Visit to Montreal

2 - 3 July 2008

After the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, I decided to move on to Montreal, which is about 2.5 hours drive from Ottawa. First thing to settle upon arrival was my accomodation for the night. Managed to find something that was near to the old town.

It was the Montreal Jazz Festival during that week. Happened to make a new Italian friend at the hostel, and so we went out for dinner and crashed the jazz festival. We managed to catch the last song at around midnight, before it was closed for the night...


Montreal Old Town: The oldest part of the city is a warren of crooked cobblestone lanes flanked by colonian stone houses filled with intimate restaurants, art galleries and boutiques.

The old town is one of the more interesting places, which also reminds me of the European atmosphere, however, with a touch of modern finish and slight 'orderliness'.

The 2nd day was greeted with a full day's of clouds and rain. As I combed through the pathways of the old town in the drizzle in search of a nice cozy place for me to hang around till the rain stopped, I found this corner cafe 'Olive + Gourmando'. Though a small little cafe, it has such character! Fresh, warm pastries lined along the bakery counter, little pots of plants decorated the window ledges, smell of the expresso infused the room, warm cool lightings keep the room dim but cozy, and a collection of paper lanterns hang from the ceiling, random paintings on the wall added a sense of subtlety and creativity to the entire layout, and not forgeting the little light music running in the background. Very interesting...

My breakfast was done in the cafe. I ordered for a bowl of granuola with fruits and yoghurt, a croissant and a cup of latte. Everything is home-made in the cafe, from the pastries to the butter to the apricot jam...and even home-grown plants such as mint, basil, tomatoes...



Looking mightily majestic with its green copper roof, the Hotel de Ville towers above the Jacques Cartier's Square. It is modeled after the city hall of Tours in France, which represents the city's 19th-century wealth and confidence.


Notre-Dame Basilica: Montreal's famous landmark, built in 1829, with gilded sculptures and stained-glass windows.

Just opposite the church lurks the Bank of Montreal, which is the head office of Canada's oldest bank, founded in 1817.

Can't remember where is this street, maybe it is St. Laurent, where it is lined with nice hippy restaurants and little boutiques...should be a happening place to go to at the evenings... *correction* this street is St. Denis :)

In fact, I did not explore Montreal too much, maybe it was because of the rain, and also my stay was pretty short. Frankly, I preferred the more scenic Ottawa than Montreal. Beside the Montreal old town, there is basically nothing much to see in Montreal. Maybe the night life is great, but too bad, I don't have friends there to go clubbing with. On the way back, there was a dramatic commotion between this gypsy woman, the driver and the passenger; in the end the woman was taken away by the police...sigh...

Overall, I made this conclusion, correct me if I am wrong, the best highlight of Canada is about its awesome landscapes and natural beauty such as seas, lakes, mountains, glaciers, northern lights etc; other than these, because it is a modern young country, there is limited culture, history and architecture here, unlike Europe which has a rich and grand history...So I will enjoy Canada as to what it can offer: the amazing mother nature and the exciting outdoor experience! :)