Arriving in Montreal, Quebec

My day started bright and early at 3:30 am, as I made my way to the airport to begin the journey to Montreal! I was incredibly fortunate to sit next to the loveliest lady for my first flight whose daughter wants to go to medical school. We talked the entire flight, which certainly made it more enjoyable and feel much shorter. During my connecting flight I sat next to a professional double bass player who performs all over Canada! He told me all about the "jazz scene" in Montreal, and encouraged me to check out a restaurant called Upstairs that has live jazz concerts. I may not have the time to squeeze it in this trip, but dinner + jazz music sounds like a great combo! Once I settled into my hotel, I took a walk around downtown Montreal. Coincidentally, I ran into a girl that I used to volunteer with who now attends McGill! It was a lovely surprise.

While exploring Downtown Montreal, I stumbled across an Indigo bookstore. Although we have Indigo stores back in BC, this particular one had a beautiful spiral staircase (partly pictured above) that connected the two floors. On the top floor was a cafe, endless bookshelves, and a large piano. As I walked up the stairs I heard the sound of a skilled pianist playing away. It was the most amazing way to browse books! 
 Also close to my hotel is an architectural masterpiece, the Cathedrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde. Above is a view of the cathedral from one side of Square Dorchester. I thought that most of the beautiful buildings would be in Old Montreal, so the number I already saw today was another pleasant surprise. Montreal is definitely in my good books so far! 
 I saw this wall in Indigo and loved the black and white flashback through downtown Montreal's history. There were all sorts of downtown scenes pictured along the wall and it had a strong flare of nostalgia. 
Here is the cathedral from the front - isn't it stunning? The amount of skill that the buildings in downtown Montreal required is baffling. I walked up the front steps and through the giant front door to see... 

 An inside peak of the Cathedrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde! My phone picture doesn't do the incredible detail justice! There was a service being held when I peered into the church, and the sound of the choir filled the church beautifully. 

When I visited London, England a couple of years ago, bikes were available to pick up and ride around all over the city. Montreal has also adopted this idea, and I saw many avid bike riders darting through the city. 


Tomorrow will be a full day of Old Montreal exploration! I have an exciting list of cafes, captivating buildings, and historical sites to venture to, and look forward to having some time to write in coffee shops such as Crew Collective Cafe and Tommy Cafe. I am very much looking forward to a day of exploration (as evidenced by my joy in the picture above!)

~ Vivienne 

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