Quebec City and Montreal
Last time I visited here was 23 years ago. That was before the world had gone digital, and I had to make actual phone calls to reserve hotel rooms! Our BnB in Montreal was some young (probably college kid) who dropped off a loaf of bread, jam and some eggs for our 'breakfast portion' of the B in b and b. The ultimate prototype to Airbnb that we still laugh about today. Then, we stayed in a hotel near to everything, because we were too poor to keep taking taxis. Now, Uber, etc keeps our options open. Of course, in Old Quebec, everything looked pretty much the same, I just don't remember all the people/crowds. Or maybe the crowds just bother me more, hard to say.
We decided on a food tour this time around. True to the stereotype, Canadians really do love their maple syrup. Our tour had a lot of cultural history thrown in, which was interesting, with the people also staying true to their French heritage. French language first, then English. It had been a while since I went to Canada, I've forgotten how nice Canadians can be. Really nice, until they get behind the wheel of a car. We did have some fast moving Uber rides! Also, one thing to note, large cars are few in City, we were a party of five that sometimes had to take two cars to get where we wanted to go.
The picture above is the famed Chateau Frontenac. We took a ferry to Levis specifically to get this view at sunset. Also a cultural learning point for us was that pubs do not allow children under 18 inside after 8pm. So much for having a beer along the river waiting for the next ferry.
Off to Montreal to stay at a fantastic air bnb house at the edge of Mile End. It's not super close to downtown Montreal, but was a blessing in disguise. What a neat neighborhood within walking distance of so much. Montreal is extremely spread out, and we did see more of it by renting City Bikes for 24 hours. We did get to sample poutine, THE Canadian dish to try. We were told that La Banquise is THE place to go to get poutine. Go hungry, that's for sure.
We spent lots of time walking, as we were also close to Mt Royal and McGill University. We spent a day at Old Montreal, and discovered too late there is a (large) downloadable app that functions as a self walking tour. Bummer. The crowds though! It dose thin out at night, and it is nicely lit up, so I would recommend that time if the weather cooperates. Speaking of which, the temp fluctuated a lot in June. Cold to warm and humid.
I enjoy visiting Quebec City for sure. Don't think I'd happily be able to live through the winters. Montreal is lovely. I think I could live there, not sure about the winters.
(Forgive the lack of appropriate accents..still working on adding that feature)
