A Day in Montreal

 30th September 2022

Hotel St Denis does not serve breakfast, so we had to venture out into the streets to find something to get us through the morning. I went for a walk before breakfast and the streets were deserted. 

Chinatown at 7.30 am

Bonsecours Marke

On my morning walk I had noticed a couple of potential spots nearby and we decided on the Van Houte Cafe (part of a local chain). They had simple breakfast selections of filled croissants or bagels and coffee which suited our needs. We were served by people who spoke no english or did their best. What we ordered and what we received had some resemblance but in a couple of cases it was a distant one. Nevertheless, we had something to eat and set out on foot to see Montreal.

We are too traumatised to even think about using the car to get around, as even the GPS is struggling with the massive upheaval of the roads that is going on. Not only that it is quicker to walk in many cases.

What started out as a bit of an aimless walk to get a bit of exercise resulted in us walking far further than planned and ending up at Mount Royal Park. We entered the park through the entrance from Little Portugal.

The team went on strike and all sat down for a rest

A monument to Jacques Cartier

Time has got away from us a bit, so there is not a lot of time to explore the park before we head back down towards the port to have lunch and go on a harbour cruise that we have booked for 2.30pm. We decided we should take a risk, and try lunch in Chinatown, which is still a decent walk away but in the right direction. Along the way we passed the Museum of Contemporary Art.

By 1.00 pm we were in Chinatown looking for somewhere to eat, a real lottery. We saw a Chinese BBQ restaurant and figured that was reasonably low risk. 

Entering Chinatown

Low risk turned into disaster as a seemingly good menu, revealed a chef without a clue. We ordered Char Kway Teow and ended up with a dish that looked and tasted like Singapore noodles with flat noodles and on curry powder steroids. The Char Siu was dry and cold and the saving grace was the stir fried vegetables which had some resemblance to good Chinese cuisine. It was our fault as we should have known better than to order Chinese food in Montreal.

Keen to escape from this experience we walked down to the dock area to board our river cruise boat, Bateau Mouche. It looked a bit like a river boat from Amsterdam and was very comfortable and not overcrowded.

We arrived at the port a bit early, so had a chance to look around and take a few photos of the highlights of the old port.

Market Concours, a mix of an exhibition centre and range of outlets

A zipline runs from the red tower on the left of the shot above, across the water to the ferris wheel in the shot below.

A big surprise when we were out in the channel was the speed of the current which was flowing at around 8 knots. Apparently this is constant and a result of water running through rapids from upstream. 

According to the commentary it greatly hindered the development of this area, as the older ships were not able to conquer it. 

The cruise confirmed that there is not a lot to see in Montreal and much of the 1 hour was spent fighting the current. Here are a few shots of the city from the water,

The bridge across the Seaway which opened in the early 1930's

Cruise terminal with 2 ships in port

including the Viking Star which we last saw in Quebec

The most famous piece of modern architecture in Montreal, this apartment complex near a container terminal looks like a pile of containers loosely stacked.

Entertainment on the cruise was a group of older American ladies trying to set the cruise record for the number of cocktails consumed in an hour.

Soon back on land we walked back to the hotel. It has been another day with a lot of walking so the team needed rest before dinner.

After a long awaited champagne in our room to celebrate our birthdays  (we have been carrying the bottle with us waiting for a hotel with a fridge in the room), we were ready for dinner.

Our dinner tonight is a part of our package and claims to be a Canadian Dinner Experience with great views. The restaurant "Les Enfants Terribles", is located on the 44th Floor of a building downtown, only a 10 minute cab ride from our hotel.

The view is impressive and the restaurant busy. We are presented with a fixed menu that looks like it belongs in a fast food restaurant, but opt to start with a salad or soup and have fish and chips for main. The fish was undercooked and raw in places, John's smelled of ammonia. We sent it all back and they acknowledged that it was raw, and offered us another main. The only other reasonable option was a hamburger. It was dry and disappointing and sadly, not up to McDonalds standard. 

After an edible desert, we left disappointed, not only with the restaurant, but with Montreal as a city.