Touring Montreal- Day1

Our first venture was to the Old Montreal, a historic part of the city bordering the St. Lawrence river. This part of the city was so European with its cobblestone roads, people eating and drinking on restaurant patios, and artistic fare on sale by the roadside.The weather was great and we had lunch outdoors at Montreal Poutine. I really enjoyed my highly anticipated dish of Poutine (french fries with curd cheese and gravy)and Nelson had smoked meat sandwich, another Montreal staple. We walked by the lake towards Bonsecours Market, adjacent to the chapel which were impressive buildings from the 1900 era. I expected the market to be like Boston Commons but it was pretty empty except for some drab touristy shops. Our next stop was the majestic Notre Dame Basilica. We were lucky that a private ceremony was going on as we managed to sneak in for a few minutes and take in the breath taking architecture without having to pay a fee. Being a Saturday evening, we saw at least three couples who were getting married on the Old Montreal area.

The Underground City which is the largest in the world was quite impressive. It is a shopping haven in the winter months. But because we were there late on a Saturday evening, all the shops were closed. We walked through many interconnected building and then crossed a bridge to enter Montreal's Chinatown. Wherever you are, the Chinatown offers the same familiar atmosphere. We got some of our usual favorites, bubble tea for me, custard bun for Nelson and some cake for later. It is impossible to resist these deliciously cheap snack options.

Walking further downtown past another beautiful church, we passed by Cathdrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde. We ended up Rue Crescent, a busy street with lots of shopping, bars and restaurants in a Victorian architecture setting. It had a mix of upscale and collegetown like feel. We decided to eat at Sir Winston Churchill Pub, one of the many places with patio seating. The food was good but it was strange to not have unlimited soda refills. Tired from all the walking, we took the metro back to our hotel.