I should mention that my expectations were at an all-time high because I have a family connection to Montreal. My grandfather via marriage lived and raised his family (my future aunts) in Montreal and before my parents became engaged my mom temporarily lived with her sister and her family there.
Our Itinerary (Monday, August 10, 2015 - Saturday, August 15, 2015)
Monday, August 10
As soon as we landed in Montreal we hopped in our rental car and began the three hour drive up to Quebec City. Halfway there we stopped in Trois-Rivieres for lunch.
A TripAdvisor thread I stumbled upon recommended Le Temps d'une Pinte. It was the perfect stop because our waiter was a Johnny Depp look-a-like (ha!) and the food was great. Apparently, they change their menu daily so you may not get the same thing twice. There's also no rhyme or reason to the cuisine. For instance, Evan had tomato soup as a starter and butter chicken as an entree. I had spanakopita and then spaghetti.
As soon as we were done we were on the road again. Once we arrived in Quebec City we checked into Au Bois Joli in the most charming of neighborhoods. Of the three places we used for lodging, Au Bois Joli was my favorite. The location was fantastic in terms of offering a quiet place to rest your head (no noise pollution with regard to street traffic or foot traffic in the home) and because it's within walking distance to Maguire Street, which offers a number of dining options. I also loved the room and it was SO CLEAN. The one breakfast we had with them was good but not exceptional. The hosts are lovely people and I wouldn't hesitate to stay with them again.
In checking our weather apps we discovered that we were in for a rainy and dismal six days in Quebec City AND Montreal. Thanks Obama! So we took advantage of the clear evening and wandered about Old Quebec.
The iconic Chateau Frontenanc and the Terrasse Dufferin:
Evan and I had a nice few minutes of relaxation sitting on a bench listening to some French-influenced accordion-driven street music. For a few seconds I imagined we were in Paris and that the St. Lawrence River was actually the Seine.
Old Quebec is gorgeous and many streets and alleyways are definitely reminiscent of a Paris scene. What we discovered though is that it's Paris-lite. You get a lot of the perks of being in Paris - dramatic and old-world architecture, fine cuisine, the French language, etc. BUT without the snootiness. French comes first in Quebec but there's not an expectation that you know it and you're not punished with dirty looks or snideness if you don't. Nine times of ten when we were "outed" as English speakers the Francophones we were talking to would revert to English and they would do so with a smile.
Tuesday, August 11
Today was absolutely miserable weather-wise. It was the worst weather day of the trip. Just a constant downpour.
Our B&B doesn't offer breakfasts on Tuesday so we did the next best thing by going to Le Cochon Dingue on Maguire Street. It's a local chain and so good. It was definitely one of the best meals of the trip - kudos to our hosts for the recommendation. Evan got his first taste of (breakfast) poutine and I had a country-style breakfast. The service was also extremely pleasant. I wish we could've eaten all of our meals there.
Afterward we got in the car and took a drive up north to the Basilica of Sainte Anne du Beaupre. You know, indoor activity. It's a pretty church.
Then we took a depressing drive around the perimeter of Ile d'Orleans. The island itself isn't depressing but I was peeved that I couldn't take one picture to capture its beauty. We saw so many red metallic roofs and brightly painted houses. Nothing was cookie-cutter, every house looked different (much like the houses in our neighborhood in QC too) and had the weather cooperated I would've been able to capture vivid, vibrant colors. It's a shame. In better weather it would've been easier to enjoy its multitude of fresh fruit/vegetable stands, farms, cheese, wine, etc. Next time.
Once we returned to town we braved the incessant rain for about an hour so that we could take pictures under cover of umbrella.
We ended the evening at Montego for dinner. Our B&B hosts highly recommended it so maybe our expectations were unrealistic. It had a cool atmosphere and a very eclectic menu but we weren't overly impressed with the food. It was decent but not exceptional.
Wednesday, August 12
Since we weren't in a rush to get to Montreal we spent about an hour in Old Quebec (again) trying to get in any last pictures while the sky was cloudy but dry.
Evan told me that the Chateau Frontenac is one of the most photographed buildings in the world. I figured I might as well jump on the bandwagon and punctuate our time in QC with as many pictures of it as possible.
We left Old Quebec to take a picture of this most random but awesome sculpture:
And because this water fountain is pretty and nearby, picture:
We arrived in Montreal late afternoon and checked into Au Coeur Urbain. The location is great IF you're a real urbanite. It's within walking distance to Mont Royal (a wonderful respite in the big, noisy city), McGill University, and Saint Catherine Street, which is a main thoroughfare akin to but not quite as wide as Fifth Avenue. If you're not an urbanite then it can be a bit overwhelming. It's also quite far to trek on foot if you want to visit Old Montreal or Mile End, a neighborhood I like to compare to the Village. It was also terribly muggy while we were in town and the people/car traffic noise made it difficult to open the windows to cool off. That being said, our hosts were fantastic. They're a very kind, warm couple and the hostess has some serious prowess in the kitchen. Her breakfasts were out of this world delicious.
Once we parked our car we made our way out to Saint Catherine Street for a late lunch/early dinner at Les Trois Brasseurs. As our hostess mentioned, their beer-battered fries are fantastic. My burger, however, left something to be desired.
To add insult to injury, we went across the street to this place called Paris Crepes for dessert. Sacrebleu! They took way too long to make, they were overdone, and as Evan pointed out, kind of chewy. They're supposed to be simple and light. When we honeymooned in Paris we would grab crepes right off the street and they came wrapped in paper. Keep it simple, stupid!
Even though I was tired and hot Evan convinced me to climb uphill for a solid 20-30 minutes (I might be exaggerating) to reach the Chalet on Mont Royal. I hated the walk up but once we got there I got what all the fuss was about. First of all, the view of the city is lovely. Secondly, and most importantly, it was cool so I recovered rather quickly from my exertion.
We even made a friend. Meet Rocky Raccoon!
We sat up there for a bit in these incredibly comfortable Adirondack chairs. It was heavenly. I imagine if I lived in the city I'd be spending a lot of time in Mont Royal away from the hubbub.
Thursday, August 13
We woke up to an amazing breakfast of french toast with authentic maple syrup. Mmm.
Then we embarked on a walk that turned out to be way longer then either of us expected. I still have the calluses to prove it. By the end of the day we calculated that we walked over 11 miles. Yep, we rule.
First we walked alongside McGill University.
Then we walked in what we thought was the Mile End but was an area bordering the Mile End. By the way, this 90 minute walk was necessary to reach the meet up point for a food tour/walk we had booked in advance with Local Montreal Tours. So we walked what felt like half of Montreal to take yet another walk.
Along the way we saw this entertaining ad:
We met up with our group at a vegetarian place called La Panthere Verte. Our guide, Vera, is a transplant from Brazil who has lived in Montreal for the past 25 years. She was as enthusiastic and fun as she could be. We really enjoyed our time with her and our cozy group of eight.
Our meet up point was also our first stop on the food tour. My dad has said that the best falafel he's ever had was in Paris. I wonder what he would think after trying this falafel. It was pretty awesome. And apparently, it's been voted the best falafel in the city for several years in a row.
Next up was Chocolats Genevieve Grandbois. We each got to try a dark chocolate with a salted caramel filling. It was superb. And the decoration on top is done by hand.
I wish every tasting portion had been as small as the chocolate. Even after having walked all that way and breakfast being a somewhat distant memory, I had to force-feed myself.
Our third stop was St. Viateur Bagel. Montreal's bagels are considered the best in the world (hear that NYC?). I don't know if it's all bagel shops in Montreal or just St. Viateur but St. Viateur puts honey in their water and it gives their bagels a sweet flavor.
The Theatre Rialto was a nice break in between our tastings to see an historical building and also learn a bit about Montreal as a cultural mecca. Vera was telling us that Montreal is a big festival city. There are celebrations of every kind all the time. Evan and I were thinking that at least one reason to go back would be to attend their big comedy festival in July.
Check out this original Tiffany glass ceiling:
Walking around from place to place we were also able to experience the many multicultural elements that make up Montreal. We saw every kind of cuisine from Indian to Portuguese to Polish to Thai. We also learned about a typical style of house in Montreal. They have really dramatic and hazardous-looking outside stairs that lead inside rather than having inside stairs that take up valuable living space.
Then we went to Drogheria Fine to sample his homemade tomato sauce. He only sells sauces but he whips up a special batch of gnocchi so that the people on the food tour can better experience his sauce. Man. Those gnocchi went down like bricks. So heavy. Evan loved it and polished off his portion and half of mine.
I was beginning to think we were on a vegetarian food tour and then we stopped at Boucherie Lawrence. We sampled two different cheeses, two salamis, one ham, and smoked salmon. I like that they advertise using respectfully raised meat but if I'm being honest, I wasn't overly impressed by the flavor profile. It sort of reconfirmed my goal to cut mammals and poultry out of my diet.
Last but not least we stopped at Kem Coba for dessert. I loved it. Evan, the ice cream connoisseur, wasn't impressed but...he did go back for seconds. Hmm.
And because I wasn't full enough we swung by Wilensky's, one of the oldest delis in Montreal to get a "Wilensky's Special". I was worried that we might not get back to the Mile End again so I figured I should seize the moment.
I had wanted to take the bus to Old Montreal because it would be an hour walk from the Mile End. While debating the pros and cons of walking or taking the bus we bumped into one of the guys from our food tour (we had dispersed about ten minutes prior) and decided to walk it together.
Along the way we saw some of the city's many murals.
We also passed through Chinatown.
Once we reached the Notre-Dame Basilica our food tour friend went off to his hotel and Evan and I roamed Old Montreal on our own.
These gorgeous topiaries were on display outside the City Hall:
I found Old Quebec to be a lot more charming than Old Montreal. Old Montreal was basically as crazy and crowded as the rest of the Downtown but with a prettier setting.
By the Old Port we had some traditional poutine - french fries with gravy and cheese curds - no add-ons. It was better than I thought it was going to be but not something I'd need to eat on a regular basis.
Afterward we walked back to the B&B which was another 45 minutes. Oy. Our feet were really hurting by the time we finally got to rest them.
Friday, August 14
This morning we had an incredible cheese quiche for breakfast. It was probably my favorite food of the entire trip. The crust was flaky, the cheese was stringy. SO GOOD. It's now my mission to learn how to make quiche.
Because it was an abysmally dreary and partly rainy day we went to the Biodome, which is part of the old Olympic complex. I don't want to promote an indoor zoo any more than I already have with my money but what I will say is that it reinforced my natural aversion to observing wild animals in captivity.
Then we went Downtown for a late lunch/early dinner at a mediocre Enoteca Mozza. I had our server prepare me a doggy bag which contained half of my sandwich, fries, and a salad. I figured I could give it to one of the many panhandlers lining the sidewalks. I found a perfect candidate right outside the movie theater with her dog. I thought a dog would appreciate my meatball sandwich since it was one step up from Alpo. It was a funny exchange because the woman said she got a lot of leftovers from Enoteca Mozza (what does that tell you about your epic portions, guys?) and that she hoped it didn't have a lot of garlic because "too much garlic isn't good for you." That's the first instance in my life where the saying "beggars can't be choosers" perfectly applied. I mean, take it or leave it lady! (She took it.)
We closed out the evening with a showing of the new Mission Impossible installment. It was a great movie, of course, but I also really liked the theater and lack of previews. Those Canadians do it right.
Saturday, August 15
Check out our awesome last breakfast at the B&B:
We did something on this trip that we've never done before. I thought we'd have so much stuff to cram in that we should take advantage of the day and fly out at night. As it turned out, we were both ready to go home but that was no longer an option. We didn't find out until later in the day how lucky we were. The computer systems were down at our local airports for something like six hours, which caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights. We had no such problem because the issues were righted prior to our flight. So while these poor people on early fights were stranded in airports all day, we got to spend those hours enjoying Montreal. Winning!
Our first stop of the day was the famous Jean-Talon Market in Little Italy. It's a delight for locals but also tourists like us. There's fresh produce and meat to bring home but there's also hot food on-site and picnic tables where you can sit and eat.
We shared a snack of poutine with sausage:
To close out our final afternoon we spent a sublime two hours in the shade in side-by-side Adirondack chairs on Mont Royal. What a special, peaceful place (minus the obvious crowds).
What were my final impressions of Quebec City? Montreal? You know, I think it's the kind of thing where both places, Montreal even more so, were so built up that I was a little disappointed. I like both places but I wasn't blown away either. If I'm being fair, I can blame at least part of that on the inclement weather. It was unseasonably wet and that really put a damper (no pun intended) on our time in each place. Our one full day in QC was punctuated by a steady downpour and 75% of our time in Montreal was either rainy, gloomy, or unbearably muggy. I'd like to see both places in a different season before I pass full judgement. If I was grading both places I'd probably mark "incomplete".
I like many aspects of both places and between the two Montreal has the upper hand in terms of things to do, but QC also offers a charm that's a little harder to find in Montreal. We'll see what the future brings. As I said, I'd like to see both under different circumstances. Our hostess in QC said that it's magical in the winter time and I'm sure she's right. It would mean buying some serious winter gear but maybe it would be worth it. I'd also like to take advantage of the festivals that Montreal has to offer. I can't dispute the fact that people seem to love the quality of life that Montreal affords them. That has to mean something.
As an aside, we were delighted to learn that Montreal serves as the backdrop for many films and shows that are supposed to take place in Washington, D.C. There's a new show premiering this fall on ABC called Quantico that did exactly that. In fact, we saw a sign posted on a door in Old Montreal indicating a temporary production space. All in French, of course.
A parting gift from a Montreal washroom:
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