized experience. Our guide told us about the renowned cheese and cider making that fund the abbey, showed us the architectural features of the church and other buildings, and shared details of monastic life. The lakeside setting is beautiful, and we could easily see how it inspires reflection and contemplation. Although we hadn’t planned on a long visit, we decided to stay later to attend Vespers and were glad we did. The organ playing was superb and the prayers were carried out in Gregorian chant. The experience reminded Nick of his visit many years ago to the Abbaye de Saint Wandrille in France, which coincidentally is the parent monastery to this one.

After a fruitful visit to the abbey gift shop, we drove to Magog where we had a quick dinner and short walk by the water to catch the end last rays of the setting sun. Lake Memphremagog stretches some 30 miles north to south straddling the US-Canadian border and is home to rumors of its own mythic serpent (named Memphre), perhaps a relative of the better-known Nessie in Scotland. We were quite taken by the beauty of the lake nestled under the surrounding mountains.

The reason for our haste at dinner was a final engagement for the evening in the town of Coaticook, some 45 minutes away. The town there is home to a 50m-deep gorge adorned with hiking trails and boasting the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. These attractions were apparently not drawing enough visitors so about 5 years ago the park decided to put in an after-dark illuminated experience. The result (called Foresta Lumina) is rather spectacular, amounting to about 1.5 miles of multimedia magic and storytelling. The journey along the trail transports visitors through a series of chapters created through light, sound, and projection, each one beautiful and somewhat mystical, yet hard to capture in photographs or words. Each of us had our own interpretation but we all felt like we were in a storybook experience of some kind. The illusion was broken at times by the fact that we were sharing it with hundreds of other visitors, but in the end it didn’t really matter.

The next day was unfortunately our last of the trip, but we managed to fit in a few more activities along the way. The first was a 4-course breakfast at our B&B (Au Saut du Lit in Magog), whose bright decoration was inspired by the colors of Provence. The meal vied for the best breakfast of the whole trip, starting with smoothies served in champagne flutes and capped off with healthful breakfast cookies that we had packaged for the road. We even got to sample some of the Abbey’s products during the cheese course.

After breakfast, Ben and Susannah had a run/walk (respectively) at a local park that features a 2 km boardwalk over wetlands with views of Mont Orford in the background. Meanwhile, Nick and Rowan packed up the car and then had a little time to relax in the B&B garden.

Not quite ready to say goodbye to Canada, we hit two more stops right before the border: a ring of massive granite standing stones in the town of Stanstead, and the Tim Horton’s we had promised Rowan we would visit before leaving Canada (conveniently, Stanstead had one of those too).

South of the border once more, we stopped for lunch in Newport Vermont and discovered that the southern end of Lake Memphremagog is also quite beautiful. Chances are we will be back to this area again before too long!

Our hotel is well named (Auberge Les Bons Matins) given its extensive breakfast and attentive service, and we had a great start to the morning indeed. First stop was McGill University, where we were signed up for the official campus tour. Both kids liked the campus and the location. The biggest surprise was the admissions process, which is based solely on grades and test scores without any essays or supplemental letters.

Ben and Susannah left the campus tour a bit early because we had scheduled a visit to the McPherson Collection and Rutherford Museum, housed in the Physics building. This turned out to be an hour-long personalized tour given by a tremendously knowledgeable and generous professor, who explained several of Rutherford’s key experiments, provided insights into Rutherford’s life, and showcased a number of old scientific instruments.

Heads newly-filled, Ben and Susannah headed for Parc Mont Royal to exercise their bodies. The terrain is hilly but the paths are very inviting, featuring Olmsted’s signature meandering paths and captivating views. Meanwhile Rowan and Nick checked out local bookstores.

We all reconvened and headed downtown to Old Montreal, walking through streets and along stone piers at the waterside. After some free exploration (including a vegan milkshake for Susannah!!), we were headed for a rendezvous with an afternoon show. Held in a pyramidal tent erected on Clocktower Pier, this was a multimedia extravaganza conceived by one of the founders of Cirque de Soleil. The experience is somewhat hard to describe, but Nick suggests that if you imagine a fascinating hour-long medley of abstract screensavers set to pulsing New Age music and laser lights, you won’t be that far off. Or Susannah suggests Fantasia crossed with 80s German Disco set to Pink Floyd.

Montreal features quite a bit of public art and high-end graffiti. One bit that caught our eye was the bright color adorning what would otherwise have been a quite spartan Brutalist wall in the pedestrian tunnel Paris approaching the Champs des Mars station.

We had purchased 24-hour metro passes so we could easily travel to different neighborhoods within Montreal. Susannah specifically wanted to visit the Jean-Talon market, a large covered farmers market near the Little Italy area. We arrived near closing time but that didn’t deter us from sampling various fruits and devouring two little baskets of blueberries and raspberries.

One especially nice treat on this visit was the chance to meet up with our cousin Evan, who has just moved to Montreal to start a new job. We got to see his new apartment and try out a microbrewery restaurant around the corner. (Dinner included lamb burger, pulled duck, and two kinds of stout.) After dinner, we hopped back on the metro to our place to get some much needed sleep.

Early next morning, Susannah got one more use out of our 24-hour metro passes and travelled to the Ile Ste-Helene to go for a run, see the Biosphere (designed by Buckminster Fuller), and catch more views of the city across the St Lawrence River.

After breakfast, Nick headed to the Musee des Beaux Arts for a little culture – the featured exhibit was a retrospective show of Thierry Mugler’s fashion work. Meanwhile, Susannah and the kids explored Montreal’s underground city and the more affordable fashions for sale in the many stores lining the tunnels. Built so as to allow Montrealites to traverse the city without going outside in the winter, the underground network is more than 30 km in length. We only travelled a little of it, but we did manage to get from one main shopping center back to our hotel traveling much of the way underground. And the kids acquired Canadian jeans in the process. 🙂

Back at the hotel, we had just a few minutes to catch our breath on the charming back porch before piling in the car to depart the city. Onto the next adventure!

After cute (but light) buffet breakfast at our “rolling barrel” inn, we set out on the last leg of our journey to St. Jerome. Susannah made a quick stop in town to return the book to the free library and then we were off!

The trail in this section follows the River du Nord, which alternates between wide placid sections and narrower rapids strewn with boulders. Most of the going was downhill so we made good time.

The bike trail, of course, used to be a railway line. All the old stations are still in place, many of them repurposed now as cafes and/or art galleries. They are a welcome sight as one comes along the trail, offering a convenient place for a snack or bathroom break.

At the penultimate station of Prevost, the art was outside for a change – the sand sculptures had stood up very well given recent rain showers.

Despite a little road construction at the end blocking the trail that forced us to detour with less than a km to go, we made it to the end of the trail in St Jerome – km 0!

After purchasing memorabilia at the trailhead shop, we piled back into the car and headed to Montreal. The trip was not entirely smooth navigation-wise (Susannah was running an experiment to see how many wrong turns we could make!) and as a result we had quite a scenic tour of downtown. 🙂

We’ll give a longer report on the city after our full day tomorrow…

After our day of “rest” (well, no cycling anyway), we remounted our bicycles for the 38 km ride from Mont Tremblant to Val-David. This leg features a long but gentle uphill at the start, eventually rising to the high point of the trail before beginning a long slow descent for the remainder. The summit is even marked with a sign, which delighted Rowan. On the downhill portion it is literally possible to coast much of the way, so long as you don’t mind going slowly. To prove this, Ben at one point didn’t pedal at all for over two kilometers. Susannah even got a selfie with Nick while coasting along.

The vegetation has changed somewhat as we move southwards. There seem to be more deciduous forests and fewer pine. Another feature was given away when we noticed a woman by the side of the trail who seemed to be gathering something. What was it? Blueberries! Sure enough they were growing wild by the side of the trail at a number of locations. A little way down the trail we stopped to pick some of our own. Mmm!

The trail also switched from asphalt to gravel on this leg. Before traversing the gravel, we took advantage of the free pump station along the trail and filled our tires full.

We stopped for lunch at Sainte Agathe des Monts, but rather than eating at the station cafe, we rode the additional 1km on a side route into the town proper. There’s a lovely lake with a fountain adjacent to a town park, which seems to be the chosen Sunday afternoon spot for many locals. The kids happily sampled the ice cream on offer as we relaxed in the park.

Our destination was Val-David, a charming, upscale town with an artistic bent. Susannah popped off to see the sights while everyone else was recuperating from the day’s ride. As a result she was the only one able to see the local pottery exhibition before the gates closed for the day. Nick joined her for a walk about the neighborhood, amidst lakes and parks. Susannah felt so at home here she started looking at real estate ads! 🙂 On the way back, she borrowed a book from the free library in town and started reading it on a hammock chair outside our hotel – now that’s relaxation.

Our stay for the night is at the Baril Roulant, a classic tavern with food, drinks, and lodging (both private rooms and dormitory-style). The building is a grand old wooden structure with huge beams, generous porches, and pressed tin ceilings in the dining room. Their food and drink are both incredible, exploding with flavor and served in artistic fashion on wooden boards. The clincher dessert was “beeramisu”, which the kids quickly dismissed as tasting like weird-textured beer, which is perhaps just why Susannah enjoyed it!

The day ended with several rounds of Pitch played over dinner, and afterward. Shout out to the O’Connors for teaching us their family game. 🙂

Regular readers of our blog may remember our first encounter with the via ferrata during our trip to Peru. Here follows the death-defying North American sequel…

Our morning started early with a waffle and fruit breakfast at our B&B, followed by a taxi ride to the Mont Tremblant National Park. The activities in this area are spaced quite far apart so we are at a bit of a disadvantage having only bicycles. Fortunately, the local taxi service is only a (French) phone call away. Our destination was the Diable Registration Center where we met up with the guide for our via ferrata adventure. We were signed up for the intermediate length trip, which includes 800m of climbing (green and orange on the map below).

The upward climb took about 3 hours. Each person has two lines attached to their harness so that they’re always connected even when shifting anchor points; all that clipping and unclipping of the carabiners takes a long time!

The course includes a variety of different features: bridges, beams, traverses, ladders, and general rock scrambles. Some who will not be named especially enjoyed jumping up and down on the bridges to make them shake. 🙂

From the top, we could see the muddy meanderings of the Diable River and many peaks of the Laurentian mountains around us. The clouds rolled in and out all day, and we experienced many brief showers interspersed with blue sky and sun.

Aside from a few granola bars and protein sticks we hadn’t brought much food on the climb, so we were truly famished by the time we reached the valley floor again. Fortunately our friends at the Tremblant taxi service were happy to drop us at the local microbrewery for a hearty meal and other refreshments (beer or brownie sundaes, as appropriate). The Saint Arnould label even has a beer named after the P’Tit Train du Nord!

That was enough excitement for one day so we headed back to our B&B for a quiet evening in. Need to rest up before saddling up on the bicycles again tomorrow.

Given the location of towns along the trail, our second day was set to be another longer ride. Unlike the day before though, we were able to get an early start, hitting the trail after an excellent breakfast at our B&B. The terrain was similar to the day before, with forests, lakes, and the occasional river. The trail is well-posted with regular signs every km and a map showing exactly where one is – it would be difficult to get lost on this route! After a pleasant ride we reached the old station building, now converted to a cafe where we had lunch on the porch. Actually we started on the porch but quickly moved inside when a rain shower passed through.

Shortly after lunch we passed the 100 km mark, which is the halfway point of the whole trail. Vous etes ici – exactement au mileu!

By the afternoon we had begun to reach the outskirts of the Mont Tremblant area. As a resort town it has a lot going on all year long, and we began to encounter many more people on the trail, on foot and rollerblade as well as bike. The Mont Tremblant station has a public piano, which Rowan put to good use. We explored the nearby village on foot, where we discovered old ski chair lifts all about town, now repurposed as public benches.

Our lodging for the night is La Gite Tremblante, which has a picturesque setting and wonderful amenities including a hot tub, a pool table, and a great room with huge windows – all of which we sampled with enthusiasm. Its one drawback, at least for those solely on bicycles, is that’s it’s a bit removed from the main town, but we had takeout dinner and Susannah even biked to the nearby grocery store to pick up a bottle of wine and some veggies.