Thursday, 01 January 2009

• Montreal, Canada--The Paris of North America

  by Anne
  During Thanksgiving break, my husband, brother, roommate, and I went on a road trip to Montreal, Canada from New York City. We heard it would be snowing and were afraid it would be too cold to enjoy, but we went anyway.

  Here we are, taking a stroll in Mount Royal Park.

  

  Our trip started out pretty rough. We began driving in the night and we had plenty of gas, but we didn't anticipate that gas stations would be closed all through upstate New York and wouldn't have credit card machines! We tried at least four stations and even tried to stay in a motel, but the grumpy old lady didn't bother helping us at 3:30am. Finally we decided we'd just sleep in the car for a few hours at the gas station until someone came to open up shop.

  When we got to Montreal the next morning, it was snowing. The weather wasn't too cold at all. It stayed constant at a comfortable 35 degrees during our 4 days there and we were well prepared--clothing-wise. It was nice enough for us to walk around and enjoy different parts of Montreal such as Mount Royal Park, Old Montreal, and the more modern Downtown Montreal.

  We didn't get to see ALL that Montreal has to offer, but we got in a good amount during our short stay there. After our visit, we could see how Montreal got its reputation as the "Paris of North America".
  
  For more information and a list of places to see (because I missed some), visit Montreal's Tourism site here.

  Here are some sites we visited--all recommended:

  • Mount Royal Park - It's huge and beautiful and shares the same designer as New York's Central Park. There are 2 lookout areas where you can get breathtaking views of the city.
  • Old Montreal - This is a great historical area. Here you can find the Notre Dame Basilica and the oldest street in Montreal. 
  • Notre Dame Basilica - This cathedreal is a replica of the one in Paris and I must say it looks just like it on a smaller scale. The inside is amazing.  
  • The Olympic Stadium - This stadium was built in 1976 for the olympics, but is still used today. There is a lookout at the top of this tower, which is the tallest inclined tower in the world.
  • The Underground City - This underground city and shopping center links to varoius buildings and metro stations making it an ideal spot during any season.

  At night when it got a little colder, we hit The Underground City, which was absolutely humongous. We ate cheap during the day, but had great dinners each night.

  Even though we had a rental car, the metro was also an efficient means of travel when visiting the major sites. And I must say, it was neat to hear people speaking french. But don't worry, almost everyone speaks english as well. And from my experience, everyone was really nice and accommodating.
  

  Plaza de Armas and Montreal Bank in Old Montreal

  

  
  Old Montreal
  
  

  
  Inside the Notre Dame. It looks amazing, doesn't it?
  
  
  

  Mount Royal Park

  

  
  Notre-Dame Cemetary in Mont Royal Park
  
   

  The Olympic Stadium and its inclined tower

  

  
  View of Downtown Montreal from a the chalet in Mount Royal Park
  
  

  
  Montreal is a worthwhile trip no matter what season. If you're looking for a new destination for your next trip and are curious about the history and culture of a pretty Canadian city--not to mention visiting Canada's only french-speaking province--give Montreal a try.
  

  

  Have you visited Montreal? What other Canadian city would you recommend or want to visit?

   

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