In early August, I drove five hours north to Montreal with my husband for a mini vacation. For three days we meandered through neighborhoods, ate incredible food and spoke French with an American accent while accidentally using Spanish words (that was the wine working its magic). Without question the biggest highlight was having time together away from our children. Love them as we do, Randy and I actually had a conversation that lasted longer than 30 seconds! Quality time aside, discovering Montreal was invigorating and all together inspiring. Here are the highlights:
LODGING. We stayed at Casa Bianca, a simple, understated bed and breakfast perfectly located on Mont Royal Park. One of our first adventures was biking up to the top of Mont Royal to see a panoramic view of the city—breathtaking and a great way to get your bearings (see pic below). Montreal is bike friendly: take a tour or just rent bikes and follow your nose, which is what we did.
(image: Randy and me at the top of Mont Royal Park)
FOOD. I have never seen so many restaurants in one city! The options are endless and it’s not an exaggeration to say that every meal was delicious. Our most memorable dinner was at La Bremner in old Montreal. The setting—a covered porch alongside a quiet alley—was memorable and our meals were scrumptious, not to mention the friendly, warm service. Our yummiest lunch was at Mandy’s (Avenue Laurier West location). Their hearty salads are creative and surprisingly satisfying after a long morning of meandering. Needless to say, we did not go hungry.
(image: dinner on Avenue du Mont Royal East)
MURALS. Walking around Montreal we noticed the many murals painted on random buildings, even parking garages! We stumbled upon a handful of them as we roamed between neighborhoods; it was inspiring to see so much public art and fun to turn a corner and see such enormous bursts of color. Through our innkeepers we learned that Montreal hosts an annual mural festival every summer. Definitely a good reason to go back.
(image: one of the many fantastic murals throughout the city)
Other adventures included an afternoon at the Rogers Cup, our trip to the Botanical Garden (where I snapped the shot of the roaming I Get Around card), and our Habitat 67 spotting. Fun times, Montreal. Merci beaucoup!