This summer we had the pleasure of going to Montreal which is the second most populated city in Canada after Toronto. It was originally named “Ville-Marie” after Mount Royal (the three peaked hill) in the center of the city. It’s located on the Island of Montreal which is an island between the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is the second most populated river island in the world after Zhongshan Dao in China. It is also known as the Hochelaga Archipelago or the Montreal Islands.
Old Montreal.
We didn’t expect to fall so in love with Montreal. We’ve been craving for nature trips and this was a city one. The food is amazing and the architecture is charming, we loved Old Montreal and the riverfront. We took the bus up which was rough, an 8 hour ride is a killer. Next time we will try the train and if you’ve been following me, you know I love trains. At least on the train we can move around more even though it’s 2 hours longer.
Notre Dame at night.
Public art on the building to the left behind the statue at Place d’Armes.
They had these video installations around the city, it was a nice touch.
We stayed at Hotel Bonaventure which is the top 3 floors in an office building. We got lost our first day searching for it. The building is modern and not our taste but the inside is really nice. We loved having a rooftop pool that was a great way to wind down every evening.
When we were in Victoria, Canada in May, our guide was telling us that Canada is an immigrant country so eat everything. Oh my god, she was so right, we ate Polish, French, Spanish, smoked meat (their Jewish deli food) and Chinese. We can’t wait to go back and just eat more.
We met up with my Parisian friends Magali & Aurelie for a day and two weeks later she came to NY.
We went to the biodome with my friends. It’s located in the Olympic Park and was built for the 1976 Olympic Games and was called the velodrome. It hosted judo and track cycling. Renovations from 1989-1992 allowed it to become the biodome and currently houses 4 habitats.
We love Canada!
Habitat 67, designed by Moshe Safdie an Israeli/Canadian architect. It was created for his master thesis at McGill University and built for the World’s Fair from April to October 1967. It’s across the port from Montreal.
Jebus Mews & Andrea 
When I was in Quebec I did not want to come home
We could move there. The food was so good. Wish it was closer. Can’t wait to go to Quebec one day.
A friend who visited Montreal back in the 90s said it was the closest you could be to a French city without leaving North America. I’d love to go someday, though from the West Coast I’d have to fly.
If you can manage an extra long trip in summer when visiting NY maybe. Don’t take the bus, it was killer. We loved it more than Paris, we couldn’t get into Paris – it’s a nice city but not for us. There should be plenty of veggie food options in Montreal.
Sounds it is a remarkable city for traveling! Your night pics are impressive!
Thanks! We didn’t use a tripod. Vic is pretty good at not shaking. I’m pretty good at shaking. Would have been a disaster if I stood there and took the shot.
Lol! Have a great Sunday!
Pleasant photos.
Thank You! Happy Holidays!
Thanks.
Loved reading this. Montreal is my favourite city in the world 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank You! It’s a great city. We’ll probably go back sometime next year. We couldn’t believe how much we loved it. If my husband’s office had and office there, we’d jump for it.
Thanks for this informative and fun post! Montreal is my absolute favourite city in Canada, maybe one of my most favourite in the whole world.
Thanks You! We didn’t expect to fall in love with Montreal. Great food, it’s pretty, etc.