Our first stop was the cultural hub of Montreal. First off – what a beautiful city! Montreal is a mix of old and new, and is filled with both corporate influences and a younger college feel so the people appear to always be on the go, except when they’re eating or drinking. The first place we noticed this crazy rush was on the streets! We can safely say that Montreal has some of the most aggressive drivers and pedestrians in the country. Couple that with the French street signs, the winding roads, tangles of highways into and out of the city, and you begin to fear for your life every time you start the car. Hazen set aside his normally courteous driving attitude and quickly began to lean on the horn like the rest of the motorists. Our savings grace was the lovely people who saw the confused looks on our faces while trying to figure out things like where we were and how to read the parking meters and came to our rescue with translations and friendly advice.
Montreal was an exciting city for us for reasons other than previously stated. Before leaving Victoria we had gathered all the loose change we had been collecting in jars and counted it up, agreeing that the sum was to be spent on a night out on the town in Montreal. We spent our first day doing a hike up the beautiful Mont Royal, followed by cleaning up at a hotel and then out for dinner at Gibby’s Steak House, an amazing restaurant set in an equally amazing 200 year old building in old Montreal. Some of the wooden beams were so low that Hazen had to duck to avoid supplementing his projected hangover with a throbbing goose egg – luckily neither came to fruition. We followed Gibby’s with drinks on a patio on a street of bars – one fondly reminding us of Victoria’s own Strathcona Hotel, where we met almost four years ago.
The following day we had a very exciting visit from one of Autumn’s best friends! Tara and her new baby boy, Noah, showed us around the cobblestone streets and famous eateries of old Montreal. For those who have been holding their breath since the intro to this post, breathe easy, Hazen began to enjoy the culinary delicacies he had been craving!
Tara invited us back to her new home in Mont Saint Sauveur to spend a few days with her, her Fiancé Matt and the beautiful Noah to get to explore the cute town and catch up. Hazen also got to check the authentic Queues de Castor off his culinary bucket-list.
A few days later, we reluctantly left Tara, Matt and Noah to head to Quebec City. We wandered around Vieux-Quebec, the walled part of the downtown core that is North America’s only fortified city, and marveled at the steadfastness of the several century old construction. We were happy to experience an authentic crepe with a glass of red wine while we sat in one of the oldest portions of the city. As we departed Quebec, we stopped off at the Plaines of Abraham and Battlefield Park, now a football and track field, but once the site of a battle that was pivotal to the formation of what is now Canada. Quebec is rich in heritage and culture and we supremely enjoyed the food, wine, sights and people – even if it is sometimes a bit difficult to order off a menu! If you’re ever stuck in a small town in Quebec and you’re starving, just say “je veux prendre” **point to item while brutally sounding it out** and follow it with “s’il vous plait” and a smile.
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