J' ♥ Montreal

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September 1, 2013

We arrived in Montreal early this morning and unloaded our luggage in a locker at our "boutique hotel" in the Latin Quarter since check-in wasn't until 3. The girl at the desk led the way with our "close encounters of the nicest kind" with the citizens of Montreal. Yes, French is the official language here and everyone has greeted us in French. But we've found if we say "Bon jour" and "s'il vous plait" and "merci" that those few words go a long way in convincing people we are worthy of their attention. Almost everyone here can speak English, too, so no problems with getting what we need. It really does seem like we're in a country other than Canada. Joe says the people in Quebec are pretending they aren't in Canada. It's another bike friendly city with bike lanes and bike trails everywhere.

First on our agenda was a stop at the enormous Marche Jean Talon (market) in Little Italy. The taste sampling here beats Costco by about 1000%. Oh...the unfamiliar fresh tasting veggies, the peaches, the plums, the melons, berries, cheeses, cider, breads and wine! We tried them all and what fun we had getting advice from locals and the vendors! It took us two hours, but we finally settled on some juicy peaches, fresh baked bread, soft oka cheese, squeaky cheese curds, savory salami, and sparkling juices for our picnic at Parc du Mont Royal. (Bob and Carol, if you are reading this, our meal was reminiscent of several of our Buenos Aires late night meals minus the wine.) This park was designed by Frederick Olmstead, the same guy that designed NY's Central Park. Parc du Mont Royal consists of several large hills of at least 500 acres with large grassy areas, lots of trees, lakes, and beautiful plantings. It is a short walk from the parking area to the Chalet du Mont Royal where concerts are held and there is a grand view of the city. On Sundays (today) in one area of the park hundreds of people get together to "tam tam." They play drums and dance and smoke "wacky tobacky." We observed, but didn't join it. It was a warm sunny day, perfect for what we had planned.

The guidebooks recommended that we stroll down Ave du Mont Royal. We found a parking spot close to the top of this street. The guidebooks failed to mention that today there would be a street fair and this pedestrian walkway would be filled with thousands of people. We gave up after wriggling through about five blocks of this. We drove through downtown Montreal, it is modern and clean and why are all these people downtown on a Sunday?

Our room was ready and we were very pleasantly surprised with how nice it is. New guy at the desk was just as helpful as the cute girl and in a few minutes we were ready to take off again, this time on foot. We stopped off at some kind of military festival near the Old Port on the St. Lawrence Seaway, looked at the boats and at all the fun people were having in and near the water. We continued on to Old Montreal and to the Place Jacques Cartier which was a beehive of activity with thousands more people having fun, only this time we loved it. This is another pedestrian walkway of many blocks with lots of expensive outdoor restaurants and shops, live music, and entertainment of all kinds going on everywhere. After a lot of walking and people watching we decided to eat at a restaurant that lightened Joe's wallet considerably. We couldn't resist the fish from the fresh water seaway and I added a nice vegetable cream soup. We were very impressed with the beauty of the buildings in Old Montreal, this place is old (1700's). We then viewed the famous Basilique Notre Dame and the peaceful and dignified Place d' Armes (compared with the Place Jacques Cartier). On our way walking back to the hotel we took a detour to Chinatown and enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells there. We should have eaten there, we'd have more money for Quebec City tomorrow.

Now it's nearing 11 PM, Joe and I have both taken a soak and jet massage in our full size jacuzzi in our room, once again we got upgraded just for being polite and I think our laughable attempts to speak French also helped us this time. We packed a lot into one day and we are tired. Montreal impressions: beautiful city with lots of friendly people enjoying life.

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Photos

Marche Jean Talon
Sorry for so many produce photos, but I want to remember this place.

Parc du Mont Royal
Lovely view of Montreal on a sunny day.

Chalet Mont Royal
The piano is there for anyone that wants to play it. While we were there someone was always playing it and it was always pretty good music.

Chalet Mont du Royal
Enjoying the view before our picnic.

Another View from Parc du Mont Royal
The big building in the background is the exhibition center from the Olympics

Ave du Mont Royal
People for as far as you can see.

St. Denis Hotel
The lounge in the basement used to be a big wine cellar.

Hotel St. Denis
Jacuzzi tub in our hotel room. There is also another bathtub and shower.

Hotel St. Denis
Our room

Comments

[Connie]

Now Montreal is on my bucket list
Fantastique, merveilleux! (What are those cheeses?)

[J J]

Cheeses
Oka cheese was originally manufactured by the Trappist monks, who are located in Oka, Quebec, Canada. The cheese is named after the town. It has a distinct flavour and aroma, and is still manufactured in Oka, although now by a commercial company, the rights having been sold in 1996 by Les Pères Trappistes. It is also manufactured in Holland, Manitoba, by Trappist Monks at their monastery, which is located 8 miles South East of Holland. It originated in 1893. Since that time, Quebec has become a major producer of Canadian Cheese. Oka cheese has a pungent aroma and soft creamy flavour, sometimes described as nutty and fruity. The cheese, which is made from cow's milk is covered with a copper-orange, hand-washed rind. Its distinct flavour sets it apart from more common cheeses such as colby and cheddar, and does not go through a cheddaring process. I don't remember exactly what the squeaky cheese was, I just know I've always loved cheese curds. We are now off to Quebec City.

[Connie]

Thanks!
Love to learn something new; while I'm not a cheese fan- can't have much due to the yeast in most processes- this is fascinating.

[J J]

Audrey
Loving the photos of Audrey. Need more of both of the kiddos.

[Lois Settles]

You make my mouth water!!
Great description, great pictures. Envious.

[Donna]

We like
Kaycie and I went shopping today and she said your blogs are reminding her of all the places she wants to go when the boys are old enough to travel. You have lots of faithful readers!

[Connie]

We\'re having a great time; however, Jim should probably go to bed when Ben does. Between playing, pulling Ben in the red wagon (we finally got it down here) and assisting me with his bath- I think Jim\'s worn out :-D

[Bob and Carol Barbee]

We are home and enjoying reading every one of your blogs.
Judy and Joe: Your blogs are up to your Australia and New Zealand standards. We love them. We agree with Tom Swan that your photographs are excellent. We have been doing 25th anniversary of the Yellowstone fires stuff. Can you believe that it was 24 years ago that you came to Yellowstone? Now, back to more of your great blogs. Thanks so much for including us.

[J J]

25th for Fires
So that means we've been friends for 24 years! Love you guys.