Zero Days: Montreal, QC

Date: Thursday, August 10, 2023 - Friday, August 11, 2023

This is another series of zero day posts, so it'll mostly be pictures and recaps.  We did lots of stuff, so there's plenty to cover!

Thursday

Emily was working, so Skipper and I planned to just explore and see the sights.  It started with Emily going to work and Skipper and I going in search of one of my favourite - if not the favourite - thing in the world: bagles.  If you're not in the know, Montreal is known for its bagels.  In fact there is a variety of bagel known as a Montreal Style Bagel!  Some people prefer New York Style Bagels...and I wonder what it must be like to be so wrong.  It's just a round piece of bread with a hole in the middle of it!

My prefered bagel shop has always been St.Viateur which is oddly located on St.Viateur street in Montreal.  Emily has taken to a shop called Fairmount Bagel which is also oddly located on Fairmount Street, and because I was curious I took Skipper there to test it out.  We grabbed a dozen bagels and cream cheese.  We then walked to a local park Emily had recommended and tucked right in!

With all respect to Emily...I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree.  At the very least we need a dozen from each place and I demand a test!

After eating a half dozen bagels (I had 4) we walked back to deposit the rest at Emily's and grab our bikes.  The sights along the way were so typically Montreal.

After getting back to Emily's apartment we dropped the bagels off and decided to grab our bikes to tour the town.  I'm ready to say Montreal has the best cycling infrastructure in Canada so far with Victoria in 2nd place and no one else really in contention for 3rd.  Seeing the town by bike is pretty easy.

Montreal - at least the area we were in - is completely overgrown.  People have let their yards go with vines, wild flowers, and tall grasses.  To many city people this might sound like a nightmare, but it was really spectacular.  There are so many flowers everywhere.  The city is teaming with life.  It was a wonderful change from the sterile spaces that most cities not only encourage, but also enforce.  I didn't grab any pictures of it, but I assure you that I talked about it at length with Skipper and Emily.

Skipper and I biked through the Mile-End and Plateau neighbourhoods until we reached the base of Mont Royal on the eastern slope.  A massive monument at this place celebrates Sir George-Étienne Cartier, one of the Fathers of Confederation.  It was here that Skipper started to recognize the surroundings and formulated an idea.  He'd seen this place in broadcasts of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and decided it would be worth cycling the route that the race takes.  I agreed, and so we started off...

What I didn't appreciate was what cycle racing is like.  This race does a 12.3km loop a total of 18 times (we only did one lap) but it climbs a total of 269 meters each lap.  That wouldn't be much if it were spread out, but it's in three intense little climbs.  Over the 18 laps the racers climb a total of 4842 meters, or 4.8 kilometers.

We began with a climb of almost 140 meters over 2 kilometers up Mont Royal.

We pedaled as other people in full racing kit and riding lightweight racing bikes pedaled past us.  They were practicing.  My touring bike was not built for this.  Also, after 7000km of long distance cycling...I was not built for this.  Skipper shouted "Allez allez allez!" as one cyclist passed us.  The guy laughed out loud at the encouragement, clearly aware this was the race course!

We reached the top of Mont Royal after some minutes and turned off towards a lookout that overlooks the downtown of Montreal.  The moment I stopped biking I started melting down.  The air moving over you as you cycle helps regulate heat, but the moment you stop you just overheat.  I was sweating so much that I couldn't see anything.  My eyes were innundated with stinging sweat and my hands and arms were too wet to wipe it away.  Here's a picture of us overlooking the city.  I can barely see anything in this picture!

Jeremy Waxes Nostalgic

In the 11th grade I'd skipped my own grad (Quebec high school goes to grade 11) to come to a graduation ceremony and party in Montreal for another school.  I was the "date" (I don't know a better word for this) of a friend who went to a Montreal school.  I wore a suit that was too big for me.  My hands had had warts and my mother had taken me to a doctor to have them "burned" off with liquid nitrogen, but too close to the event and - as a result - my hands were covered in large purple blisters and bandages.  The car my dad drove me in was experiencing radiator problems, so we had to turn the heat on in the car as we drove to try to cool the engine.  It was already 30+ degrees outside and hot air blasted out of the vents.  When I arrived I was well done, a sweaty mess, and dehydrated.  We were also late.

I have no idea why she didn't take one look at me and run, but one of the first places we went as part of the evening's events was the lookout on Mont Royal to take pictures.  That weekend was one of the few I can remember being truly happy.  Standing at that place once more, I looked around - once again a sweaty mess from the bike ride up - and remembered the last time I was here and her.  I wondered if she ever comes back here and thinks of the same thing.

Skipper and I jumped back on the bikes and got back on track for the race course.  We went downhill finally and cruised along into the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood.  There we turned and started back uphill towards the Université de Montréal.  This meant another seriously sharp but shorter climb.

From here it was downhill again through various neighbourhoods on the edge of Mont Royal.  There was one more short but intense climb and then we were back where we started.  I hadn't been prepared for it, but it was a beautiful tour of parts of Montreal!

At this point Skipper and I were - deservedly - feeling hungry!  We weren't far from another Montreal institution, and so we biked over to St. Laurent Boulevard to Schwartz's Deli.  This is one of Montreal's oldest delis and a landmark in the city.  When in Montreal you get bagels and smoked meat.  We were going to check that later off the list now!

Usually Schwartz's has a massive lineup in the summer at lunch time.  We arrived to find a suspiciously short line.  We waited maybe 5 minutes and were whisked inside for lunch!

When in Schwartz's you get the smoked meat sandwich.  The place has hardly changed since it was founded, and it's a tight little space where you sit at the same table as other customers.

It was bliss.  This place has resisted franchising, expanding, or diluting its product.  It's authentically Montreal.

Stuffed, we now biked into the Quartier Des Spectacles - a cultural district in Montreal - to check out the festivals that were on.  From there we biked to The Old Port of Montreal, an area with original buildings from the time Montreal was settled.  It still has narrow, cobblestone streets and stone buildings.  We largely skipped that part and opted to head towards the water where bike paths and pedestrianized parks looked out over the river.

We then biked West along the waterfront, passing some older buildings from the Old Port.

And now for one of my favourite Montreal landmarks, which has an interesting history on it's own:

We biked into downtown from here and saw the McGill University campus.  But we didn't tarry, because we were expecting rain and it was time to get back to Emily's apartment if we wanted a chance to stay dry!  I snapped some pictures of some of the graffiti and public art we saw as we biked along...

As we walked our bikes back up to Emily's apartment the thunder started.  Minutes later the skies opened up.  Rain is difficult to capture in pictures, so you'll just have to trust me.  It was a lot!

I spent time blogging and Emily returned home from work around 5:30pm.  It was a rainy evening and cool, so we opted to go out for ramen.  Skipper had never had it before, so we were happy to introduce him to it.  It was perfect soup weather.  The rain had slowed down, but as we started walking it intensified again...

Once back home, Emily and I opted to go for a beer at a nearby microbrewery.  We had a pint and caught up on the trip and her time in Montreal since I'd last visited in March.

The night being late, we walked home and went to bed.

Friday

We woke the next monring and set about making breakfast.  Emily made a kind of breakfast casserole that was magical.  We also had bagels, fruit, and Emily's home made kimchi.  It was great!

The plan for the day was to go to the Montreal Botanical Gardens.  Skipper was curious to see them.  Emily had the brilliant idea of grabbing some food to picnic at the gardens and make a day of it, so we started out by going to one of my favourite - if not the favourite - place in Montrea: the Jean Talon Market.  A large open air farmer's market, its a perfect spot to grab stuff for a picnic.  We grabbed some nectarines, cherry tomatoes, bread, and fresh cheese curds.

From here we took the Metro to the Botanical Gardens.

We arrived at the Botanical Gardens which are located directly beside Montreal's iconic - but aging poorly - Olympic Stadium.

We entered the gardens and started exploring.  I realized that most of my pictures were taken in the Chinese Garden section...but there was a LOT to see and I was too busy taking it all in to catalog!

At some point I had to leave Emily and Skipper.  I had a narrow window to meet an old friend.  I left them to keep exploring the Botanical Gardens and walked to a nearby pub.

Jordan and I grew up down the street from one another.  He is also a cousin (I've recevied feedback that I use the term "cousin" too loosely...but I don't care to figure out the exact term), and close friend in elementary school.  We spent a lot of time together as children and kids.  I had stayed with his brother Joel in Chilliwack, British Columbia (see Day 22).  I haven't seen Jordan in almost 25 years.  We were in the same grade in elementary school and then went to different high schools where we would see one another sporadically.  So we met up to reconnect while I was passing through Montreal.

I waited for him at a nearby Metro station and the moment he walked out he recognized me and I recognized him.  We are both older, but I'd know that face anywhere.  We shared a beer.  A few beer.  And caught up on one another's lives.  We only had about an hour, but it was exciting to find out who Jordan had grown into, our similarities and differences.  It's funny the ways in which things change but also how they stay the same.  If you've been following the blog you might remember some of the people I've reconnected with on this trip who are from my home town or area.  There was a tight community and lot of shared experience.  Jordan is another of these people.

He hadn't lost his sense of humour, quick wit, or mischivous smile.  We both laughed at how old we've become.  Talked about people we're still in touch with from our home town.  Complained about the price of housing.  Wondered where it all went wrong.  Were happy about how lucky we are to live in such a great place and time.  It didn't really matter what we talked about, I was just happy to share time with my old buddy.

He was off to see Metallica - who were playing Montreal that night - and apologized for not having more time.  I laughed at that and absolved him of the sin.  I don't have a lot of control of when I blow through town on this bike ride and was thankful he managed to find time in his busy life to sit down with me!  Thanks for the time Jord, and I hope to see you again the next time I'm in town brother!

At this point Skipper and Emily were done at the Gardens and we left the area to go to a brewery for beer and dinner.

Skipper got a family size poutine because of how hungry he had become.  I was skeptical he would finish it.  Not only did he finish it, but when he got to the bottom and had run out of cheese he asked for the remaining cheese curds we'd bought earlier in the day and added them to the remaining fries and gravy.  He's really taken to it!

Once we were done we walked back to the Metro, transited back to Emily's place, and prepped for bed.  It had been a LOOOOONG day!

This has been a loooong post.  But I have to admit it's because I just love Montreal so freakin' much.  It's a really incredible city.  A wonderful mix of old and new world.  Dynamic, chaotic, full of culture and experimentation.  It's the major city I grew up near and have a lot of fond memories from visiting.  It's at it's peak in summer.  The festivals, the parks, events, exhibits.  It's an incredible place.

I haven't talked about music for the city, but I made a playlist for friends who visit Montreal of some favourite songs either made by Montreal artists, artists who were in Montreal when they wrote certain songs, or songs about Montreal.  Here it is if you're curious...

I'm lucky to have a friend who lives here now that I can crash with, and who was willing to host these two old chunks of coal as we rolled through.  Thanks Emily!