Montreal – Part 2

Thursday saw slight showers in the morning but we left the hotel undeterred. We had promised the kids we would hike up Mont Royal in the center of the city to the Steel Cross at the top. Towering above the city, it was the place where Dan and I got engaged 17 years ago. We drove most of the way up the mountain and then hit the walking trails looking for “Le Croix”. It was to be our last full day in Montreal and we weren’t going to let a little sprinkle stop us. We were in for a big surprise as we rounded the corner to the Cross. Elise opened her bag and pulled out a bottle of Champagne and 2 glasses! My good friend, Karen Alex, having learned that we would be returning to our engagement site, had set it all up before we left, giving Elise the champagne and glasses to pack and take with her. Elise, in turn, had kept the secret from us all week. It was an incredible surprise and we all toasted 17 wonderful years. Then we beat feet for the car as the gently sprinkle turned into more of a down pour!

We headed back to the hotel to dry off a bit. Lunch was left over sandwich fixings from the fridge (we LOVE having a kitchen at the hotel!) and a little rest before the final adventure of our trip. We had made an appointment for that evening at a new indoor skydiving facility in Montreal and were all really excited to see what it was all about. The committee decision for supper was Mexican – Burrittos before skydiving… … probably not the best choice – but we grabbed some umbrellas and wandered down to St. Catherine’s Street to a place called 3 Amigos. The food was good and the kids all got HUGE pina colada drinks (minus the rum, for Declan at least!).

SkyVenture (http://www.skyventuremontreal.com/) is about a 20 minute drive North of the city in Laval. It is a new facility with a 45’ high indoor wind tunnel with about a 15’ diameter. First, you go into a classroom with an instructor and get about 30-40 minutes of instruction on what to expect, body position and hand signals (you will wear ear plugs because the wind tunnel is incredibly loud).

Next, you go and get into a flight suit, helmet and goggles. They crank up the wind tunnel and then the instructor leads you into an ante chamber with a bench in it. Once inside, conversation is hopeless because not only is it majorly loud, but you are wearing ear plugs and helmets! There is no wind in the ante chamber so you wait in loud stillness as you watch the other flyers take their turns. You go into the windy chamber one at a time with the instructor. He steps in first and then you “fall” forward toward him. He allows the wind to lift you and helps you get your arms and legs into the best position to float around. Once he’s got you in a stable position, he lets go and you are floating/flying around the chamber! It was such an incredible feeling! If you start to drift towards the floor or start to float up too high (higher than 12’ is REALLY for people who know how NOT to panic!) the instructor will help correct you by lifting you again into a better position, or pulling you back down if you are trying to escape by going too high! It was amazingly cool fun!! I will post a few photos soon. - J