July 21 - 22 Montreal

Lac  Temiscouta, Quebec 2017

The bulk of July 21 was spent making the drive from Fredericton to Montreal. There are limited roads through this area, and as a result, this was the only leg of the trip that was a duplication of the way there. We had contemplated going through Maine instead, but we would have had to remain on secondary highways versus the new divided highway in New Brunswick. Since neither route was particularly scenic, we chose the faster road. With clear highways, and stops only for food and gas, we made excellent time and were outside of Quebec City by mid-afternoon.


Our only planned stop was at Lévis Forts National Historic Site. As we drove through the city of Lévis to the Fort, dark storm clouds were quickly gathering overhead. Thunder cracked as we dug through the trunk for our rain jackets, and Jason wisely decided it was not an appropriate time to visit the site. Within literal seconds of getting back in the car, there was a torrential downpour. We missed the Fort but had adverted a thorough soaking.

From there it was straight driving to Montreal where the rainstorm once again caught up with us. Driving through Montreal on a Friday during rush hour and in a deluge was nerve-wracking (and relationship testing), but we made it to our hotel without incident and with plenty of time to enjoy an evening in the city.

Le Mount Stephen Hotel, 2017

Our night started with a fantastic dinner at Deville Dinebar - amazing food, great service, giant milkshakes for the kids. The milkshakes apparently did the kids in - after a short walk around downtown, they were ready to head back to the hotel and watch a movie. Jay and I, of course, took this opportunity to have a little adult time.

We made our way to Bar George at Le Hotel Mount Stephen. A trendy cocktail bar would have been allure enough, but the fact that this one was located in a National Historic Site made it irresistible. Located in the Golden Square Mile (the once neighborhood of extravagant homes belonging to Montreal's anglophone elite), Le Hotel Mount Stephen was the former home of Lord George Stephen and later the Mount Stephen Gentlemen's Club. Aside from a few notable additions such as a front desk and bar, walking into Bar George truly feels like you are stepping through time into the 19th-century drawing room of an opulent mansion.

Montreal Biodome, 2017

After a breakfast of - what else? - Montreal bagels and coffee, we kicked off our only full day in Montreal by heading to Space for Life. Space for Life comprises four attractions - the Biodome, Insectarium, Botanical Gardens and Planetarium. We decided to visit the first three.

The Olympic velodrome was repurposed to house five ecosystems including over 4,500 animals from around 220 different species and 500 plant species. The rainforest exhibit was the most immersive, and the kids (okay, and one of the adults too) had fun trying to locate colourful birds, monkeys, and sloths in the forest canopy. While the rest of the exhibits were also well-done, they had a much more zoo-like feel.

Montreal  Botanical Garden, 2017

The Insectarium was interesting, but certainly not for the squeamish. I personally, was most excited about the Botanical Gardens and had assumed that I would be dragging the rest of the family through it kicking and screaming. As it turned out, we all enjoyed it.

There was, of course, the prerequisite collections of plants and displays of landscaping for the gardening enthusiast (me). But there was also plenty of space to run around, including an obstacle park, and interesting things to explore for the kids. It also helped that the main display was an echinacea bred for Canada's 150th that attracted masses of butterflies and bees. One of the most interesting things that intrigued us all was Monumental Dougherty -  a series of maze-like sculptures intricately woven from willow branches. 

Monumental Dougherty, 2017

We ended spending a large portion of the day at Space for Life, and it was late afternoon by the time we made it back downtown. We had early dinner of Montreal Smoked Meat, and with belly's full decided to go for a little walk. Six hours and eighteen kilometers later, our walk, which was completely unplanned, took us through the most quintessential Montreal experience.

Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, 2017

We started in the downtown; taking in sites such as the Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde - its grand architecture juxtaposed against modern high-rise buildings; before heading to the Vieux-Port de Montreal. Although it was early, Saturday night was in full swing in the Old Port, and the cobblestone streets were teeming with tourists and restaurant-goers. In addition to the regular attractions, there was a food truck festival and Cirque-du-Soleil set up on the waterfront.

There was so much going on, it became overstimulating, and we decided to detour to some quieter streets and head back to the hotel. A few blocks later, we found ourselves in China town walking through a bustling night market. After several blocks surrounded by the aromas of Asian cooking and the sounds of bartering in Asian languages, we exited the night market only to find ourselves in the middle of a Caribbean festival. As we wandered through the festival, the booths transitioned from Jamaican patties to carnival games. We had now entered Just for Laughs. After letting the boys play a few games, we finally headed back to our hotel. Just as we were collapsing on our beds, we could hear loud banging outside - it was the Montreal International Fireworks Festival.

I'll admit that we found the attitude of Montrealers a bit "superior", but after a night like that it’s hard to fault them.