Montréal - Day Three

Today I explored le Réso and le Vieux Port. Le Réso is the system of underground passages in Montréal -you can be in a mall, as pictured, but you can also be in a plain corridor which nonetheless takes you to another part of the city, all without freezing. There are miles of corridors, and all of them are warm.

I traveled to the old part of town today. There aren't any subway stops that really take you there - a lot of walking was required. There are bus routes, but I didn't bother. It's cold today, really cold. Tomorrow is supposed to be even worse. I have four layers of clothing on, and that's barely sufficient.

I walked through Chinatown to reach the old part of town. It was compact, but still pretty neat.
I reached the old port and I wandered around for quite a bit. I would say that half of the shops are closed this time of year. I was keeping my eye out for a subterranean bar my friends and I visited several years back, off of a small alley, but I couldn't find it.
 
It actually took a while to wander the narrow streets of the Old Town. I stopped for lunch at les 3 Brasseurs, which is a chain of microbreweries. Here's a picture of me reflected from the copper of the bar:
Boy, my nose looks big in the picture!!

I was also able to see the preparations for the New Year in Old Town. Above is a picture of one of the venues. There are other stages being set up in other places, including near city hall. A bartender with whom I spoke indicated that the festivities in the Old Port are really for families, and not for cool guys like me. We'll see - I haven't given up hope yet!!
Many of you are wondering, I'm sure, about what Ken does after dark.  Well, last night I spent an enjoyable evening in a jazz bar not too far from my hotel. Believe it or not, Montréal is a pretty big jazz city. My hotel is in the heart of the Latin Quarter, and there are many, many bars and music venues here. 
Tune in tomorrow for another exciting day in Montréal, including the archaeological museum and New Year's Eve!

Montréal - Day Two

My first real day in Montréal is now over, and I covered a lot of ground. Most of that ground was covered at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts / Musée des Beaux Arts.

The museum's collections are free to peruse.  There was also a special exhibition for a fee, but I didn't partake - there was plenty to see for free, and I tried to see it all!

The collections include a temporary Napoleon exhibit (that's one of his hats, above), decorative arts, fine paintings and sculptures, and contemporary art. Some really cool stuff.  
The museum, like many others, is a collection of buildings. And in this case the buildings are connected underground. It was a constant case of going up or down stairs, or using an elevator. The staircase pictured below reminds me of the staircase at the Kunst Historisches pictured in my Vienna, Day Two post, except that this staircase is unadorned and lacks a giant statue at the top of a naked man wrestling with a lion.

 

I spent most of the day at the museum of fine arts. I had planned on visiting a second museum today, too, but I left the museum at about 3:30 PM and the museums all close at 5:00 PM.
Instead, I decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at Hurley's - an Irish pub I've been to on each of my last two trips to Montréal.

I had a hamburger and fries and I toasted friends who had hoisted a pint or two with me at Hurley's in times of yore.
 
I had taken the subway to the museum, but I decided to walk back to the hotel. Today was cold, but not frigid. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be clear and cold - with a high of about 10 degrees.  
A couple of fun facts about Montréal's Métro system: first, the subway stations are heated. That's really welcome after a half-hour walking down windswept streets!



The second fun fact? The subway trains have tires and don't ride on traditional rail tracks!! Instead, the cars ride on the ground and are bracketed by side rails to keep the cars in their lane. There is a "third rail" for power, but it's between the two side rails.
The cars are quieter riding on tires, but they seem just as fast as more traditional subway trains. 
Stay tuned for the next installment - the Old Port and more!!!

In Montréal - Day One

So I decided to spend a few days - including New Year's - in Montréal, Canada. It was kind of a last-minute decision, but I have been thinking about it for a while. I'm traveling solo again - I left my Dad at home this time because he's preparing for a Caribbean cruise with my Aunt Wendy and Uncle Ed.


Here's what my hotel's street looked like when I arrived. The temperature was a few degrees above freezing, so there was snow melting all over the place. Of course, this morning, the melted snow refroze and there was ice everywhere. Not a problem, because the denizens of the city quickly spread sand and ice-melt everywhere.


Here's that same street when I woke up Sunday morning. My hotel is located just beyond the parked car on the right - the Hotel Manoir St.-Dénis.
It took me about seven hours in total to make the journey of about 250 miles by car - included in that time is nearly an hour waiting to cross the border into Canada, and a single pit stop for lunch just north of Burlington, Vermont - in Colchester, I think. The Canadian border guard was the first customs official I've encountered since losing weight who questioned me about the fat Ken shown in my passport photo taken in 2009. He still took me at my word, though, that I have lost 100 pounds.
  
Here are exterior and interior pics of the hotel. A very basic place, rustic but clean. It is located in the Quartier Latin, near to the Old Town and very convenient to the subway. Most places are in fairly easy walking distance, though.
 
The hotel isn't the best place I've stayed in, but it's not the worst, either. I can't get over the wood panelling, but I'll learn to live with it for a mere $58 per night, taxes included -- and free continental breakfast!
Speaking of which, I went to the front desk in the morning to ask where the breakfast would be served. The clerk replied (in French), "in your room - I will prepare you a tray." I then watched him microwave a croissant, pour a cup of coffee, and pour a cup of orange juice before he assembled the items on my waiting tray. He did tell me that I could come back for more if I wanted.... 

I could not help but laugh at my breakfast - but I did wait until I returned to my room with it. But again, for $58 per night this basic hotel is clean and very well located. And, there's even a fridge in my room so I can supplement tomorrow's eye-opener!
Breakfast complete, I'm now off to begin my explorations of the city! Come back soon for an update!

Location:St Denis St,Montreal,Canada