Farewell Freedom Fries

Late-night arrival in Montreal, Sept. 30. The lights from the bridges and buildings glow against the dark sky, and it's scarf-and-hat-wearing temperatures now in eastern Canada. The city feels more European than North American; sounds of foreign tongues on the streets that are still full of life at 11pm on a Thursday night, packed with faces that fill the spectrum from eggshell to espresso.

Our hotel, Le Saint-Malo, is European-style, too: boutique with tiny-rooms (luckily, the economy rooms are booked so we stay in a standard, which barely contains the bed, our bags, two bikes and Ophie). It smells like cigarette smoke and cobwebs, but it is cheap, with free morning muffins, and pet-friendly, allowing "little-dogs." The hotel staff doesn't see Ophie until we leave the next day.

No trouble finding a place that is open and still serving food at this hour. The toughest decision is choosing just one restaurant from the many. We have been warned against speaking French by a friend who used to live in Montreal: "They jab you with cigarettes and stiletto heels if you even think of disrespecting their precious Quebecois." We can't say anything other than fromage, le chat, tres jolie, so we're safe.

In the morning we explore and spend most of the afternoon at Mount Royal Park, a 101-hectare park in the middle of the city landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, who famously designed New York's Central Park. We walk up hills, through the forest and sculpture garden, around a lake, enjoying the leaves beginning to change from green to orange. Ophie enjoys chasing squirrels and playing with pocket-size puppies, the only type we see during our visit. (This may explain why grown men in Montreal jump off the sidewalk and run to the other side of the street when they see Ophie. There seems to be a cultural oddity/bias against dogs that weigh more than 50 pounds in this part of Canada.)

In addition to the park's natural beauty, it's got a great playground, and because it's a school day, we don't need to kick any children off of it.

Mount Royal Park also includes the highest spot in the city. It's a crisp, clear day and the views of Montreal are spectacular.

Trés jolie!