Summary
We caught an early train to Montreal. So civilized with a business class lounge for check-in and waiting plus breakfast served at our seats. We dropped our bags at our hotel and headed out to a restaurant that specializes in poutine (30 variations). We took an Uber to the top of Mount Royal for the view then spent the rest of the afternoon noon wandering around the Old Port and the picturesque area around the Place Saint-Jacques. After cocktails we saw an amazing Sound and Light show called Aura at Norte-Dame basilica. Dinner was fondue and crepes.
Details
Today we leave Quebec but we don’t leave Quebec, it’s all pretty confusing. We’re leaving Quebec City, Quebec and taking a train south, parallel to the Saint Lawrence River, to Montreal, Quebec. It’ll still be Quebec. It’ll still be French. It’ll still be fun.
We’re up and out before the breakfast opens at the hotel. We do get two cookies as a thank you from the hotel for our four nights there. The first night we were there they sent us an email saying the A/C’s not working properly. The last day we’re there they say they’re still working on it. Sigh. I’m toying with the idea of asking for some sort of a discount on a future stay.
The train station is only a fifteen minute walk from here but we have a lot of luggage so we hire an Uber. The station is quiet and clean and (in the tradition of good European train stations) looks a bit palatial. We wait our turn to check in as they check the papers and luggage weight and dimensions of the couple ahead of us. When we step up we’re told “Oh, you’re in Business Plus!… your lounge and check in are over there!”
And quite the lounge it is, with cushy chairs and a fancy coffee machine. I offer my passport and luggage for inspection and the reaction seems to be “Oh, no, this is the Business Plus lounge, we trust you… no need for those things.” We get to board the train early, so it’s not chaos. On board it is very comfortable with tables that get bigger and smaller, power, WiFi, big bathrooms, very nice. It makes me want to see where else in Canada one can ride a train!
Beverage service comes through a couple of times and we have coffee in ceramic mugs. Breakfast is included in our fare and it’s generous, tasty and healthy. The ride is smooth and the views are very pastoral (likely for 2nd class travelers, too). We stop a few times before we get Montreal where we roll off. Out of the station we catch an Uber to our hotel. I wish I kept a list of all our Uber driver names. They’re all Mustafa something or Muhamed something or some strange East African first name with which I’m not familiar. They’re all nice and happy to chat. It’s funny being an American speaking French to someone from Eastern Europe, such a world.
Our rooms aren’t ready yet but they store our bags, give us our keys and room assignments and we’re good to come back after three. Down the street we duck into La Banquaise for lunch. The place, it turns out, is an institution and they have lots of stuff, but their main claim to fame is Poutine. They boast more than thirty different kinds, some of which sound intriguing, others not so much. We’re seated outdoors in a central patio (“there’s no alcohol service allowed out here, is that OK?”). We’re under a red lexan plastic cover which colors everything from the menus to the food. We guys get the plates of poutine (medium, as the large size is obscene).
Done, we head back out, past the long line of people waiting to get in. A big comfortable Uber picks us up to go to the top of the Royal Mountain, after which Montreal gets its name. We screw up on where we want to go and have to fix it on the fly. Where we end up we find you really only want to be for a few minutes (snapping a quick picture) before moving on). We add a third destination to our Uber ride and eventually are back on the flats, down near the Saint Lawrence River. We thank our driver and let him have his car back.
The dockside was very industrial for years but now it’s nice and touristy. Big informational panels show what things were like back in the day, or after a big flood, etc. and admonishes us to “keep an eye out for…” to see signs of days gone by. The end of our walk, unintentionally, is a big ferris wheel and big Cirque du Soleil tents. There’s a midway, bouncy houses, vendors, and a high ropes course where people are weaving their way along way overhead.
A few streets over we continue our walk and eventually get to Place Saint Jacques. So many tourists and business designed for them. Drinks and then off to the Norte Dame of Montreal. We have tickets for a light and music show. The cathedral hold a mass of people (you see what I did there?) and it’s quite full. We arrive a few minutes before the show and the place is dark. It’s hard to find your way to an open pew.
Once seated our eyes start to adjust and eventually the show begins. It’s very impressive and inspiring. Do I want to convert to Catholicism? Their light shows are pretty good. They use spot lights, and back lights behind JC and other prominent church figures. They use projectors to make it look like the ceiling is glass and there’s blowing leaves overhead or a violent rain storm or a flood. There are lasers and and and. Upon exiting we all agree it was a most enjoyable show. A Disney E ticket ride and we’d do it again.
For dinner we pick a place called Crepe Suzettes at random and are lead up to the second floor. It’s a huge room with lots of tables but only one occupied. It’s a three generational family with the grandparents and a couple of two year olds. Granddad is chasing them around and everyone’s screaming. It’s dreadful. Thankfully they eventually leave and the food is quite good. We over order and then have dessert to top things off. We promise to do better tomorrow.
Photos
