Nos fuimos pa’ Montreal for a long romantic getaway, guys! Why Montreal? Because… it’s like going to Europe but closer. Because it’s friggin beautiful. Because it’s full of lovely Canadians, in my opinion the NICEST people I’ve ever met while traveling (more on that later). Montreal was calling to us because it seemed like the perfect place to pasiar… to stroll hand in hand. We weren’t wrong. Most importantly though, the kiddos were young and this was our first trip away from them. No brainer to stay close by. Otras razones to hit up Montreal include: different language, different foods, glorious architecture, natural beauty, AND an escape from the Florida summer heat. Montreal hit a high of a whole 75 degrees on the mid-August weekend we visited!! I think that covers all my whys. *She says with a smirk*.
We traveled by train up to Canada from NYC. Which sounded like una buena idea at first. How very European of us to travel by rail!?! Yea but, shit got real on our “lovely” train ride through the Adirondacks. Train broke all the way down. We were left stranded on some random tracks in NY for 5 hours with no food or air conditioning. Boo! Mad ain’t even the word. But eventually, I thought, ‘Nah forget it- Yo, Homes to Montreal!’ Ha!
We booked an Airbnb in the center of old town. Brilliant idea. BRILLIANTE TE DIGO! I used to be all about scrimping on lodging until this trip. This particular Airbnb was a total game changer. It’s location was everything (right in the center of Old Town on Saint-Laurent Blvd.). It allowed us to stroll morning, noon, and night along with the rest of the happy tourists . It saved us dinero on taxis and Ubers to get to restaurants, and it gave us the chance to be in the heart of the city’s action (we witnessed both a bike race and live street performances from our room window). Yup, game changer. From that day forward I vowed to stay right in the middle the city we wanted to explore…. unless the trip was about “getting away from it all”.
Old Town
So, we promptly discovered during our time in Montreal that there are actually 2 parts of the city: the old and new. We explored both and loved both equally. The thing is, they had totally different vibes. Completamente differente! One was older, more rustic, touristy, and European-feeling with perfectly manicured park spaces and piazzas. Lovely for eating al-fresco and strolling and being transported into another place and time. You might spot a horse and carriage, a beret, or a violin player on any given street. The other (New Town) was gritty, colorful, vibrant, and very real. Full of loud avant-garde art, mountain hiking trails, unabashed pot smokers, and trendy young people. Here, you might spot people walking their grocery carts, men in suits, raucous drum circles, rainbow Pride flags, or even a run down historic theatre. Like I said, both dope but for different reasons. I love the whole of Montreal.
New Town
Special highlights and observations:
1. The language barrier— My prior visit to a French-speaking country (France) was pesimo… lo PEOR! The Parisians were rude to us and pretty impatient with regards to their language. Montreal, on the other hand, felt hella chill. The French Canadians were overtly proud of us for trying to speak what little French we knew and quickly made communication accessible for us by switching to English if they thought we were struggling. And ya’ll, they did it with a smile. A friggin’ smile! It made me wanna try harder, while also making me fall in love with French Canadians in general.
2. The Food Scene— The food in Montreal is the shizz! The city is a total foodie destination, with yummy international faire ERRWHERE. Te digo, there are more restaurants than I knew what to do with. They are seemingly competing for who serves the best sustainable, ethically grown, farm-to-table bites. Everywhere I went, every bite I tasted, I screamed internally, “Que sabroso!” Veggie souffles, Arepas de Pabelon, Spanish tapas, French pastries, Poutine with bbq shredded pork, and even Morrocan Shakshouka for brunch. All of those dishes had me unbuttoning my pantalones and exhaling with a grin. Satisfied as all get out. No me juzguen, you’d do the same after such delicious food!
3. Best Way to Enjoy the City— You’ve gots to bike around Montreal. You just gotta! Especially if you go during the warmer months. Biking is a super easy way to navigate the city (both towns), crazy cheap if you use the Bixi city bikes, and totally pain-free because the city is equipped with clearly defined bike lanes. It’s just a really serene way to take in this fantastic city. There’s so much to see… so many lovely bike lanes through beautifully landscaped parks… it’d be a shame to miss out on all of that just because you got tired walking. Dale! Echale ganas!
4. Canadians Are The Best— Fight me. They are. That cliche about Canadians being too nice, its friggin’ true… every bit of it. I don’t know if I can pin-point why, except that the smiles are genuine, the “hellos” are sincere, and they’re REAL welcoming. One day at brunch, The Marido and I got seated next to another couple at Olive Et Gourmando. They looked over, clearly noticing our English, and scooted closer. After a few minutes, they asked our names and invited us for a drink. 2 hours later, we left that restaurant con unas sonrisas bien grande and some new amigos. We exchanged jokes, life stories, and crazy anecdotes. It was such a fab meet-cute. And the best thing, is that we found ourselves in that sort of situation often while in Montreal. Canadians man! The best!
5. My Favorite Moment— My favorite Montreal moment is prolly one of my favorite memories of my entire life. It was THAT good. I think about this experience often and just smile. Especially on bad days. We spent an afternoon hiking up to the top of Mont Royal. It’s this amazing mountain trail that leads up to one of the best overlooks of the entire city of Montreal. The hike is vicious, especially if you are wearing cute sandals instead of sneakers, but at the top you get a reward. The view from up there is next-level gorgeous. This particular day though, it was clear, sunny, and breezy… tourists and locals swarmed everywhere. People of all different nationalities, skin-colors, and cultures just soaking in the breath taking view on top of this mountain. Pretty dope. But that’s not all. There’s a funky, hand-painted piano that was plopped down in the middle of the overlook… just sitting there for anyone to play. And boy, did someone play that day. Some lady just put her hands on them there keys, and started playing John Lennon’s “Imagine”. MI CORAZON EXPLOTO! My heart just burst at that moment. People started turning around and singing along with her, some even danced. It was like everything was as it should be. All of us, so different, so much the same… enjoying the view and the music as one. I still smile when thinking about that moment.
Montreal is a beautiful city, in every aspect. It has so much to offer. It’s the kind of place you keep coming back to. And every time you do, you encounter something new that you didn’t notice before. I cant wait to go back. There’s still so much to see and do. But mainly I wanna return because, well, I miss it.
Con mucho carino,
Joana
