Montréal Trip Report Part 2 (warning: long and potentially boring)
Aug 11th, 2003, 05:41 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Montréal Trip Report Part 2 (warning: long and potentially boring)
Again, if you don't like detailed, personal trip reports, please skip.
Montréal August 9, 2003
Mme. de Chevigny outdid herself at breakfast this morning, or so I thought until I?d experienced three breakfasts at the Belle Mansarde. We began with a buffet of four kinds of cereal, several kinds of bread, jellies and jams, honey, some kind of homemade nut bread, and a bowl of fresh fruits. I just poured myself a large cup of strong coffee with sweet cream and waited for the ?main course.? There was fresh-squeezed orange juice, followed by a ?fruit salad? of blueberries, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, green apple, and strawberries. And then two large crêpes filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberry slices all drizzled with chocolate sauce. I hadn?t been expecting this, especially as the price of the room included breakfast, but it was too tempting to pass on, even for someone who usually has a glass of iced tea for breakfast. In the dining room were a mother and two young daughters, a middle-aged couple, and a young single man, all French speakers. Where had they come from? I hadn?t heard a footstep or a murmur from anyone since installing myself in the B&B. Had they all just showed up for breakfast? I pondered this as I waddled back to my room at 9:30 to prepare to walk off this feast during a cool Montréal morning.
This morning I followed the #144 bus line, on foot, from Sherbrooke up and up and up to the edge of the Parc Mont Royal. I never actually made it into the park, which is vast, because it is ringed by McGill University buildings which go on and on and on for blocks. I think I passed three hospitals and the McGill Medical School before I finally stopped at Peel Street, high up above old Montréal and decided to begin the descent. I wanted to visit the Musée des Beaux Arts, and I was quickly getting far out of range of it. Another twenty minutes of steep descent and I was on rue Sherbrooke again, with a few blocks to go to the musée. I arrived at its doors at 10:20 only to find out it opened at 11 a.m. So I descended again to the rue Ste-Cathérine ? a much nicer part of it than I?d been on yesterday - and decided to spend some time shopping. There were sales everywhere. The stores are exactly like those on the rue de Rivoli in Paris, down to the disco-type thumping music in the background that I suppose is designed to make you throw things rhythmically into your shopping cart. Same styles, same wraith-like salesgirls, same fashions. Bought a dress for my 16-year-old daughter that was marked half price at $29.99 Can., but at the register was charged $11.00 Can. I should have bought it in all three colors, as it was a big hit back home. As in Paris, the majority of stores don?t seem to have boys? departments, so I couldn?t shop much for my son there.
By 11:15 the fog had lifted and the temperature had soared and it was a seeringly hot and humid day. Instead of heading right back to the Beaux Arts, I ducked into a Chapters store on rue Ste-Cathérine to check my e-mail and browse in the bookstore. For $4.00 Can. bought 40 minutes worth of internet time and went upstairs to the coffee shop, ordered a latte, and sat down at one of the many computers available. Logged on only to find out they were having a problem connecting to AOL, so the card was useless to me. Went back downstairs and talked to a clerk who said sorry, can?t refund your money because it?s AOL?s problem, not ours. But I didn?t use your computer for more than 2 minutes, I said. Sorry, he said. Very nice young man, but seems there?s something wrong with this approach to customer service. Anyway, not a big deal, and Chapters is a great bookstore.
By now it was past noon and I was hungry. The underground Ste-Cathérine?s foodcourt is justifiably written up in all the guidebooks. No chain restaurants here, but an amazing selection of Mexican, Thai, Italian, French, soup and sandwich, and other places offering incredible lunches at great prices. I had a hard time deciding, but finally opted for an Asian noodle salad with grilled chicken that was delicious and cost about $4.00 Can.
The Musée des Beaux Arts was featuring the Edouard Vuillard exhibit which I?d seen twice in DC, so I opted simply for general admission, for which you make a donation to the museum in any amount you want. I stuck a $5.00 US bill in the kitty (it was mostly American money so I figured I wasn?t offending anyone). The permanent collection reminded me of History of Art 101 ? 2 Breughels, 2 Memlings, 2 Goyas, 1 Botticelli, 1 Sisely, 2 Renoirs??plus some nice Canadian paintings by artists I was not familiar with. The entire exhibit can easily be seen in 45 minutes if you wander slowly and savor everything.
From here I SERIOUSLY underestimated the distance to the Place Jacques Cartier, even though I had an amazingly detailed map of the city. It must have been 3 miles and it was hot as Hades outside. I stopped at a small neighborhood fountain behind the Palais du Congrés and actually took off my sandals and stuck my feet in the water. Heck, the neighborhood kids were doing it! Continued on to the Place JC and inquired about ferries to the Ile Ste-Hélène and was told they left at 35 minutes past the hour ? it was 1:30!!! Raced to the ferry dock, down a long flight of stairs and along a long quai, and breathlessly asked the man at the counter for a ticket. ?I?m just fixing the toilet,? he said in French. OK. A few minutes later an official ferry person appeared and took my $4.00 Can. for a round trip to the island.
It takes about 10 minutes to cross the St. Lawrence, but even that 10-minute ride is impressive as the breadth of the river is astounding and the rapids are big enough to make even a large ferry boat shiver for five minutes. Landing at the island, there is a map showing the main sites, which are few ? the enormous geodesic dome that houses the Musée de l?Eau and some gardens and sculptures. The map makes it look as though you should wait for a bus to take you around, but in fact you can walk everywhere in a matter of minutes. I left my fellow ferry passengers waiting for a bus while I hoofed it to the dome and in fact got there minutes before them. Decided not to pay $8.00 Can. to find out how water is used but rather walked around the dome and then meandered around the park watching more rollerbladers and scooters and children playing at the ?Plage,? a concrete slab with several jets of water continually spraying them while their parents dozed on park benches.
I discovered while watching the children that there was a metro stop right there on the island ? I had needlessly paid for a ferry ride, particularly a RT one, but at least I had had the chance to cross the great river on a ferry. I took the metro back, though, using my pass, to Berri-UQAM. From there I walked the rue St-Denis to rue Cherrier, and lo and behold, there?s the Café Cherrier that I have heard/read so much about right there on the corner, just a few blocks from my B&B. I have an iced tea there. And very oddly, the same couple who sat next to me last night at La Charade come in and take the table right next to me. I feel I am getting to know them.
Next I wander down rue St-Denis and go into the LUSH store there. I have read a lot about this place and only recently seen a TV advertorial about the place. I need to check it out, and I figure if I?m going to buy all sorts of body lotions and potions I might as well do it on the Canadian dollar. It really is an incredible place. I buy bath bombs for the kids and weird little slabs of goat milk hair shiner and more slabs of exfoliants made of almonds and figs and lavender and rosemary (a ?medieval recipe,? ? they want you to think medieval people had flawless skin??), and their most popular product, a soap called Pain du Lait, made with soy and orange flowers. I pick up a bunch of little slabs of this herbed soap and that flowered bath bomb for my daughter and her friends and $70 Can. later I am out of there with a bag that gives off great puffs of sweet odors as I wend my way back to the B&B. Where I immediately plunge into a warm bath with some dissolving goat milk cum lavender and rose petal slab that really does leave me soothed and creamy, at least for the rest of the evening.
I?ve read about a Greek restaurant on rue St. Denis called Psarotaverna du Symposium, and it?s only a few blocks away, so that?s where I head when I?ve recuperated from my beauty routine. Supposedly, it is very popular with Greeks in the neighborhood and is ?authentic.? I love Greek food (I love every kind of food, actually), so there I go. They seat me outside and I order the special of the night: first course a slab of moussaka (good but there?s no excuse for a hard crust of broiled mozzarella instead of a good béchamel); second course fried calamari and shrimp (perfection! Light and crisp with just a little drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil); and third course my choice of fish (well, the large fish like rouget weren?t available to only one person, so my waiter recommended the Bare du Lac, a local lake fish ? light, exquisite!), grilled with lemon and herbs. Dessert was a so-so pastry, a kind of brioche-type dough thing filled with lemon cream ? too heavy for me. All in all, though, a delicious meal for $45 Can. with a half-carafe of Rapsani Greek wine, which the waiter recommended and went well with everything. Only thing odd was the fact that all three waiters seemed to take care of all tables at once, so one would ask me what I wanted for dessert, and another would come along and ask again, and then two desserts would appear, and no coffee at all. They were all very solicitous, though.
Back home to the B&B by 10: 30 and settled in to watch 60 minutes and plan my day tomorrow. Just for kicks I tried the ?medieval? face mask, and to my wonder my face felt like a baby?s bottom when done. I think I?m sold on these LUSH products.
Montréal August 9, 2003
Mme. de Chevigny outdid herself at breakfast this morning, or so I thought until I?d experienced three breakfasts at the Belle Mansarde. We began with a buffet of four kinds of cereal, several kinds of bread, jellies and jams, honey, some kind of homemade nut bread, and a bowl of fresh fruits. I just poured myself a large cup of strong coffee with sweet cream and waited for the ?main course.? There was fresh-squeezed orange juice, followed by a ?fruit salad? of blueberries, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, green apple, and strawberries. And then two large crêpes filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberry slices all drizzled with chocolate sauce. I hadn?t been expecting this, especially as the price of the room included breakfast, but it was too tempting to pass on, even for someone who usually has a glass of iced tea for breakfast. In the dining room were a mother and two young daughters, a middle-aged couple, and a young single man, all French speakers. Where had they come from? I hadn?t heard a footstep or a murmur from anyone since installing myself in the B&B. Had they all just showed up for breakfast? I pondered this as I waddled back to my room at 9:30 to prepare to walk off this feast during a cool Montréal morning.
This morning I followed the #144 bus line, on foot, from Sherbrooke up and up and up to the edge of the Parc Mont Royal. I never actually made it into the park, which is vast, because it is ringed by McGill University buildings which go on and on and on for blocks. I think I passed three hospitals and the McGill Medical School before I finally stopped at Peel Street, high up above old Montréal and decided to begin the descent. I wanted to visit the Musée des Beaux Arts, and I was quickly getting far out of range of it. Another twenty minutes of steep descent and I was on rue Sherbrooke again, with a few blocks to go to the musée. I arrived at its doors at 10:20 only to find out it opened at 11 a.m. So I descended again to the rue Ste-Cathérine ? a much nicer part of it than I?d been on yesterday - and decided to spend some time shopping. There were sales everywhere. The stores are exactly like those on the rue de Rivoli in Paris, down to the disco-type thumping music in the background that I suppose is designed to make you throw things rhythmically into your shopping cart. Same styles, same wraith-like salesgirls, same fashions. Bought a dress for my 16-year-old daughter that was marked half price at $29.99 Can., but at the register was charged $11.00 Can. I should have bought it in all three colors, as it was a big hit back home. As in Paris, the majority of stores don?t seem to have boys? departments, so I couldn?t shop much for my son there.
By 11:15 the fog had lifted and the temperature had soared and it was a seeringly hot and humid day. Instead of heading right back to the Beaux Arts, I ducked into a Chapters store on rue Ste-Cathérine to check my e-mail and browse in the bookstore. For $4.00 Can. bought 40 minutes worth of internet time and went upstairs to the coffee shop, ordered a latte, and sat down at one of the many computers available. Logged on only to find out they were having a problem connecting to AOL, so the card was useless to me. Went back downstairs and talked to a clerk who said sorry, can?t refund your money because it?s AOL?s problem, not ours. But I didn?t use your computer for more than 2 minutes, I said. Sorry, he said. Very nice young man, but seems there?s something wrong with this approach to customer service. Anyway, not a big deal, and Chapters is a great bookstore.
By now it was past noon and I was hungry. The underground Ste-Cathérine?s foodcourt is justifiably written up in all the guidebooks. No chain restaurants here, but an amazing selection of Mexican, Thai, Italian, French, soup and sandwich, and other places offering incredible lunches at great prices. I had a hard time deciding, but finally opted for an Asian noodle salad with grilled chicken that was delicious and cost about $4.00 Can.
The Musée des Beaux Arts was featuring the Edouard Vuillard exhibit which I?d seen twice in DC, so I opted simply for general admission, for which you make a donation to the museum in any amount you want. I stuck a $5.00 US bill in the kitty (it was mostly American money so I figured I wasn?t offending anyone). The permanent collection reminded me of History of Art 101 ? 2 Breughels, 2 Memlings, 2 Goyas, 1 Botticelli, 1 Sisely, 2 Renoirs??plus some nice Canadian paintings by artists I was not familiar with. The entire exhibit can easily be seen in 45 minutes if you wander slowly and savor everything.
From here I SERIOUSLY underestimated the distance to the Place Jacques Cartier, even though I had an amazingly detailed map of the city. It must have been 3 miles and it was hot as Hades outside. I stopped at a small neighborhood fountain behind the Palais du Congrés and actually took off my sandals and stuck my feet in the water. Heck, the neighborhood kids were doing it! Continued on to the Place JC and inquired about ferries to the Ile Ste-Hélène and was told they left at 35 minutes past the hour ? it was 1:30!!! Raced to the ferry dock, down a long flight of stairs and along a long quai, and breathlessly asked the man at the counter for a ticket. ?I?m just fixing the toilet,? he said in French. OK. A few minutes later an official ferry person appeared and took my $4.00 Can. for a round trip to the island.
It takes about 10 minutes to cross the St. Lawrence, but even that 10-minute ride is impressive as the breadth of the river is astounding and the rapids are big enough to make even a large ferry boat shiver for five minutes. Landing at the island, there is a map showing the main sites, which are few ? the enormous geodesic dome that houses the Musée de l?Eau and some gardens and sculptures. The map makes it look as though you should wait for a bus to take you around, but in fact you can walk everywhere in a matter of minutes. I left my fellow ferry passengers waiting for a bus while I hoofed it to the dome and in fact got there minutes before them. Decided not to pay $8.00 Can. to find out how water is used but rather walked around the dome and then meandered around the park watching more rollerbladers and scooters and children playing at the ?Plage,? a concrete slab with several jets of water continually spraying them while their parents dozed on park benches.
I discovered while watching the children that there was a metro stop right there on the island ? I had needlessly paid for a ferry ride, particularly a RT one, but at least I had had the chance to cross the great river on a ferry. I took the metro back, though, using my pass, to Berri-UQAM. From there I walked the rue St-Denis to rue Cherrier, and lo and behold, there?s the Café Cherrier that I have heard/read so much about right there on the corner, just a few blocks from my B&B. I have an iced tea there. And very oddly, the same couple who sat next to me last night at La Charade come in and take the table right next to me. I feel I am getting to know them.
Next I wander down rue St-Denis and go into the LUSH store there. I have read a lot about this place and only recently seen a TV advertorial about the place. I need to check it out, and I figure if I?m going to buy all sorts of body lotions and potions I might as well do it on the Canadian dollar. It really is an incredible place. I buy bath bombs for the kids and weird little slabs of goat milk hair shiner and more slabs of exfoliants made of almonds and figs and lavender and rosemary (a ?medieval recipe,? ? they want you to think medieval people had flawless skin??), and their most popular product, a soap called Pain du Lait, made with soy and orange flowers. I pick up a bunch of little slabs of this herbed soap and that flowered bath bomb for my daughter and her friends and $70 Can. later I am out of there with a bag that gives off great puffs of sweet odors as I wend my way back to the B&B. Where I immediately plunge into a warm bath with some dissolving goat milk cum lavender and rose petal slab that really does leave me soothed and creamy, at least for the rest of the evening.
I?ve read about a Greek restaurant on rue St. Denis called Psarotaverna du Symposium, and it?s only a few blocks away, so that?s where I head when I?ve recuperated from my beauty routine. Supposedly, it is very popular with Greeks in the neighborhood and is ?authentic.? I love Greek food (I love every kind of food, actually), so there I go. They seat me outside and I order the special of the night: first course a slab of moussaka (good but there?s no excuse for a hard crust of broiled mozzarella instead of a good béchamel); second course fried calamari and shrimp (perfection! Light and crisp with just a little drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil); and third course my choice of fish (well, the large fish like rouget weren?t available to only one person, so my waiter recommended the Bare du Lac, a local lake fish ? light, exquisite!), grilled with lemon and herbs. Dessert was a so-so pastry, a kind of brioche-type dough thing filled with lemon cream ? too heavy for me. All in all, though, a delicious meal for $45 Can. with a half-carafe of Rapsani Greek wine, which the waiter recommended and went well with everything. Only thing odd was the fact that all three waiters seemed to take care of all tables at once, so one would ask me what I wanted for dessert, and another would come along and ask again, and then two desserts would appear, and no coffee at all. They were all very solicitous, though.
Back home to the B&B by 10: 30 and settled in to watch 60 minutes and plan my day tomorrow. Just for kicks I tried the ?medieval? face mask, and to my wonder my face felt like a baby?s bottom when done. I think I?m sold on these LUSH products.
Aug 11th, 2003, 06:29 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,465
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Too bad you stopped where you did in your quest for Mont-Royal Park. It's really worth the effort for some of the vistas of the city; although if you were here on a hot day, you may unfortunately see more smog than you might like.
...I'm amazed that it was mostly US$ in the kitty at Musee des Beaux Arts...interesting.
Belle Mansarde sounds great! I'll have to remember that one if any out-of-town visitors pass through. Ferry to Ile-Ste-Helene sounds like an interesting idea; I always take the metro there, but it'd be nice for a change.
Thanks for a great trip report. Cheers. DAN
...I'm amazed that it was mostly US$ in the kitty at Musee des Beaux Arts...interesting.
Belle Mansarde sounds great! I'll have to remember that one if any out-of-town visitors pass through. Ferry to Ile-Ste-Helene sounds like an interesting idea; I always take the metro there, but it'd be nice for a change.
Thanks for a great trip report. Cheers. DAN
Aug 11th, 2003, 06:39 PM
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,738
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It is amazing how we must have just missed each other so many times! And when we were in our rooms, we were both soaking in tubs full of Lush!
Although I didn't try the face stuff so I guess my face is not baby bottom texture
We did the same thing on Tuesday with the Musee..they open at 11 , we were there at 10:30, that is how I ended up at Holt Renfrew with a resulting shopping frenzy~
Part 3 please ~
Although I didn't try the face stuff so I guess my face is not baby bottom texture
We did the same thing on Tuesday with the Musee..they open at 11 , we were there at 10:30, that is how I ended up at Holt Renfrew with a resulting shopping frenzy~
Part 3 please ~
Aug 11th, 2003, 06:48 PM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Daniel: I didn't eschew the Parc Mont Royal - how could anyone do that on a trip to Montréal? I simply couldn't handle it on foot on that particular day. I went back later. Check out the next installment.
Aug 11th, 2003, 09:44 PM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Keep the reports coming! We're planning a first time trip to Montreal & Quebec in the spring so I'm copying your reports (so useful!).
Would like to know the cost of your B&B and how you booked it.
Thanks!
Would like to know the cost of your B&B and how you booked it.
Thanks!
Aug 12th, 2003, 06:02 PM
#6
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As is everyone, I am also enjoying your 'observations' of Montreal. I will be visiting Montreal and Quebec City for the first time in October. I am also interested in recommended B&B's and, of course, restaurants!
Thank you for the info!
Kristi
Thank you for the info!
Kristi
Aug 12th, 2003, 06:34 PM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I booked the Belle Mansarde after examining the B&B offerings on the internet in great detail. I called the place and spoke to Mme. de Chevigny in person and booked over the phone, giving her my AMEX credit card to hold the place (she accepts VISA and Mastercard for payment, but prefers cash, which I paid her in on my leaving - you can get back the taxes you pay on the accommodations, which are substantial, by filling out the form she will give you and mailing it in).
I'm pretty sure she speaks English fluently (I heard her on the phone one day), though she and I spoke French exclusively, so I don't think you should be concerned about calling if you don't speak French.
Here's the website: http://www.openface.ca/~durocher/mansarde/english.html
I'm pretty sure she speaks English fluently (I heard her on the phone one day), though she and I spoke French exclusively, so I don't think you should be concerned about calling if you don't speak French.
Here's the website: http://www.openface.ca/~durocher/mansarde/english.html
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
StCirq
Canada
12
Aug 21st, 2003 06:31 PM
