My favorite street

We have loved exploring our little part of Montreal, and Bernard Avenue is a big reason why!

We live two short blocks away from this street. To the right, we immediately get to enjoy a pedestrian area where the streets are entirely blocked off to cars.

Last week (I think it was Wednesday), I was feeling a bit burned out from a long day with kids. So Kevin and I took Julia in the stroller to Boulangerie Cheskie and got the most amazing pastries. Mine was a chocolate eclair with chocolate on the inside and it was huge and just $3.50 Canadian dollars and I am so excited to go back there again! Anyway, on the way back, we noticed this checkerboard. On Friday, we took the kids to get ice cream and made sure to stop here. There were also hula hoops, balls, and chalk. 

They pretended to be chess pieces. So I kept saying, "Not me, not Hermione, You!" and I don't know if they've seen enough Harry Potter to find that funny.

I also noticed this piano and thought it would be fun to play some music for the people sitting under red umbrellas outside the cafes. But based on the handwritten note on the sign, it looks like it's hard to reserve the piano.

Beside Boulangerie Cheskie, we've also liked Bilboquet Ice Cream and Boulangerie Premiere Moisson (they've seen plenty of us at that bakery and have been nice to us each time!). I am intrigued by all of the upscale restaurants on the street, but I am also a little intimidated by them. You can see people wearing tuxes inside! I also wonder if the cafe named Les Enfants Terribles is called that because kids might not behave their best if offered salmon tartare and calamari. (Maybe at some point we'll find someone willing to babysit a busy 1-year-old!)

If we take a left on Bernard to walk to Joyce Park, we pass by lots of lovely buildings and lovely flowers.

so many vines! My kids said it reminded them of their grandma's house. She doesn't have nearly this many vines, though

The medians are full of lovely flowers. I need to take better pictures!

We're glad we get to explore this part of Montreal!