It was evening when I arrived in Montréal. I hopped on the 747 bus line from the airport and it brought me to the downtown area where the hotel was located. This bus line is so damn convenient and it operates 24/7! Praise Jesus! As I’ve mentioned in other posts: I love travelling as cheap as possible and staying in places that are easy on the ol’ funds. So, for the first night, I stayed at Hôtel Park Avenue. It’s a decently cheap place, located in a part of Montréal that I wanted to explore. After checking in, and dropping off my backpack, it was time to find a local cafe and enjoy a much desired cuppa coffee.
But first, my friend and I hopped on a bus to visit St-Viateur Bagel, a famous hand-rolled bagel shop. The shop started in 1957 and has been baking bagels in traditional wood-stoves ever since. It’s also open 24hrs! We bought some bagels (to have for breakfast the next day) and then went back to hunting for a local cafe.
We decided to check out Pâtisserie Chez de Gaulle, a quaint internet cafe. We each ordered a coffee and a pain au chocolat (also called a chocolatine). There were so many treats that caught my eye, but I decided to try a chocolatine for the first time. I quickly realized that I would be having many more of these little delights during this adventure.
With the coffee cravings satisfied, we left the cafe and went to Cinéma du Parc to watch a film before bed. “Toni Erdmann” was showing, so we bought tickets and gave it a go. What a hilarious and brilliant film! Yes, it’s nearly 3 hours long, but the dynamic between the two main characters is so tender and moving.
The next morning I woke up early and my friend brought me a cuppa coffee from Pâtisserie La Ruche. After breakfast (bagels and coffee!), getting a shower, and dressing as warm as possible (Montréal is so cold in March), I grabbed my backpack and checked out of the hotel. It was time to find a graveyard!
We took a short bus ride and went to Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, which is the largest cemetery in Canada. It’s also the third largest in North America! Even though the sunshine was stunningly beautiful, it was absolutely freezing outside. Despite attempts to bundle-up, we were still struggling with the frigid air and wishing we were more prepared for how cold Montréal would be.
After our usual tradition of exploring cemeteries and taking photographs, we hopped back on the bus to visit Observatoire Belvédère Camilien-Houde. This look-out is located on top of Mount Royal Park and has a wonderful view of the city. We enjoyed the view, snapped a few photos, and waited for the next bus to come.
As we were waiting, an off-duty taxi driver stopped and asked us if we would like a free ride back down into the city area. Yes, please! We asked the driver about a local poutine shop, La Banquise, and if it was a nice place to have some lunch. He said it was the best poutine in the city and brought us right to the restaurant. We thanked him, gave a nice tip, and held back the urge to drool as we walked into the restaurant.
La Banquise was insanely crowded and busy, but, after devouring our own poutine (we both ordered the vegetarian option), we could see why. It was delicious! The cheese curds were nice and squishy, and the gravy was hot… mmm… poutine. After making our way through the crowded restaurant, we got on a bus to the next hotel for check-in.
Celebrities Hôtel was the hotel chosen for the second night. It’s reasonably priced, has beautifully designed rooms, and a fantastic staff. Most importantly, it was cheap! After taking some time to warm-up from the cold, my friend and I bundled up again and left the hotel to spend the evening wandering the streets of Montréal.
I love how Montréal is artsy and colourful. Almost every street we walked along had some sort of creative artwork waiting for us to admire. During our wanderings, we came into an area known as “The Village” (or Gay Village). This area of town turns into a party hub at night and many people enjoy the dance clubs and cafes here. My friend and I aren’t really party folk, but we sure do love coffee! So, we stopped into a Brazilian cafe called Padoca Pâtisserie Brésilienne. This place has legit Brazilian food! Besides the delicious coffee, we also tried the pastel (fried pastry filled with cheese), coxinha (fried dough filled with chicken), and for dessert we had brigadeiro cake (creamy, moist, chocolate heaven).
With huge smiles on our faces, we thanked the staff at Padoca Pâtisserie Brésilienne and left to continue wandering the streets of Montréal. It was pretty late by the time we made it back to the hotel, and our hands and feet were quite frozen from the chill of the night. However, changing into cozy pajamas and crawling into the warm bed was the most satisfying feeling.
Whoa Dana 