Oui Oui Mon Ami, Welcome to Montreal!
Anyone other Hamilton fans out there? Oui oui mon ami, je m’appelle Lafeyette!
After a beautiful misty trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, we crossed over the border (via the smallest border crossing we’ve ever encountered!) into Canada en route to the grand city of Montreal.
All I have to say is: WOW. What a magnificent city! Old Town Montreal features the grand architecture of many European city squares (Edinburgh, Scotland immediately came to mind!) while Plateau Mont Royal boasts residential homes remniscient of Manhattan’s nicer brownstone villages and Ville-Marie is studded with a splash of futuristic modern art via The Ring, a 98-ft ring suspended between skyscrapers. Montreal really does have it all.
And do you know what else it has? POUTINE. I can’t tell you how many times Phil has heard the joke, “I plan on poutine these fries in my mouth!” I’m a natural-born comedian, I know.
Needless to say, our time in Montreal was incredible.
After pulling into our campsite for the night on the outskirts of the city, we decided to head in for cocktails after a day of picnic-style meals. When we finally found Milky Way Cocktail Bar (it’s almost like speakeasies are not meant to be found, right?), we were greeted by black stairwell glowing with bright neon stripes under several blacklights. A classical version of the Legend of Zelda theme blared. We weren’t quite sure what we signed up for.
Then, the lobby dumped us into an elegant lounge where a friendly bartender walked us through the menu and mixed two delicious drinks for us. A lovely welcome to Montreal.
The next morning we secured a parking spot for the day and grabbed a few cappuccinos as fuel for a day of exploration. We traipsed through Plateau Mont Royal admiring the gorgeous homes, studded with lovely staircases and draped with beautiful ivy. A French-Canadian man gave me a very knowing French-Canadian look after I was startled by an unexpected bark from his dog (see photo below).
After a morning of exploring Montreal’s city neighborhoods, we began to make our way toward our primary destination for this trip: dinner at Modavie. When planning our trip through the northeastern U.S. and southern Quebec, my aunt and uncle (at Taking Leave RV) RAVED about the incredible dinner they had at Modavie. After looking at the menu, we knew that this would be our top food splurge of this leg of our trip.
As it turns out, they were right. Not only was Modavie amazing, but we also took their recommendation and tried escargot for the first time. The snails were cooked in a delicious garlic butter and topped with broiled cheese. Delicious.
We ended the night with a stroll through Old Town Montreal, enjoying the architecture of sweeping European-style city blocks filled with cobblestone streets.
On our way out of town the next day, our poutine dreams came true at La Banquise, on the recommendation of a Montreal local. We ordered a poutine topped with caramelized onions, swiss cheese, bacon, and sour cream (in addition to the regular gravy & cheese curd pouting toppings). The takeout container weighed approximately 20 lbs (what is this I hear about portion sizes in the US??), but was also every bit as delicious as the ingredients suggested. A true well-balanced meal….that we could only eat maybe once per year if we value our health.
Au revoir, Montreal!
Back to the US for state #46….Vermont.
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