AIROSMITH

  Pierre was our guide for a 3 hour walking tour through Old Montreal .  We have found that this is one of the best ways to tour a city that you don’t know. Old Town extends from Rue St. Pierre on the west to Rue St Claude on the east, and Rue St Paul on the south and Rue St Antione on the north.  This section is roughly 1km long and .5km wide.  Yet within this section you learn the city’s history beginning in 1642 and the Indigenous, French, Scottish and Irish influences.  The old city and port are contained in a 4km wide section that extends from the St. Lawrence River to the base of Mount Royal.  It is very walkable in this section. Our tour began at the  Notre Dame Biscillica  at the corner of Rue Notre Dame and Palace D’Armes.  We first toured the west side in the morning, followed by the east side in the afternoon. Notre Dame Biscillica.  The first parish church was built in 1672, but the city had outgrown it by 1824.  Which was when this larger church was built. Located with the

The very best thing about  Mackinac Island  is that they don’t allow cars here.  You can arrive by either boat or airplane, but once you are here, you get around either by foot, bicycle, or horse.  Electric bikes are considered a motor vehicle and are similarly banned, unless you are disabled and show proof.  The magic of this though is captured buy traveling by horse.   Horse drawn taxis and carriages abound here.  There are riding stables, carriage tours, and horse drawn hotel shuttle.  You can even rent a drive your own cart, after taking a short class of course. We purchased a ferry ticket to the island from Sheplers Ferry which included a several hour long Horse Drawn Carriage Tour.  This allowed for an overview of the Island and a visit to the Surry Hills Museum, and the Grand Hotel Horse Barn. Carriage Tours leave from downtown, just off of where the Ferry lands Two horse power.  Belgian Draft Horse power! They use Percheron Draft Horses to pull the larger carriages   Chandeli