Traveling

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More photos from in and around our digs. Meet Eduardo y Blanca. They run a terrific restaurant, El Cardon, which was about a two minute walk from our place and where we had dinner nearly every night.

Eduardo makes a mean margarita, and Blanca is a wizard in the postage-stamp kitchen. These are her rellenos. A mi me gusta!

Sunrise on the Sierra La Giganta

We saw so many butterflies. Happiness.

This is a hummingbird nest! Though I question the mama’s placement, exposed over pavement, her construction method was lovely. It was about the size of a hacky-sack, and, in moments of stillness, the sweetest of tiny chirps could be heard from the babies.

Sunset at LAX

On our way home…

 

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Hola! It’s time for our day trip to Mision San Javier, which lies about 30 km to the west of Loreto. It was actually meant to be a day on the water, with this first photo taken on the malecon waiting for our boat, but the sea was muy bravo, so we had to save our time with dolpins, whales, and sea lions for our next trip.

These are paintings made by the indigenous people of Baja before the missionaries arrived and their lives were forever changed.

The Calvary Cross that greets visitors to Mision San Javier and the tiny town (150 occupants) that bears its name.

A close cousin of a matilija poppy, I think.

Mision San Javier

 

Built with great care by indigenous people whose populations would be decimated by hard labor and European diseases.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

It is a beautiful building, one of the first with pane windows.

Meticulously cared for, it is still used for mass.

This olive tree was planted by the Jesuits over 300 years ago.

The Jesuits taught the locals how to make use of the springs to grow things like olives, oranges, mangoes, and some very famous onions. It was pretty wild to see such a bounty in a desert, truly an oasis.

In a place where it rarely rains and the average low temperature hovers around 50 degrees, it is common to see walls made entirely out of palm. I was awestruck.

Greg makes a friend, of course. He’s cool like that…

Gato tranquilo

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Baja!

 Hola amigos!

Bienvenidos a Mexico and our home away from home in Loreto. It was a week of glorious sun with every possible moment spent out of doors. Lying in the sun. Reading. Knitting. Walking. Napping. Generally having a marvelous time. We partook of lots of delicious food, margaritas and beer, and encountered a bounty of gentle souls. Fellow travelers. American and Canadian ex-pats. Mexicans. Dogs. Cats.

It was a welcome diversion from the cold and grey of Portland, though the sun is shining here, for today, at least!

Have Bikini – Will Travel.

The above photos were taken in and around the development where we stayed. It is lovely and quiet and filled with some of the nicest people around.

My morning ritual – watching the sunrise.

The Sea of Cortez

Though it was not planned, Francisco became our driver during our stay. He was probably our age, but was very fatherly and protective of us. A sweetheart.

I am always dazzled by old architecture. Mision Loreto dates to the late 1600s.

25th October 1697

Come on people, feed this bird!

The Main Square

This fence is made with cactus.

Orlando’s – very good chile rellenos!

There’s more to come…

 

 

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For my final post on Montreal, welcome to our home away from home, Rue Tourville, tiny and easy to miss.

A cool painting hanging on the wall of our rented abode and one of the highlights of the trip: CIDER! This is ice cider, some of which is made from apples allowed to freeze on the tree before fermentation, while others are made from juice that is allowed to freeze. In either case, it is delicious. The hubster and I decided it is the port of apple ciders, sweet and kind of potent, meant for slow sipping (or pouring over ice cream!). In addition to this rather fancy bottle, I also nearly drank my weight in regular hard cider (dry not sweet), though to call it regular is a shame, because damn, Canadians really have a way with it, and as a big fan and consumer (second only to my love for whiskey), I feel I can say this with some authority.

More shots of our abode. Silly and a tad glamorous at the same time.

Saint Zotique, a neighborhood jewel.

Red mail boxes. Classic.

These are the buildings in the neighborhood.

Place Saint Henri Metro Station, dreamy.

He played Led Zeppelin in the most unexpectedly beautiful way, and I felt lucky to hear it.

Cafe Saint Henri, really good coffee in divine light.

The Marche Atwater, a very cool public market reminiscent of Seattle’s Pike Place, though this seems to be strictly for food,

like dark chocolate cake,

and macaroons. The pink was my favorite. I like it when pretty and yummy collide.

 And then poutine (twice: once the traditional way, the other with spicy peppers and sausage, the best), with beer for the hubster and cider for me, but you saw that coming, didn’t you?

Winter is coming…

Merci mille fois, chere Montreal!

 

 

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Bonjour de Montreal! We’re at Faberge, a super yummy breakfast spot that we would have fallen head over heels for even if we didn’t happen to know the awesome chef, Greg’s cousin (once removed), Aubrey. We had the best fried chicken and waffles. I say that with a sad face, I might add, because it’s so dang far. We need to get to work on a local solution. Stat!

With full bellies, we spy some fabulous roof toppers on our way to Mont Royal, a beautiful Frederick Law Olmstead Park. For Portlanders not in the know, he’s responsible for Laurelhurst, too!

A very green alley with the requisite pigeon.

Monument to Jacques Cartier. He arrived in Montreal in 1535.

Montreal and the Saint Lawrence River from Mont Royal.

A hop, skip, and a jump away is the Montreal Olympic Stadium.

Quite possibly, the most beautiful mural I’ve ever seen.

L’Ecole Nationale de Theatre on Rue Laurier, Mile-End

Richard Morin, Artist

A benefit to speaking the language. This says, “The cow that farts.” Cheeky!

Oh dear, welcome to Cacao 70, aka chocolate nirvana. Every kind of chocolate. Every kind of way. I’m looking to the side because she is bringing more! There were waffles, chocolate fondue, chocolate beads with crunchy middles, a little chocolate shake, strawberries, bananas, and that weird thing on the right? Where we roasted marshmallows, of course! Oh, and right when you sit down, they bring a tiny mug of hot chocolate, just cuz. Sigh.

The Toi Moi et Cafe had a latte nearly as big as my head and really good food.

Beautiful ubiquity.

The Canadian Center for Architecture!

This fan was overwhelmed by the collection of architectural drawings and models,

and deeply saddened that they didn’t allow photographs, save of the building itself. But I won, anyhow, because the poster advertising the James Stirling exhibit had precisely what I wanted, so a photo of a photo. Not too shabby.

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