The Restaurant and Shopping Scene, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

St. Catherine's Street, Eaton Mall

St. Catherine’s Street is the main shopping boulevard in Montreal much like 5th Avenue in New York City and is fairly extensive. Underneath Montreal, there are over 20 miles of underground shopping malls, stores, services, and restaurants due to the brutal winters. With the temperature hovering under 20 below everyone goes underground and they are all connected. We didn’t have that much time but our hotel the Montreal Renaissance which we highly recommend was next door to the Eaton Mall which had most of what you would want. I assume other malls in the distance probably have similar stores though I expect they all have some unique stores. Walking from mall to mall would be a great exercise to boot. We just did not have the time or energy to even go to a second one. If you go to Montreal I recommend you look up online a map of all the malls and underground and try and map out the tour that would meet your needs and interests.

Costco

I get it, what were we thinking? Look, there is a Costco now in almost any city you visit. And trust me none of them carry the same stuff. For one thing, we were able to stock up on winter ski wear here as our one in Jacksonville simply does not carry a lot of winter wear. We found great bargains. When we were in Napa Valley we visit Costco there which had the largest wine selection we have ever seen with prices significantly lower that right out the door. For us visiting Costco is usually entertainment and we usually find something at a great price we don’t find elsewhere. Costco in Montreal was a short Uber drive from downtown and worth the trip.

Bar Kabinet

A very interesting wine list and menu. We booked here after researching and reading reviews. It was not what we expected but in a good way. For one thing, it is a bit far out for an Uber ride on the outskirts of town and is at a very busy automobile intersection. We sat outside as cars and people wisked by next to us. The wine list was extensive with local wines most of which we would not care for. Sort of sweet wines. The server helps us pick one we liked and it was like a sauvignon blanc but different. The menu had some good choices and the servings were small but we had a chicken dish that was very good. Overall we enjoyed our dinner but in truth, this is really a bar with a modest wine and food menu with mostly Tapas.

Schwartz’s

We learned about this place by watching "Feed Phil" on TV. It is a must-visit place. The location is in a small community area and Uber knows how to get you there. There are two doors and we initially got a little confused. There is a take-out section with a very long line and then the actual restaurant which is limited seating at tables and then a long bar to sit at. The food was some of the tastiest and best pastrami I have had in my life. The menu is limited but wonderful and everything is great and the atmosphere is super casual and lively. I would look forward to returning. I question the negative reviews and know everyone has a bad day from time to time. It is nowhere close to a fancy place and is old but the service and food were just what I expected.

Campos Portuguese Chicken at Time Out Eaton Center

We went to the one at Time Out at the Eaton Center in Montreal. Another bucket list kind of food. It is somewhat spicy Portuguese Chicken to die for. Marinated and then slow roasted in a grill basket the meat just falls off the bone and is succulent. I don't see the less-than-stellar reviews. Our food was exceptional and we had no problems with service either. I would definitely return next trip to Montreal. It is just a unique combination of spices and marinate and specialized slow cooking that makes this dish exceptional. The fries were pretty good too.

Au Pied De Cochon

We learned about this place by watching "Feed Phil" in Montreal. It is one of the best know places in Montreal and it is somewhat out of the way via Uber but we had no issue finding it and are we glad we did. Unquestionably the most unique and best choices of Foie Gras we have had in years. We ended up having both for an appetizer and dessert what they call a Foie Gras Parfait. The Foie Gras is a very delicate mousse on toast with maple syrup, truffle oil, and something else but just a sublime hedonistic taste that we could simply not get enough of. We had a fresh fish dish that was excellent for our entree and a good bottle of wine. Their wine list was good with some at reasonable prices. For us service was outstanding and the vibe of the place was energetic yet pleasant and controlled. We cannot wait to go back again. Clearly, a top place to hunt down in Montreal.

Henri’s Brassier Francais

Let me first state that we were aware of the negative reviews prior to dining here. Our hotel was right next door and we had passed by a couple of times where we witnessed exceptional decor and architecture as well as an establishment full of happy well-fed customers. So there was a disconnect between the reviews and what we witnessed ourselves so we decided to see for ourselves and are glad we did. Our dinner and the service were wonderful. I should say that the staff during the meal when we were commenting on how good everything was told us new staff had recently been brought in to improve the dining experience here telling me that management was aware of the negative reviews and making the necessary changes. Everyone comments on the decor and architecture which is exceptional. You feel you are in the middle of downtown Paris. It is old-time beautiful art deco which for us was very relaxing. For us, the service was professional and polite, and not overbearing. The wine list was extensive and there were many reasonably priced wines along with some priced way too high. Our food was perfect all prepared perfectly. From what I can see whatever problems they had in the past they have corrected and I highly recommend the place and will return.

What British Air Club World Business Class does NOT tell you

1. There is minimal to no help for the disabled or elderly

2. The seat configuration is schizophrenic. Every other seat is reversed front and back and is separated by a screen that is only up in flight. Due to the nature of the construction your area around your legs is contracted side to side and clausterphobic. Middle seats have no screen so you may be sleeping on the entire flight next to a stranger.

3. The personal drawer is generally inaccessible except for takeoff and landing

4. Hand-held controller to control entertainment system is behind your shoulder and head and difficult to access. The buttons are not marked so it is impossible to see how to use it. Additionally the one USB charging port in the same area making it difficult for access. There is an additional 110V plug by the personal drawer and is inaccessible as well as being turned off during takeoff and landing

5. Seats lay flat and have a foot stool which allows you to lay down flat but it is not a lay flat bed and is very narrow making the only position lying on your back best.

6. Overall the equipment is worn and some does not operate as intended. I overheard some seats don't go back to flat and British Air does not offer adequate compensation if this happens.

7. The entertainment system and TV and food tables are difficult to remove in that they are stuck because their old and you have to get your fingernails in there to pull them out.

8. Every window seats face backwards and some do not have isle access so you have to walk over the person on the aisle when they're laying flat to get out.

9. Food was not particularly good and no where close to what is represented on the YouTube videos.

10. The crew spends a lot of time checking seat belts every time the lights come on including waking you if you are sleeping to check your seat belt. Crew seems untrained to handle sick passengers and offered minimal help.

11 The amenity bag were one of the cheapest I have ever seen. The zipper breaks the minute you open and the products are extremely small amounts and not enough for the flight.

12. You are charged for seat assignment prior to 24 hour check in time despite paying thousands of dollars for the ticket.

13. In my opinion the YouTube videos recommending this class of service are obviously paid advertisements and not honest evaluations.

14.  The Boeing 777 wide-body we flew on was not a comfortable plane.  I highly recommend the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as the best wide body for long-haul flights if you can do it.

Overall business class on British Air for their Club World Seats are uncomfortable, inadequate, and provide no worthy amenities to make you comfortable. For the amount of money spent you can do better on another airline.

Back On The Road Again

Back on the road again.  It's fairly obvious that post-Covid travel is changed a lot.  The first thing you notice is the crowds.  Having just spent a month visiting the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Europe which included Britain and Croatia I was amazed by the number of people traveling.  Every flight was full and there were masses of people at every Gate, restaurant, and security line.  Because of the crowds, it is obvious that you have to get to the airport at least an hour or two earlier than in the past.  Compounding the increase in crowds is the decrease in staff.  Everyone is short-staffed. They are trying to improve but the way they're improving is by hiring completely inexperienced young untrained staff and training them on the job in the middle of the battle and it only adds to the problem and confusion and is not really helping. But on the other hand, what are you going to do?  At least in Europe compounding the crowd issue is the increased utilization of discount Airlines such as EasyJet.  EasyJet provides inexpensive no-frills tickets for traveling and it seems that everyone was taking advantage of cheap tickets.  One of the new requirements that created issues for us was everyone wants you to check-in online 24 hours in advance and if you haven't checked in online then it slows down your process of getting through the lines. This applied to restaurants, especially hotels, and Airlines.  Of Interest, I read an article, and I don't know if it's true, but in Belgium, if you show up at the airport without checking in online they fine you €65.  One hotel canceled our reservation on the day of arrival because we did not check-in online. Another area that shows change is the use of QR code scans in most places.  Airport lounges and restaurants asked you to use a QR Scanner to pull up information, menus, etc and this was across the industry and pretty much everywhere.  Airport lounges have become much more critical to improving your comfort on a trip.  I recommend you either get a credit card that allows for Lounge access or if necessary purchase Lounge access.  Even then the lounges that we visited had overcrowding with no staff and a lack of amenities in some cases. One recommendation I can make at this point is to avoid British Air and especially Gatwick Airport.  I always thought British Airways was a premium airline with some of the best business class amenities. Having flown them 4 times this month the price was twice the price and as far as I'm concerned the amenities were half the competitors.  Gatwick Airport is one of the worst airports I've experienced in terms of transfers and changing plans and making flights.  Both times we went through Gatwick it took over 2 hours just to check in and go through security and almost missed connecting flights.  British friends that we spoke with confirmed that instead most Brits try to avoid Gatwick and fly out of Heathrow.  The main reason Gatwick is so busy is that it seems to be the primary airport in Europe for EasyJet.  Buyer beware!

News Flash just announced Gatwick Airport has requested all airlines to reduce the number of arrivals as they have no staff to meet the need, on the news wire this morning!!  Go figure!!

First impressions of Croatia and the Adriatic Sea

Clark and I are enjoying our first trip to Croatia cruising along the coast of the Adriatic Sea.  My first impressions of the area is that it is idyllic, it is quiet and peaceful and it is inexpensive to visit here compared the other regions similar in Europe.  The local wines are good.   Flying into Dubrovnik was easy for most of us and today during the summer there is a direct flight from Newark New Jersey. Getting to town was painless they have great Uber over here one of the best I've seen.  We had to wait less than a minute for an Uber and never paid over $12 a ride.  We stayed initially at the Sheraton Dubrovnik which was elegant and comfortable.  The staff at the hotels and restaurants were extremely friendly and helpful they really want your business. Because of the rocky coast the cities and towns are on the water and buildings only go up a few hundred feet into the hills. They look very much like any area on the Italian Riviera.  The food here is great.  Until the late 70s they really had no major infrastructure here or electricity so for centuries most if not all of their food is grilled on charcoal which is the same today.  This is just my opinion but you can go to the most expensive restaurant in town and the next night the cheapest and the grilled fish to me both taste the same. So my lesson here was unless there's something super different the  less expensive places may be the same food.  Interestingly the beef here is pretty good and in my experience especially in France it is not so I had a beef tenderloin one evening that was superior.  In conclusion it appears that the Adriatic Sea and Croatia is trying to be the up-and-coming Jet Set vacation spot in Europe.  I think they're getting close today as we speak and if you compare them to Italy and France the total cost of a trip is the third to a half what you would pay.  How long that lasts is anyone's guess but if you want to get here today at a reasonable price I recommend you come now.

The Ten Things Rocky Mountaineer does NOT tell you in their fancy glossy brochures

1. There is no WIFI/Internet except for staff.

2. There are long waits standing with no seating at all transfers.

3. At the final destination if you did not book transfers through Rocky Mountaineer you are on your own with no assistance.

4. While waiting for departure there is no refreshment and not even water. Bring your own.

5. On departure wake-up call can be as early as 5 AM. There is no set definite schedule.

6. Onboard seats do NOT recline.

7. Featured hotels have limited electrical outlets and some have no USB ports.

8. Trains have no set schedule so you cannot plan anything. Trains frequently 2 to 3 hours later than expected. You arrive too late for dinner sometimes.

9. Due to an unknown arrival time unable to schedule the Covid test to return to the USA. The test MUST be scheduled online with an appointment within a 24-hour window prior to flying home. May have to wait up to 48 hours for an appointment dependent on tourist demand.  Rocky Mountaineer provides no assistance or help in this manner.

10. Staff will tell you they cannot give you any accurate information and cannot guarantee anything.  Offices and personnel at the hotels they use are either nonexistent or have hours that don't do you any good.  They also do not answer the phone and their voice mail box is always full.

Just Say No to the Rocky Mountaineer

On your bucket list of life, we have always wanted to take the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies. Having heard from many friends how wonderful it was, we couldn't wait to go and finally had the chance. Regrettably, our trip did not meet our expectations and there were multiple problems that will preclude us from ever going again or recommending it. There are some Pros to the trip, the chief of which is the views. There is no question in an open Dome car that you can see 360 Degrees, you are going to see a landscape that most human beings will never see. The scenes were phenomenal and spectacular. We also saw wildlife, mountain sheep, Elk, Eagles, and yes bears in the wild which was exceptional. It was clearly the best thing the train trip had to offer. You have two seats together, and in what they called their gold leaf service you have 2 power outlets and 2 USB ports. You also have the same in the Silver Leaf service but the Silver Leaf service from what we could tell you would not want to take because everything is pretty much crammed in and it doesn't look like it's that comfortable though we met some of the Silver Leaf passengers who indicated to us that service was quicker in those cars. The power outlets didn't do us a lot of good because the train has no Wi-fi for passengers which they don't tell you upfront. They advertised gourmet food, I wouldn't call it gourmet but I would say it's very good food very tasty, and well-prepared. One of their selling points is that you travel all day and see the scenery and then spend your nights at the hotel. The hotels they provide you are above average but there are problems with the Hotels also. One of the good things about this tour is that they do tag and pick up and deliver your luggage room to your room and on our trip, it was always accurately done and our baggage was always waiting for us except in only one case when it was 2 hours late.   On most tour trips that we've taken in the past, the luggage arrives much later if it all sometimes. The problems however in our opinion outweigh the positive aspects of this trip. To begin with the transfers from the hotel to your train and then your train back to your hotel we're completely chaotic and no better than a fire drill. There are no provisions made for disabled people when waiting, which seemed to the majority. There was a hurry up and wait for aspect to it and if you were disabled you had to stand for prolonged periods of time waiting to board. Staff seemed to be more interested in following the protocols and procedures than keeping the passengers comfortable. On the last day if you had not paid and booked your final transfer with Rocky Mountaineer you were on your own.  I witnessed a wheelchair-bound passenger trying to move her bags with staff standing around not offering to help.  On the first day of your trip, you have to have a safety briefing which is fine but you wait a long time to get on the train and once you get to your seat you sit there for some time waiting. It generally took about an hour after boarding to get the breakfast and you were offered nothing to drink during that time. Not even water. Yet the staff was at the back drinking their own personal coffee while everybody else waited. Would it really cut into their profit margins to offer water to everybody when they got on the train initially? There again were times when the comfort of the staff was more important than the passengers. As previously stated there is no Wi-Fi on the train and they don't tell you that. Thankfully we had a data connection that we could use at a reasonable price but I find it quite unacceptable that they don't have Wi-Fi for the passengers.   In that they do have Wi-Fi for the staff so if they have it for the staff why can't they provide it for the passengers. There was more than one incident where I was flat lied to. On the second day of the trip, you arrived late after dinner time. Being a diabetic I need to eat so I asked one of the staff on the late day if dinner was going to be served and they told me yes dinner is going to be served. Dinner was not served it was a flat lie. Their second biggest lie is it at the hotels they allegedly have a guest services Center and a phone number to call for assistance for anything. It never happened. We made multiple phone calls that were not answered and their voice mailboxes were always full so you couldn't even leave a voicemail. At every hotel, we looked for the guest center and there were none and there was no Rocky Mountaineer staff to assist you another, flat lie.  We did find one at the Lake Louise Hotel where the sign said staff available 5 to 8 PM Tuesday and Saturday so only 6 hours a week.  In that our bus left Tuesday morning at 7 AM what were we supposed to do?  Miss the bus and wait until 5 PM to speak with someone?   And lastly, in their brochures, they tell you that you can get a great rest on the train because their seats recline and this is not true. They move the bottom which moves forward but the back does not recline back. In truth, the seats are fairly uncomfortable and we were not able to even nap on the train. In that especially going east some of the trains arrive late we actually found it was difficult to find dinner reservations and dinner was always on you. You may want to make dinner reservations before you leave but in Kamloops, this is impossible because they do not tell you the name of the hotel until you are off the train and our hotel was far out with no surrounding business and the hotel restaurant was fully booked when we arrived for dinner. Everywhere we ended up seemed to be quite busy and there really weren't any restaurant reservations to be found.  And even though you spend the night at a hotel you are there 8 hours or less because of the early rising and you really get no benefit from the hotel. Finally, in their brochures, they certainly don't mention this and after you book they tell you last minute but going east you're required to get up and be out of the room at a very early hour sometimes as early as 5 a.m. For someone who is not a morning person, this was quite difficult for me especially given the fact that I had to wait on the train to be seated for breakfast before I even got coffee. The trains going from the west from Jasper and Banff leave a little later so it's not as much an issue for those trips. Having all of that information I would recommend that if you want to take this train you always take the westbound trains from Jasper to Vancouver or from Banff to Vancouver, and that one is the more scenic.   Something we found interesting from the staff is that the staff at least considers these train trips just a two-day one-way trip, either going east or going west. Even though we did it round trip as far as the Rocky Mountaineer staff is concerned it's two separate train trips. Once we got to Banff for example we stayed five days in the area and then after five days took the Rocky Mountaineer back to Vancouver.  Once you are off the trains there is no assistance or communication regarding Rocky Mountaineer from anyone.  Again the scenic views are spectacular even epic and something that most human beings will never see. It made up for a lot of the negatives on the trip. Knowing what I know now I would not really want to take another trip with this company and if I was I would make sure that it was going west to east and not the opposite. I should also mention the hotels that we stayed at, both the ones that the Rocky Mountaineer booked as well as the ones we booked on our own all had very few electrical outlets in the room, Most had no USB ports. You need to be sure and take a power strip and enough USB and regular electrical ports on the strip to meet your needs.  This seems to be peculiar to Canada for some reason.  It's one way to save power.

Wine Travel with Covid, Or Not!

So we are all bummed out right now as we felt compelled to cancel our upcoming trip to France to attend the Tastevin St. Vincents festival in Puligny Montrachet.  Despite having boosters after speaking and emailing plenty of friends and associates in France this is what we learned.  In order to enter France, you have to have some kind of negative Covid test no later than 24 hours before entry at the airport.  The problem is that gives you no wiggle room for delays or other issues that might delay your flight, not to mention dependent on your time schedule and flight schedule it might be near too impossible to meet that requirement.  After Customs and Immigration let you enter you then have to obtain a French Health Pass which requires another negative Covid test within 24 hours, your passport, and original vaccination cards.  The problem there is you can only obtain it at certain pharmacies and we were told as of today, just like the USA, it is impossible to get tests done and there are lines down the block at most pharmacies to get the tests done.  So it could be days or weeks before we could obtain the said pass.  We were told today that weeks ago museums, restaurants, etc. would accept your vaccination card but no more.  The French Government is now enforcing the law to the letter and levying heavy fines for anyone who they catch breaking the rules.  In addition, anything public including metro's, train's, supermarkets, you have to have the pass.  Murphy's law always applies to us so no question we got over there and would end up spending the next two weeks in a hotel despite being fully vaccinated and with that in mind we felt compelled to cancel.  So far everyone has refunded any advanced funds except the airlines which only offer a credit good for one year.  Bummer.  And to add insult to injury, Ireland announced today that they were lifting testing restrictions, and with only your vaccination cards you can come on over and go where you wish!  A complete 180-degree change from the Continent.  The problem with that is there are no Irish wines we want to buy right now.  So Covid continues to be a problem.  I wonder how much business France will lose because of this at the same time I understand the need to protect the public.  It is too simple and would take years to put in place but why not have a testing area on arrival at the airport that could do your test check your passport and vaccination cards and issue the health pass before you left the airport?  Too easy probably.  And if you think all of this is a problem be aware that before the end of the year the EU is instituting a new requirement to have a visa prior to entering that you will have to obtain online that from what I can tell is a security pass and similar to the USA Global Entry card that of course will require payment of a fee and good news is at least good for 3 years.  It won't change the length of time you can stay, which is 3 months, but you won't be able to enter without it.