I've been bitten by the travel bug again and this time Canada was calling my name. All it took was a phonecall from my girl at 2 am with "hey you wanna visit Montreal?" Hell yes!
For anyone who's been to Canada from New York the ride up to Montreal is about 8 hours without stopping. Of course that's not including passing through customs which is a pain in the butt and can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour if they really want to question you. You get asked basic questions by a, not so nice officer, and once you're done you're set free into this beautiful country. Passport a must.
Montreal, Quebec is made up of about 95% Quebecers that speak French and here I was with my French translator phone app trying to figure out the language. We managed to get by with the basics.
We stayed at the Sheraton mostly because it was near downtown, Montreal and had TWO pools. As soon as we got to the hotel we were already on our way downtown.
Montreal is a beautiful city indeed. The food, the culture, the language, everything was just a very European vibe. A vibe of New York meets France. I made sure to try a croissant as well!
I wanted to check out the Notre- Dame Basilica first. Growing up Catholic my whole life it was something important for me to see and i'm glad I got the opportunity to do so. Located in Old, Montreal, the Basilica is just a sight for sore eyes. Absolutely breathtaking!
It is the most famous church in Montreal and known for A-list weddings, such as, Celine Dion's. Once you've made it inside you are taken back by it's beauty. If you're not a person who appreciates beauty you'll definitely have a change of heart. Just Beautiful!
It is the most famous church in Montreal and known for A-list weddings, such as, Celine Dion's. Once you've made it inside you are taken back by it's beauty. If you're not a person who appreciates beauty you'll definitely have a change of heart. Just Beautiful!
We did a little sightseeing on this trip, mostly in Old and downtown, Montreal only because those are the main spots to visit in Quebec.
We made sure to fit in some partying while we were there as well. We heard downtown, Montreal was the place to do it so we headed to Velvet. If you like house music this is where to go. I liked the dungeon, monk-ish, dark feel to this place. We had an awesome time and, as usual, ran into some friends that I know while there. That always happens to me! haha..
We partied our asses off way into the wee hours of the am. Pourquoi pas?! (why not!)
We partied our asses off way into the wee hours of the am. Pourquoi pas?! (why not!)
Since we were only there for a few days we wanted to fit everything into our schedule. Our second day there we headed for our nature fix to the botanical gardens like the true nerds that we are :)
On our way back we took the metro. I wanted to see their version of our MTA. What a difference that was. Their metro system is a lot cleaner than NYC and overall just better service. Get it together New York!
I always like to end my blogs on a positive note because writing is therapy for me, but i'm always honest about the places I visit because I assume someone reading this will want to, maybe, one day visit themselves. My overall experience in Canada was a positive one although I must add that the French are not as friendly as I imagined. Other than that Montreal is a beautiful city, with beautiful people and beautiful food LOL. I definitely enjoyed myself. Next time I visit Canada i'll head for the Falls. Keep you posted ;) Thanks for the read and travel people! Always make time for travel <3