I have had out of town visitors this weekend. This is when I am at my happiest: showing people around. Taking them to places that are not in the guide books, choosing the restaurant that will suit their taste, finding THE store that carries the item they have been looking for, catching outddor performances, pointing them to a fun terrace…in other words: showing off the city.
This time it was a special treat because we shared an interest in food. So we went all over to explore food stores and markets and sample local specialties.
On St Viateur street we visited 3 different bagel bakeries and then sat at a café to have a tasting and compare the three . We also stopped at every crepe stand we met and compared techniques, rated the presentation and packaging, as well as tasted the product. Being a food critic must be a fun job!
This touring allowed me to have a better look at a fountain that now stands in front of the Palais des congrès. It is called “La joute” (the match or game). It is the work of Jean Paul Riopelle a famous artist. What is special about it, is that it is set in water yet surrounded by a ring of fire and at regular intervals mist and light come out of the ground all around the fountain…This area is one of my favourites, because of the art, the trees that were planted around it as well as the buildings surrounding it.
