Hello, my friends. I am writing this column in sunny Montréal, where the temperature has been near 80 degrees for the past few days.

I am here with my sister Mary and her husband John, and we have been having all kinds of adventures! I think the theme of this journey is persistence!

We drove up on Sunday, heading straight north until we hit Canada. We did make a pit stop in Albany to have a delicious lunch at the City Line restaurant, which was quite well-hidden right on Washington Avenue. We were using GPS on at least two of our phones and yet it took us a minute to find the place.  Signage, people, signage!

Then we climbed back into our chariot for the trip to the tropical North. Thank goodness there’s no such thing as climate change, because I could swear that this is October, and yet the temps are blazing hot.

The website Trip Savvy advised the following wardrobe for touring Montréal in October: “Long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, jackets, and long pants are musts, and a heavy fleece or light down jacket may be necessary for evenings. Scarves and hats come in handy for long outdoor adventures or night outings. You should also bring closed-toed footwear—sneakers or other walking shoes—and a pair of boots.”

We have been wearing dresses and short sleeves. No boots, I’m afraid. But good walking shoes, yes. Left the stilettos at home. Even the evenings have been warm enough to go without a “light down jacket.” We don’t even need sweaters. The Canadians are having a heck of an Indian summer.

 So here in brilliant Montréal, we have been lightening our wearings and getting our bearings. On Monday morning, John ventured out and found the famous St-Viateur Bagel Shop. We enjoyed traditional Montréal bagels, still warm from the oven, for our breakfast.  They are much chewier than NY bagels, but delicious all the same.

Then we were off to Mont Royal Park, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead—he of Central Park fame—and opened in 1876. It covers 200 hectares and has trails and playgrounds and bird watching and lakes and incredible views of Montreal. We took in the view at the Kondiaronk Belvedere. And I was today years old when I found out that Belvedere means lookout. The more you know. The Chalet is huge and impressive, with an enormous semi-circular plaza to take in the view of the city below.

We did some walking and then took a drive to Vieux Montréal, the Old City. It is a lovely neighborhood, filled with shops and restaurants. We found a bustling crêperie for our lunch. Savory crepes with local brews really hit the spot, and then we were off to browse through some shops.

Those who know me well will be surprised to discover that I did lots of browsing but no actual shopping. We continued our ramble through the cobblestone streets on to our next adventure.