Meeting our neighbors to the north: Montreal

When we left NY for MA we took a wide, northernly detour.  Our first stop was Montreal.  While I had been to Niagara Falls and Toronto for a band trip back in high school, I really haven't seen any other part of Canada.  As much as I love travelling, it is a shame to have never visited our neighbors to the north.  Plus, I had come to realize that I probably will not be going to Europe this summer, so this was a cheap and easy compromise.  Quebec is practically France anyways, right??

Canadian Border Control

We stayed in a hostel in the Latin Quarter, aka the gay part of town.  Not only was it colorful, but it also had an evening passeggiata (a street stroll), just like in Italy!

Just down the road we found the FrancoFolies festival of French music.

In the small China Town we stumbled on a movie set!  Montreal is becoming a hot spot for the film industry.

On our first morning we went for a run along the canal.  Since it was almost the solstice it was super sunny, even by 6:30 am!

Spotted on the McGill University campus

Montreal is a cool mix of old and new. 

A creative statue outside the Musee des Beaux-Arts (Museum of Fine Arts), where we spent the early part of the afternoon

The rest of the afternoon was occupied by a tour of the Old City.  Here is the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours (the "Sailors Church"), where the Virgin Mary outstretches her arms to welcome ships into port.

The Old Port

Our tour guide giving an overview of the vast Underground Network that runs below most of the city

Louisiana Guy making a pot of gumbo to share with all us hostel people.  I am shocked we didn't wake up with some food borne illness (seriously, there was raw chicken juice everywhere, but hey, it was tasty!).

Jogging towards the canal while the city was still asleep

   

Public art displays in Place Jacques-Cartier

Back up in McGill Uni, we stopped by the Redpath Museum of Natural History

We took the steep, but shady, road up Mont-Royal

The view from Mont-Royal park

After all that walking we need a carbo break!  Montreal's bagels are "original recipe", and in the Mile-End neighborhood, the heart of Hassidic Jewish Montreal, the bagels are supreme. 

We got caught in the Mont Royal Metro Station Market during a brief rainstorm.

Heading back to the hostel, we had a poutine break!  These are a Montreal specialty: fresh-cut fries with cheese curds and gravy.  Rich and delicious, always order the smallest size. 

Mr. Squirrel was a fan of poutine, too!

After our poutine we had a *light* dinner out on gay rue Ste-Catherine

These wheelchair guys also enjoyed nightly passeggiate

We had a 4-person room in the hostel.  Thankfully, the roommates stayed out late, so it was like having a hotel room to ourselves for a couple hours in the evenings.  This was the only hostel we have stayed in that has a TV and mini fridge in the room.  It also had a private bathroom.  It really was like sharing a hotel room with 2 strangers... 

Our final jog, this time along shady--and historic!--rue St-Paul

Checking out of our hostel and carrying on to our next stop!