Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec

These are most significant cities on the eastern side of Canada. Other than Quebec City, unfortunately, they don’t offer much in terms of tourism. Nevertheless, i had to go just so that i can say i have been to Canada. I had originally planned to skip Toronto altogether, but eventually visited Toronto Chinatown for food. This was after a tripadvisor recommended restaurant turned out to be a huge disappointment. There was simply too much fried food, which does not sit well with our taste buds. There is an abundance of Chinese restaurants in Toronto, mostly run by ex-Hong Kongers, and they cater Cantonese (can’t go too wrong) and Sze Chuan style food.

The beef brisket Hor Fun was cheap and good.

Stopped by a neighbourhood in the Thousand Island area on the way to Ottawa. There are little cottages on the little islands, how fun is that.

A pier for every home.

The Canadian parliament building in Ottawa. A free tour is available.

View from the Peace tower of the Parliament building.

The library of the Parliament building.

The Rideau canal is good for strolling around.

If you’re there at the right time, you might be able to catch the Rideau canal locks in operation.

Montreal is under 3 hours from Ottawa (which is considered a short distance for this very vast land). View of Montreal from Mont Royal.

Schwartz’s, famous for smoked meat. I found out about them when reading up on how the Montreal steak seasoning came about. Was greedy to try everything, so ordered the combo which includes a steak. Should have gone with the smoked meat sandwich which everyone orders (the steak was good too, but turned cold too quickly).

The Cherry Coke is also one of their specialties and it was indeed quite nice.

Display of smoked meat.

A queue forms outside Schwartz’s. Be there early.

Notre Dame, one of the few things to see in Montreal.

The fact that Quebecans are artificially inclined is evident not just in the large number of art galleries but also in their flower deco.

Chemin du Roy is a recommended tourist route to take on the way to Quebec City. It is lined with pretty houses, each with a unique design and colour combination. Not to be missed!

Old Quebec is old indeed. The city walls are partly intact.

Place Royale.

Le Petit Champlain.

More flower deco can be seen here.

Le Chateau Frontenac (on the left) dominates the skyline.

Chemin Royal on Ile d’Orleans is also lined with pretty houses. You will also find sugar shacks (where maple syrup is produced), wineries, delicatessen and restaurants.