Sights of the Old Port (In & Out of water).

Every decent city has it's own beach. Or so Montrealers (?) say.

Now, you might remember the Clock Tower from my past post on Old Montreal. If you don't, then let me give you the inside scoop.

The Clock Tower, which is also the Lighthouse for the Old Port of Montreal, was built in commemoration for the sailors who died during World War I. The mechanism for the clock is similar to that of the Big Ben, but curiously, it never actually chimes.

It is possible to climb the Tower from the inside (for free!), and it is actually only 192 steps high. The stairs are incredibly narrow (one person at a time, only!) but the view from the top is pretty f*cking cool (even though the wind is pretty much blowing you out the sides). This is the view of the clock from the inside:

And for yet the most impressive of all the up-from-the-top views that I've shown around here lately:

From the very top, it is possible to catch a tiny glimpse of the Beach of the Clock, where for about two dollars, you can chill under the Canadian sun all day long. There is also really good music on a daily basis, and an open bar.

While I was there, I took advantage of my tourist status and went on a cruise (!!!). It was AH-MA-ZING. For starters, here is the view of the Tower from the water (I know I'm so annoying, but don't you love that thing so much?!):

And among other things I saw:

La Ronde: Montreal's amusement park on Île-St-Hélène. 

The industrial districts of Montreal, and the Olympic Tower on the backdrop!

The Jacques Cartier Bridge, which unites Montreal Island with the south shore of Longueuil.

The historical district of Montreal. For like .002 seconds there I felt back in Paris. (Isn't this so lovely?!)

And finally, Habitat 67, one of the most famous architectural landmarks in Canada and one that has generated some serious debate for redefining urban living. Once used as housing for low-income families, it is now a swanky and modern place to live in. 

Finally, I took a stroll down the Port, and used my last day in Montreal to soak up the sun and get an amazing tan ;)

Explain to me [again] how you don't fall in love with this?!

The Montreal tourists talk about (Old Montreal + Notre Dame).

Old Montreal. 

Literally, the most famous touristic attraction in Montreal and also the one that I tried to avoid for as long as possible. Distinguished for its cobblestone streets and decidedly european architecture, Old Montreal is possibly the most picturesque spot in the city. Only a couple of blocks away from Chinatown and overlooking the Old Port, Old Montreal is where everyone gathers for good music, and even better food. This is the Montreal tourists talk about.

As I made my way to the Historic City Centre, I couldn't help but feeling a bit of nostalgia. This was like stepping back into a hippie version of Montmartre, with all the artists standing around selling portraits, and the people drinking coffee out in the terraces. 

My first stop (after breakfast, bien sûr!), was the Bonsecours Market. Located in a building that dates back to 1844, it has to be one of the loveliest markets I visited in Canada. It's clean, organized and focused on souvenir-seeking, hungry tourists rather than locals. It is great for buying maple-everything ;)!

The Market is conveniently located right next to the Old Port, which was the second place I visited that morning. I will be talking about it in a different post, but for now, I will leave you with a photo of the Clock Tower (which also acts as Lighthouse) and a tiny peek of Clock Tower Beach (can you spot it?). 

That day, I also visited what became one of my favorite places in Montreal: Notre Dame. 

For someone who claims to be as non-religious as I do, I sure do visit a whole lot of temples. In the city where I'm from, it is said that we have a church in every corner and I soon found out that applied to Quebec too. There are churches everywhere. 

While I was in Montreal I visited Queen Mary Cathedral expecting to find some sort of astounding resemblance to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Thaaaat...kind of went badly. However, I still went to Notre Dame's Basilica trying to find some common ground with Notre Dame de Paris and this time around, I did not leave disappointed. In fact, it was exactly the other way around. 

Upon entering Notre Dame, my jaw dropped to the floor. 

I love the complexity of Neo-gothic architecture and I adore the absolute perfection (exactitude?) it conveys. 

Long story short, my inner Art Historian had just found its happy place. 

After sitting there for what must have been hours and posting a few Snaps (you can find me as ferookie , in case you want in on the fun), it was time to move on.

(Sadly & hesitatingly, because I loved this place).

From then on, my afternoon went slowly by as I bought souvenirs, ate ice-cream, and walked around dodging other tourists. There are so many of us out there, you guys. 

I honestly don't know why I avoided Old Montreal so much at first. It is a truly relaxed part of town, while also lively and fun. I guess I don't like feeling like "one of the bunch" among the hoards of tourists and fellow foreigners (and there are always outsiders in this place), but let's just say that if I had the chance, I would take an afternoon stroll around here any day. 

Except maybe during winter.

The happy places of Montreal (Mount Royal + The Gay Village)

The last days I spend in a place are usually bittersweet.

I'm the kind of person who leaves a travel destination swearing that I will go back soon while ridiculously trying to remember every little detail about the place. This time around though, my last days in Montreal where actually pretty sweet. 

After my classes ended, I had about a week to just roam around all day. No itineraries, no schedules, no maps...just anywhere I felt like going. Most of that time was spent going back and forth between Chinatown and the rest of the city because let's face it: the food in that place is amazing. However, in celebration of Mexico's legalization of same-sex marriage, I found myself in the middle of Montreal's happiest place: The Gay Village.

If you follow me on Instagram (or if we're friends on Facebook) then you have probably already seen this picture doing the rounds. So let me explain to you: The Gay Village in Montreal runs for about two kilometers and is entirely covered in those little pink balls you can see in the picture. The Beaudry Metro Station, which is closest to the neighborhood, has rainbow-colored pillars and both the streets and the station which make up Le Village have become a celebrated tourist attraction. 

The area was  a working-class neighborhood until the late 1980's, when it became a gathering point for the LGBTQ community after their businesses on the St. Laurent Boulevard area where closed. The Village is now a beautiful place full of businesses, cafés and terraces, popular among tourists & locals alike, and host of some major events like the Fierté Montréal Pride, among others. In my opinion, it is totally hip & a great place for a stroll. 

Apart from visiting the Village, that day I climbed up the famous Mount Royal. 

I had been there a few times before, mainly to witness the Tam-Tams on Sunday afternoons, but this was my first time hiking up to the Belvedere and it was freaking hard. I didn't make it to the very top (in my defense, I had a lot of packing to do that afternoon and I was already late) but the view was nevertheless remarkable. 

Off in the distance: The Olympic Tower, where I was standing just a few days before I visited Mont Royal and of which I talked about here. 

During summer, Mount Royal hosts the Tam-Tams, where literally everyone hangs around the mountain to play hand drums, eat lunch, smoke weed, dance and play. During winter, it hosts snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails as well as a tobogganing run, which I can't wait to try when I go back real soon. Right?

From the Tower to the Velodrome, a tour of the Olympic Stadium.

Next to the Olympic Stadium and right in front of the Botanical Gardens lies one of Montreal's hidden gems & an underrated tourist attraction: The Olympic Tower.

Standing at 165 meters tall and with views spanning over 80 km of the St. Lawrence River and nearby zones, the Olympic Tower of Montreal is the world's highest inclined tower, with an angle of 45º (the Tower of Pisa stands at an angle of 5º) as well as the only one to have a funicular that works on a curved structure.

The best part? It offers the very best views of the city.

From the east side, it is possible to see the St. Lawrence River & Île-Ste. Hélène, which holds Montreal's most popular theme park: La Ronde. On the opposite side of the bridge is the town of Longueuil.

From here it is also possible to see the Olympic Stadium, where the Mexican team América defeated Montreal back when I was new to Canada!

The view on the opposite window is of the industrial district, and the weird structure seen on the left bottom side of the picture is Montreal's Biodôme, my next stop.

The Biodôme has a small zoo and a tiny aquarium which are home to wildlife of over four different ecosystems. The structure was originally a Velodrome built for the Olympic Games of 1976, and has since been repurposed. Among the things I saw inside:

And finally, as I was trying to get pictures of fish in the aquarium, I was photobombed by a stingray!

Even though I had a good time overall, I expected the Biodôme to have a bigger variety of animals and was really disappointed on how small it actually is. I don't think I would go back given the chance, but as a first time visitor it was definitely cool. Especially the warnings on ibis poo. Those were my absolute fave.

Thanks for reading!

To China and back.

A few days ago, I wrote about my visit to the Butterfly Pavilion in the Botanical Garden, one of the coolest places I've visited while I've been in Montreal. 

Today, I want to share a bit more of the things I did that day, including a walk around the Chinese Gardens and this magnificent place called Beaver Lake.

After visiting the Pavilion, I decided to walk around the actual Botanical Garden, which extends for about 75 acres and includes everything from a Greenhouse to an Insectarium & Planetarium, among other things. As one of Montreal's most popular tourist attractions, and judging by how peaceful Beaver Lake is, the Botanical Gardens did not disappoint.

Even though the winter in Montreal was still going strong at that time, there were a few people sitting around the lake, presumably enjoying the cold, cold air of the north. 

After freezing my nose for a while there, I headed to the Chinese Gardens, celebrated because of the Chinese Lights Festival that takes place there sometime during the fall. Even though there were no lights at this time of year, or even any of the huge sculptures that were installed in the summer of 2012, I loved the gardens.

Possibly because it was so cold, there were very few people around and taking photos was super easy. The light was not optimal and the cold was definitely taking its toll on me, but the garden is so aesthetically pleasing, it is impossible to not want to spend more time there.

This was the first thing I saw once I entered the Garden:

From there, it's a super short walk to the main building of the Garden, which (depending on the angle from which you see it), looks like this:

Or like this:

Standing there it is possible to get an impressive view of the Sunset Pavilion. 

It is said that during the fall, the sun sets just behind this small structure, giving the Garden the most impressive view of the sunset, hence the name.

Since the days were still pretty cold and the plants were quite dead when I first visited, I had been dying to go back to the Gardens and eventually persuaded some friends to go back (actually, scratch that. It was their idea to go to the Botanical Gardens, I just dragged them to the Chinese Garden and made them eat there). 

The place was looking much more alive. There were flowers and the landscape was greener, but...just as I started taking photos, the rain started to fall in biblical quantities...so, this is what we ended up with.

Once we were kicked out of there (and the rain had almost stopped!), we decided to carry on with our picnic at the Emilie-Gamelin Park. Funny story: this park is conveniently located between Montreal's Gay Village and the University of Quebec in Montreal, which would ideally make it a cool spot to hang out in. However, not many people go there because (among other things) it is an excellent place in which to pick a fight, get robbed and buy drugs...just like we discovered that day. 

In the time that we were there, we got to see two actual fist fights (one of which started right next to us) and some guy came up to our group and talked to us for about half an hour only to eventually walk away with our bottles of soda (¿?).

Apart from that though, we had a good time. There are several cafes in the park, and there's always music playing after sunset (really good music, like The Kooks ;) ). Also, the Warner Bro's building is located right in front, and they project images & short clips into it! Which is to say, even though some people are quite crazy, we had a good time. And we learned which places to avoid from now on.

This weekend I'm going to be visiting Ottawa, and I will be sharing that trip on the blog some time next week! 

Thanks for reading!