Canada: Montreal

I stopped by Montreal on the way back from Halifax and spent most of my short days there with my cousin Ricky, who was there for a business trip. Because of Ricky, I got hooked up with a nice hotel which was greatly appreciated because 24 hours on a train can make you feel really gross.

Oh, maybe I didn’t tell you that there are no showers in economy class Via Rail. I will depend on wet wipes when I go on the 4-day trip to Vancouver as part of my Canada150 train trip.

What are some of the foods I ate in Montreal? Well I did have some mean poutine with my train family on the way to Halifax. Ricky also brought me to his favourite Montreal smoked meat restaurant, Reuben’s Deli & Steakhouse.

Montreal was a very elegant city. The buildings still had an “old” style to them instead of the modern glass buildings you would mostly see in Vancouver. All the stores and buildings were in French too.

I went to take some photos of the Notre-Dame Basilica. They have a light show in the evening too if you are able to make it.

My timing must have worked out well because there happened to be an international jazz festival in Montreal during the days I was there. Ricky and I watched some performances in the city square and enjoyed drinks on rooftop bars.

Montreal was a stylish city to me. Everyone was always dressed nicely, even on weekends. In Vancouver, we have a reputation of being the “worst dressed” and after Europe, I only began to realize that in other parts of the world, leggings are not pants. It was similar in Toronto and Montreal – nobody really wore leggings within a 2 mile radius to me.

I would say the people weren’t the friendliest, compared to the average friendliness of a Canadian. It may be because they speak French and they think they’re better than the rest of us (lol idk).

Sincerely, Loewe