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Bonjour!
We left Toronto early on Tuesday morning, excited about the relatively short drive to Montreal. Shortly after noon we arrived, checked in to our hotel, and excitedly hit the streets as neither of us had been to Montreal in the past.
First stop: Second Cup (something that the Lower Mainland is sorely lacking) for a Chocolat Chaud Glace which we sipped as we walked along Rue Ste. Catherine’s. The street was packed shoulder to shoulder with people young and old, rich and poor, English and French speaking alike. It was dirty, busy, and smoky, but it was fun.
We ended up on a sunny patio at Les 3 Brasseurs for lunch which included biere, salade, et bruschetta. It was clear that a sunny day in Montreal means drinking in the early afternoon on any patio you can get a seat on.
Feeling a little drunk (me anyways), we kept walking up Ste. Catherine’s which at one point became a pedestrian mall commonly known as the Quartier du Spectacles. We then strolled through Chinatown and along some back streets leading us through the McGill campus before eating dinner on another patio before retiring to the
hotel after a long day.
The next morning Alana hit the gym and I enjoyed a well-deserved sleep-in before we again hit the streets on our way to lunch. Unfortunately it began raining and rained quite hard during our entire walk to Schwartz’s Deli. My lunch was their famous Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich with fries while Alana, faced with no real vegetarian sandwich option, had a kosher pickle, half of a red pepper, coleslaw, fries, and buttered bread. Just before we finished, three kids (teens) were sat down at our table. Alana overheard that the girl was vegetarian and explained that there wasn’t going to be much for her to eat. When the gentleman came to take her order, the girl asked for a mint tea...and got laughed at. LOL enjoy your plate of coleslaw for lunch.
We finished up lunch and kept walking. The rain let up as we made our way to old Montreal which was charming. The problem with this part of Montreal is that there are too many things to see and take pictures of, but after a couple hours of walking around we returned to the hotel for a
well-deserved nap (me anyways) before returning to old Montreal for dinner (on a patio). As we sat under the awning of an Italian restaurant, with wine (Alana anyways), with rain pouring once again, in the heart of old Montreal, Alana explained that what was occurring right then was something called romance. I didn’t really understand the concept, but I will to try re-create the experience next time we are in Montreal.
On our final day we had lunch in old Montreal (with beers, on a patio) at Olde Montreal Poutine. The rain was gone and it was now hot, sunny, and muggy – a perfect day to ride bicycles “velo”. We rented deux velo from a shop in old Montreal but as we had to wait 30 minutes to get a discount, we went to a nearby patio and had a beer (Alana anyways).
Once on our velo we rode to the Croix du Mont Royal, way way up near the peak of Parc Mont Royal. From the bike shop to the Croix it was about 2 hours uphill, in the hot muggy heat, after poutine and beer. The ride down the mountain and back to
the bike shop was much easier as it was all downhill and little pedalling was required...just had to beware of the crazy drivers and other riders.
Finally, we had dinner inside (the patio was full), packed our bags, and failed to fall asleep as early as intended. So, after a short sleep we’re on our way (as I type this) to Nova Scotia (we’ve arrived by the time I post this). Alana is driving great on a mix of Tea, Red Bull, and a bagel, while I slept from Montreal to Quebec. The highlight of the drive so far (for me anyways) was when I spooked the Tim Horton’s drive-thru girl by sitting up rapidly and staring at her with my full eye covers/sleep mask on. LOL we could hear the terror in her as she spoke English with a thick French accent. Maybe the highlight for Alana has been the peace and quiet - she’s probably enjoyed a reprieve from my clever wit and sparkling conversations en francais.
Au revior mes amis!
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Christine
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Beautiful Montreal!
Wow, loved the pictures of Montreal. Looks so peaceful and beautiful. I love your romantic strolls in the rain. :)