After exploring downtown, we made our way out to the Jardin Botanique Montreal. Everyone told us we HAD to go to the gardens. I was a little unsure about how much I'd get out of this, both because the time of year didn't really lend itself to bountiful blooms and because botanical gardens really have to be pretty spectacular to hold my interest.
Luckily, the weather was beautiful and there was a special exhibit wrapping up its last week at the gardens. The Mosaicultures Internationales started in Montreal in 2000. Every three years since then, there has been an exhibit somewhere "to promote gardening and horticulture as both an expression of new millennium values and a vital component of the urban landscape." The theme this year was Land of Hope, and every piece had to "represent something of the participant’s culture while responding to a
predefined theme and complying with the principles of sustainable
development."
Our first stop was in the greenhouse, where there was this mobile representing the giant ocean trash dump. Every piece in the mobile is a piece of plastic - bottle caps, yogurt cups, six pack rings, and so on.
After that it was on to the sculptures...
All in a Row from Madagascar and The Heart Tree from Canada.
This guy is from a folk tale and was called The Man Who Planted Trees. I loved his shaggy dog companion!
Selfie. Bonus that James has long arms!
I commented that if I was a slightly different person, I'd lean over and kiss Froggy on the cheek for the picture. Also - please disregard the fashion faux pas of stripey socks with rolled up pant legs. It was HOT! (The fashion choices get even worse tomorrow...)
The sculpture on the left below is Hachiko, the loyal pup that walked his master to the train station every morning for work and then waited for him to return in the evening. When his master died at work, the pup stayed at the train station for 10 years waiting for him. Loyal, and hearbreaking.
We took a path through the woods in the middle of the gardens rather than sticking to the perimeter. We were the only people in the middle and we came upon this hawk, who had caught something too heavy to fly away with. Fascinated, we watched him shield his prey and try to figure out his plan.
Another selfie?
Around dusk, the gardens really filled up for the Jardins de Lumiere, when the Japanese and Chinese gardens are filled with lighted sculptures. It was really beautiful but parts of it were also, quite literally, wall to wall people where you can do nothing but shuffle along with the people around you. We enjoyed the quieter corners and gently pushed our way through the crowds to manage a quick exit from the chaos.
Since we'd had a late lunch, we decided to make our way back to the city before finding some dinner. We both had something very specific in mind, both for cuisine and atmosphere and we managed to find it just a few blocks from our hotel with Vinizza Osteria Enoteca. The front staff consisted of one friendly server with limited English and the proprietor, who stopped by to chat a few times. It was exactly what we were looking for: tasty pizzas, a small cozy restaurant, and nice glass of red wine. Perfect way to end the evening!
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