DAYS 1 & 2

Creme de la Creme Tour - May, 2018

NOTE:  For additional trip pictures and videos go to Facebook , search for Sunrise-Canada Creme.

DAY 1 - Travel to Marshall, MI. 
               The bus travelers departed St. Louis on their journey to Toronto, Canada spending the night in Marshall, MI known for its world famous Schuler’s Restaurant.  The guests were quite pleased with the tasty menu offerings and raved about the delicious bread pudding.  

                Sunrise Tours is extremely accommodating to its guests as travelers can choose to take a scenic bus ride to their destination or for those who prefer the fastest route, for an additional fee, they have the option of flying.

DAY 2 - Travel to Toronto, CA

               This was a very busy day for the “Wanderlusters”, my nickname for our tour group as the bus riders and flyers all rendezvoused at the conveniently located Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre.   I thought the hotel lobby area was stunning, especially for a Holiday Inn.

          While several of us flyers, including me, had some harrowing airline adventures en route to Toronto, ranging from cancelled flights to mechanical issues, we all managed to make it to the hotel in time for a flavorful Italian dinner at The Badali Bar and Cucina, located right in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District.  The service was prompt, the food choices quite appetizing and the scrumptious tiramisu was the best ever.

               From there it was a quick ride to our evening’s entertainment, the play ‘Annie’ shown at the historic Ed Mirvish Theater.  While Annie is the named star of the show, the true highlight of the evening was the renowned actress Lesley Nicol, famous for her role in Downton Abbey, playing the deceiving Miss Hannigan.  The show was quite entertaining with stunning stage sets, well-designed era costumes and exciting dance numbers.  We all enjoyed a fun-filled evening.

DAY 12-The End

Our Sunrise Tours Creme de la Creme Trip ended today with some of us flying home and others riding the bus back to St.Louis. It was such a fun filled experience from the luxurious hotels to fine dining experiences.

I highly recommend Sunrise Tours as they offer such a wide variety of trips and strive to provide a memorable travel experience every time.  

They hire only the best people to take care of their clients.  Ruth Smith, our Tour Director, worked non-stop not only to meet our needs but also anticipated what would make the trip even more enjoyable for us.  Always smiling David Bruning was our highly competent bus driver.

My 3 favorite attractions were:

The Parliament 

the  Sainte Anne de Beaupré Basilica in Quebec City

 and the Montmorency Falls

If you’d to see more pictures and the videos, go to Facebook and in the search block type in Sunrise-Canada Creme.   There are several videos there including our tour of lower Quebec and both falls.

DAY 11 - Niagara Falls

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting the world famous Niagara Falls.  

Niagara Falls is actually three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Ontario, Canada and New York.   From the largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls,  the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.  The Horseshoe Falls lies on the border of the United States and Canada with the American Falls entirely on the United States' border.  The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also on the United States' side.

Located on the Niagara River, the combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America. Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by flow rate.  Niagara Falls is such a valuable source of hydroelectric power which has created a challenge in balancing the recreational and commercial uses since the 19th. 

Up close you can feel the enormous power of the Falls by taking a ride on the Maid of the Mist boat. The original Maid of the Mist was built at near Niagara Falls on the American side of the border.  The boat was christened in 1846 as a border-crossing ferry and could carry up to 100 passengers.

The ferry did well until 1848, when the opening of a suspension bridge between the United States and Canada cut into the ferry traffic. It was then that the owners decided to make the journey a sightseeing trip, plotting a journey closer to the Falls. The current Maid of the Mist VII was built in 1997 and carries 600 passengers.

DAY 10 -Travel to Niagara Falls

Today we traveled from Montreal to Niagara Falls.   We stayed in the Doubletree Hotel.  We had an excellent dinner at the hotel with a choice of salmon or steak, followed by apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert.

Here’s a few shots of the US Border area as we entered the US.

DAY9- Travel day

Today we traveled from Quebec to Montreal.  Our hotel was the luxurious Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Montreal conveniently located in the heart of Montreal above the central train station. Below the hotel is the Underground City, with two floors of restaurants and the Place Ville-Marie shopping center. The hotel was completely renovated in 2017.  The colorful rooms were updated with the most modern conveniences.

Famous dignitaries and movie stars often stay there.  In 1976, it was the Headquarters for the International Olympic Committee.  

In 1969, it was the site of the second Bed-In for Peace where John Lennon and Yoko Ono composed and recorded the song Give Peace a chance.  Originally, Lennon wanted New York for the second Peace In, but he was not allowed into the US because of a marijuana conviction.   They then went to the Bahamas but, but after one day decided to go to Montreal because it was closer to the US. 

           They occupied four hotel rooms and were visited there by severalhundred people.  The song was recorded in their hotel room on June 1st, 2019.

Purple is my favorite color, so I loved the purple velvet walls in the elevators. That’s my friend and our tour Tour Director Ruth Smith. 

In the afternoon, we took a guided bus tour of Montreal.

A private home in the ‘Hollywood of Montreal’ homes section 

Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royalist a national monument, Canada’s largest church and the largest shrine in the world dedicated to St. Joseph. 

The Olympic Stadium was built in the mid-70s as the main event venue for the upcoming Summer Olympics held in Montreal in 1976.  It’s nicknamed “the Big O” because of its shape.

A stunning sculpture in the courtyard of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Convent.

I went to Catholic grade school and was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Later in the day we visited the Jacques-Cartier restaurant and shopping area on Old Montreal then dined at the Restaurant du Vieux-Port Steakhouse.  With the quaint shops and cobblestone streets, the area reminded me of many small towns in France.

(Backup) DAY 8 - Continued

DAY 8 - Montmorency Falls

After an uplifting visit to the Basilica, we went to the Montmorency Falls.   

Open year-round, the spectacular falls at 272 feet high are 99 feet higher than Niagara Falls.  After arriving at the lower level cable car area,  we immediately heard the roar of the rushing water which I found so energizing.  The cable car ride to the top cliff provided us with breathtaking views of the falls.  

From the top, I took the panoramic path to the first suspension bridge overlooking the Falls.   It was quite a hike for me, but I was determined to make it especially when one of the other group members, a lady who was 82, passed me on the path.    

We enjoyed a delicious late lunch at the Manoir Restaurant located a short walk from the Cable Car.

I loved Quebec and our hotel as it was located right in the heart town, within walking distance of many fine hotels and lower Quebec.   If you didn’t feel like walking, you could take the Old Quebec Funiclar railway, located less than a block from our hotel, down to the Petit Champlain shopping district. 

That evening we strolled the Governor’s Promenade behind our hotel, the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, shown below.    The Promenade runs along the St. Lawrence River from behind the  Frontenac Hotel past the Citadel ending at the Plains of Abraham, a famous battlefield.   

The Promenade had many interesting attractions including the luge and canons.

Views from the Promenade