Montreal, C’est le Bon

After a terrific visit with our friends Sandy and James in Saskatoon, we’re back on the road. We left the Saskatoon prairie on 20-July and worked our way east so we could explore the wonders of French Canada and the Atlantic provinces before our planned jump across the Atlantic to Europe later this summer. Our first stop on this next leg of our adventures is Canada’s second most populous city, Montreal.

We based ourselves in the heart of Montreal’s commercial district right by the Bell Centre where the storied Montreal Canadiens play. Several of the buildings dotting the skyline prominently displayed huge lighted Canadiens logos. Maybe we’ll see them play against the Avalanche next year for the Stanley Cup!

If you find yourself in Montreal, we highly recommend the Auberge les Bons Matins where we stayed. This charming B&B is in a section of old row houses has an amazing breakfast, and is within walking distance of the downtown restaurant district, half a block from the Metro station that took us all over the city.

Speaking of the Metro, Montreal deserves kudos for their mass transit. All the subway stations, platforms, and trains were clean, well maintained, and very safe. Their subway trains are unique in the world as they actually have tires and don’t run on the rails. Seems odd, but it avoids the deafening squeaking sound most subway trains make when stopping. The only downside we could see was what one might do if the train got a flat tire.

The Old Port and Downtown

The Old Port is the historic center of the city. Our travels took us overnight from Saskatoon to Toronto, where we spent several hours waiting for a redeye flight to Montreal. We arrived too early in the morning to check in to our hotel, so we dropped off our bags and took the Metro to the Old Port area in search of breakfast and a cup of coffee. We were exhausted and hoping to entertain ourselves long enough to stay awake until we could get into our room. The main highlight of the area is the port itself with a historic clock tower and bridge across the Saint Lawrence River.

We managed to find a small cafe that was open. On our first day in French Canada, and I might mention the city of the famous Montreal style bagel, I actually had a breakfast burrito. Of course, Ande gave me a pretty hard time for that one. The temperature, even at around 10am, was in the mid 90s and stiflingly hot. You might notice the large number of school busses parked near the clock tower in the photo. We avoided the area and walked along the whole waterfront dotted with a boardwalk, ropes course, Cirque du Soleil, boat tours, and all the other trappings of a tourist area. Fatigue, heat, and crowds led to a lack of photos of the experience.

Around lunch time, we worked our way back to the hotel and napped in the breakfast area at a bistro table until our room was ready. After we were rested, showered, and refreshed, we wandered several blocks up the hill from our hotel into the old commercial district. The buildings housing the restaurants and businesses couldn’t have been more charming. The parts of the downtown area that were not big hotel or bank towers looked like the street in the photo below. We found a shady spot on a brewery patio and watched the world go by.

Canal Lachine

The next day, we decided to head over to le Marché Atwater, a big public market in the city near the Canal Lachine. The canal was created so that ships could avoid the rapids on the Saint Lawrence river, and has several locks along its span. We planned to visit the market for lunch and then catch a boat tour on the canal that would take us back into the Old Port area.

We booked our tickets online before leaving for the metro station. As were were headed out the door of the B&B, we got a call from the tour company. Luckily, I actually answered my phone. Who would be calling us? Turns out they had to cancel our reservation due to maintenance on the canal locks. Really? Amazing timing. The one time we actually had a plan for the day.

We decided to visit the market anyway. We enjoyed wandering through the shops and then had lunch at one of the local vendors. The only downside to the experience was our reality of being travelers in a public market. There were so many wonderful things but not place to store or cook anything. It was especially hard when we encountered uniquely French offerings like these confit duck legs.

After lunch, we wandered over to Canal Lachine for a stroll along the walking path so we could see what we were missing from our boat tour that was cancelled. We decided to at least explore the canal via land if not on the water. As we approached, we were happy to discover there were still water adventures to be had. People were renting every type of watercraft imaginable from a local shop and enjoying the canal waters.

As silly as the whole scene was, it was hot and we had nothing else better to do. We did not rent a swan (just couldn’t go there), but we did opt for a two-person electric boat with a shade cover and ventured out on the canal.

The canal runs through a former industrial district where the old factory buildings have been converted into apartments and condos. The good people of Montreal were out en masse walking, jogging, and biking along the river’s foot path. We had no idea how ridiculously slow our little boat would be before we rented it. Once on the water, we discovered we could have kick paddled faster. It was a funny scene getting passed by paddle boarders and ducks. One of the more interesting sights along the canal is also somewhat of an iconic Montreal landmark. A control shack at the top of one of the grain silos was at some point painted to look like a little cottage. The little pink house is visible on the skyline across the city.

We had a very fun afternoon, and our market and boating adventure was a good introduction into what life is like it Montreal for the locals.

Montreal Botanical Garden

Montreal boasts the third largest botanical garden in the world, so we had to visit. Again, it was just a short train ride away from our B&B. The Metro stop for the garden is actually at the Olympic Stadium, which is quite a sight. The stadium has an huge arm hanging over it that apparently operates the retractable roof. The Montreal Alouettes of the CFL (yes, as in the traditional French song about pulling feathers off the bird) played here as well as the Montreal Expos who are now the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. (Thanks to the Expos for letting Larry Walker get away when Colorado got the expansion Rockies. He was fun to watch!) The stadium has apparently been somewhat of a money pit and hasn’t hosted a major professional sports tenant since 2004. Regardless of its history, it is quite a spectacle visible from many neighborhoods across Montreal.

The Montreal Botanical Garden is just a short walk up the hill from the stadium, but it seemed endless in the heat of the day. Cities across the world where experiencing 90+ degree days, and Montreal was no exception. It was a perfect day to venture into the gardens to beat the heat. The first gardens we encountered upon entering were the display gardens featuring both floral and vegetable annuals. We were surprised at how impressive the simple lettuce garden actually was. We couldn’t understand how the lettuce wasn’t bolting in the heat.

There were also some very colorful displays of annuals that were a joy to wander through. Everything was at peak bloom.

These areas, of course, were the temporary seasonal display gardens. The permanent collections were also very well done in this expansive garden. Perhaps the most impactful and impressive was the Chinese Garden. The Chinese Garden is actually very similar to the one in Portland, with a traditional gate house and tea room leading onto a pond with a pagoda. During our visit, the main feature was a series of creatures both real and mythical formed out of kite material floating in the pond.

The nylon sculptures were really quite intricate and frankly amazing. One of our favorite pictures is of a tiger behind a group of cranes. Not sure if it was intentional, but it sure looks like the tiger is after a bit of a snack.

One of the areas we enjoyed the most was actually one of the most natural. The gardens have an expansive arboretum and natural area with large tree-lined ponds. We spent a welcome respite on a bench looking out across the pond lillies in the shade.

We spotted a couple of frogs before we moved onto another pond area with a more manicured and distinctly different landscape.

The contrast of the natural and the manicured was carried out throughout the gardens. There was also a reflecting pond near the annual display gardens that had a non-natural charm of its own.

As we wandered out of the natural areas wondering where we could stop for refreshments and a bite to eat, we happened upon a most unusual seasonal exhibit. It was quite the Steampunk-style display full of busy actors in Ghostbuster-type jumpsuits apparently going about some very important business, as this was a plant-powered flying machine. Obviously.

The machine hosts a crew of scientists doing “serious” research. It was an amazing structure and stage show for a botanic garden art project.

Among the displays was a garden where a very complex machine read books to the plants to encourage growth. You can read all about it on the garden’s website.

Shifting from the whimsical to the traditional, we’ll end our visit to the Montreal Botanical Garden with another impressive exhibit–the garden also contains a bonsai exhibit in the Japanese garden that is a must see. Many may not know that the Pacific Northwest boast a rather impressive collection of bonsai trees at the Pacific Bonsai Museum. It is an amazing collection, and we were surprised and delighted to see one its equal in Montreal. These trees are amazing examples of lifetime dedication to perfecting the art of plant sculpting, and this collection actually features a miniature tree that was 275 years old. We’ll just let that number sit there and show you the picture as we wrap up our visit to the gardens.

Parc du Mont-Royal

One of Montreal’s most prominent geographical features is the seemingly out of place mountain (you do not, apparently, call it a hill) that divides the city in half. Parc du Mont-Royal was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the famous landscape architect who designed, among other gardens around the world, New York’s Central Park (and for those of you local to Seattle, the Washington Park Arboretum.) The park features several areas including a pond and an impressive observation deck with amazing views of Montreal.

The viewing area also has an equally impressive chalet that houses a cafe and gift shop and general hanging out area for enjoying the views. If you have the means, you can also rent it out for special events.

One of the most endearing features on the Montreal skyline is a massive mural we first encountered dining out in the city center. Montreal is proud of the legacy of native Leonard Cohen. So much so that the city dedicated a massive mural in his honor on the anniversary of his death. The portrait is visible across most of the city and prominently from the top of Mont Royal.

Of course, we also visited the spectacular Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and many fine breweries across the city. However, standing at the top of a mountain looking down on the city of Montreal seems to be an appropriate way to end this post. We had a great time in Montreal and enjoyed everything about the city. We had wonderful food, beer, and just generally felt welcome wandering around the streets. It is huge city and there was so much to see that we didn’t get to in our five days there. I’m sure another visit is in our future.