In search of a biking experience that was a little lower-key than yesterday’s, we rented the mini-van of bikes - a quadricycle. Jacqui slipped into the driver’s seat expecting to be quickly repositioned but Jack gave her the green light and she could not have been happier! She carefully steered us all around the port and down the Quai de l’Horloge to the Clock Tower. She was so proud of herself and waved to passersby to make sure that they noticed her excellent and vigilant driving! On our way back to drop off the bike we passed an area with bouncy houses and a ropes course. It didn’t look like much but we promised to come back and check it out - expecting 20 minutes in a jumpy and then off to the Science Museum. Well, today was one of those fantastic, serendipitous moments in travel. We sidled up to the ticket counter and was told that you purchase access to both the ropes course and bouncies in one ticket and the family pass (2 hours) was the ‘best deal’. So, we signed up for 2 hours and headed over to the ropes course first.
Up close, it is much more impressive than I first imagined. We were told upon check in that there were 9 routes in all with 3 levels of challenge at 3 heights. In addition, there was 1 'practice' course for toddlers. This was a foot off the ground but had similar challenges to the taller routes. Well, Jacqui and Charlotte hammered the practice course and were ready for more. We climbed up to the first level, 12 feet off the ground and all of a sudden, s**t got real! When you are 12 feet off the ground teetering on a log that is suspended by ropes, everything changes but quick. Charlotte went first and, in her way, she grit her teeth and powered ahead. I'm still in awe. I went next and Jacqui came after. This was challenging. I am not going to lie, and we got half way through where you can jump off the course if you need to and Jacqui was happy to take advantage. By this time, Charlotte had already crossed the tight rope (!) and was well on her way to the end. I got Jacqui safely off the course and then proceeded to follow Char. I got to the tight rope and froze. My 8 year-old had just crossed this 20 foot bit of suspended terror but I quickly decided that I'd better 'go help Jacqui' and I hopped off the course too. What is happening?!? Char finished the course with her hands held high - impressive. I can't believe that this was the next easiest route after the toddler course. Shame. So much shame! I knew that there was NO WAY that Natalie was going to have any of that so I took her around the toddler course 10 more times, which she loved, and Jack took the other 2 on the 12 foot intermediate course. Jacqui was nervous but excited to try again. I was happy to commune with my friend, terra firma!
Jacqui mastered the 3rd course - Horray - but not before she uttered her best line yet - 'I'm allergic to death!'..Afterwards, she was content to ride the zip line and hang out with us ground dwellers. But, Charlotte wanted more! And, I needed to redeem myself. We headed for the 24 foot, easy route. 24 feet. Like hanging out of a 3rd story window. Not to put too fine a point on it. It was truly terrifying. Charlotte powered ahead with barely a grimace but I could tell she was gritting her teeth. I was not as stoic - muttering a string of expletives that would have made a sailor blush. We got to the finish with smiles and high fives. That really felt like an accomplishment although what, I'm not sure. And, watching the girls face and conquer their fears made me immeasurably proud of them and bonded us. It's hard to describe, but we loved it.
After dropping the ladies off with Courtney, we headed to Cafe Tommy to kick off date night. On a whim, we decided to grab city bikes and ride to the restaurant for the evening. It is out in Rosemont so we got to see a bit of the city that wouldn't normally be on a tourist's circuit. We were riding in the very well marked bike lane with all the locals coming home from work! It was a longer ride than I was banking on but we felt we'd earned our meal afterwards. We sat down at Hoogan et Beaufor at just after 6:00 and didn't leave untll 9:45. Epic does not begin to describe this meal. The wine pairing ensured that we would not be biking home ...
This is the tight rope portion. Are you kidding me?
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