Montréal: October 22-25, 2021

Hello! It's been a while. Webster has been busy working, and of course golfing. I am busy with school and work - I am doing my Masters of International Business right now. We have had lots of visitors come stay with us and check out our new city.

We have missed blogging and wanted to share a quick post from our weekend away in Montréal.

On Friday, we arrived in Montréal and stayed at the centrally located Hotel St. Sulpice in Old Montréal. We didn't waste anytime and got out to explore the city. We walked through Old Montreal and into some shops. Then, we walked along the waterfront and past the exhibition grounds. It was neat to see the ferris wheel all lit up. That night, we celebrated our first post-COVID vacation with dinner at the Keg.

On Saturday, we started our day early with St-Viateur Bagels. St-Viateur Bagel has been baking its famous bagels for over 60 years and is the longest running bagel shop in Montréal. We arrived early enough to grab some breakfast with no line. We tried the rosemary and all dressed (everything) bagel. Although they weren't served with butter or cream cheese, we would highly recommend these bagels if you are in Montréal.

Our next stop was the Bell Centre to see where the Montréal Canadiens play. We walked around the stadium and posed with some of the statues.

For lunch, we made a trip out of the city centre to Orange Julep. Since the 1930’s Gibeau Orange Julep has quenched the thirst of Montrealers with its delicious one of a kind beverage. Orange Julep is famous for its' big orange structure and orange beverage made with oranges, milk, egg whites, and sugar. While we didn't love the orange drink, we did love the poutine ... and after trying four different poutines from the top ten list, we think Orange Julep is the best! We would highly recommend a stop at Orange Julep on your next trip to Montreal.

In the afternoon, we made our way to Mont Royal for a nice walk and a great lookout over the city. We were able to spot the sights we had seen earlier in the day from our vantage point and made the most of the beautiful weather. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking in the park near Mont Royal.

In the evening, we explored the Olympic Stadium grounds. The Olympic Stadium is the largest covered amphitheatre in Québec, with seating for 56,000 spectators in the stands and up to 60,000 when the floor is used. Since it was first opened in 1976, the Stadium has welcomed some 66 million visitors. The Stadium hosts a wide range of events from all over the world. Both amateur and professional sports events have been held here. This ideal amphitheatre has also played host to numerous salons, exhibits and shows—from monster truck rallies to rock concerts by the biggest names in music, soccer matches and baseball games. The Stadium has also been used many times as a movie set.

On Sunday, we woke up bright and early to head to the Jean-Talon Market. Situated in the heart of Little Italy, Jean Talon Market is one of the oldest public markets in Montréal. Inaugurated in May 1933, it was first called the Marché du Nord, but in 1983, its name was changed in honour of Jean Talon, the first intendant of New France. Village-like and family-friendly, it’s a place where generations of both merchants and customers have grown up. Jean Talon Market stands out with its many local fruit and vegetable growers, its diversity of small shopkeepers (butchers, bakers, fishmongers, grocers, etc.) and its restaurateurs, who are sure to whet your appetite when you visit. Webster and I got some maple syrup, some cheese curds, and some authentic Québec-style Christmas gifts.

In the early afternoon, we headed to Schwartz's Deli for lunch. Schwartz's is world famous for serving the best smoked meat. Their original recipe of spices has not changed since 1928. We shared a smoked meat sandwich and poutine.

Later in the day we headed to St.Catherine Street to do some shopping! We walked up and down the street into shops we don't have at home.

We finished our busy afternoon with a visit to Time Out Market Montréal. Downtown Montréal becomes the city’s center stage for the best in food, drink, arts and culture with Time Out Market Montréal as its heart. Located in the Centre Eaton de Montréal shopping mall, this expansive 40,000-square-foot food hall and cultural hub features food offerings hosted by some of the city’s top chefs and performance area for local talent. Together, Time Out Market Montréal is a daily celebration for locals and tourists to enjoy the best this city has to offer. We all tried something different: Webster had pho (a Vietnamese soup dish), Mom & Wayne has a Portuguese style poutine, and I had a coffee and sconut (scone and donut mix).

Later that night, we met up with an old friend, Tushita! I met Tushita while on a trip in Kenya in 2014! She is living and working in Montréal! It was great to catch up, get some bubble tea and walk around the city.

We had an early night before we left to drive home on Monday morning. On our way out of the city, we made a quick pit-stop at Fairmount Bagels. We enjoyed warm garlic bagels on our ride home!

We had a great weekend away after it feels like we haven't travelled in a while! We would recommend a weekend away in Montréal as a great first step to travelling post-COVID. Stay tuned as we have a few week long trips coming up - we will share our adventures and some photos here on the blog. Thanks for following along!