transient travels

Last Friday afternoon Lisa, Bryce and I left for Montreal from Boston, while our friend Caitlin boarded a plane in New York to meet us that night. Our timing was perfect and we were able to swing by the airport to pick her up on the way to the hotel. We settled in and set out for dinner, skipping over a tapas restaurant that evidently ran out of food (that’s another story for another post), ate dinner at a local brewery and then headed to bed so we could get an early start on Saturday.

I knew the temperature in Boston would be in the eighties on Saturday, but I assumed it would at least be a bit chillier up in Montreal- it wasn’t. The weather was beautiful and yes, I got my first sunburn since last May, though it wasn’t quite as bad.

Our first stop after breakfast was the Notre Dame Basilica,which was greeted with many tourists. They advertised a light and sound show that looked very cool, but in our short stay it didn’t fit into our schedule.

Besides, it was amazing to be outside and enjoy the weather…

Inside, it is the most colorful Church I have ever seen, but it was difficult to capture a photo that would do it justice because it was very dark. Let’s just say those blues are breathtaking and the intricate details in every corner will have you staring for hours.

We walked through Old Port along the Saint Lawrence River, passing by the Montreal Clock Tower. It is also referred to as the Sailor’s Memorial Clock and serves as a memorial to the Canadian Soldiers who died in the First World War.

From here we walked to Old Montreal, whose oldest buildings date back to the 1600s, making it one of the oldest and best preserved cities in North America. The streets are cobble stone, there is a pub on almost every corner and a string of boutiques in between.

We grabbed something to eat and then wandered over to Square Victoria, which had a really cool demonstration of personified plastic bags…

That made a big statement.

We made it back to our hotel, after a long search for some ice cream, rested up and then made reservations at the popular tapas restaurant which would preface our experience of Montreal’s night life.

I still can’t believe all that we accomplished just that day.