We recently got back from a week long trip to Montreal, Canada. Tarun had been wanting to visit Montreal for a while, it being a French city. I didn't think it would be that European, till we reached and started touring the city. It sure was like going to France and not having the jet-lag!
A very different city from any other American/Canadian city we've been too.
We rented a loft at Auberge du vieux-port in Old Montreal and Kabir enjoyed it's open space to run freely!
Old Montreal has a lot of character, with cobbled roads, narrow alleys, outdoor cafes, Notre Dame, museums, horse drawn carriages, art galleries, street artists etc. I was happy we chose to stay there.
Every day we would yelp for good local places to eat. Our first day's find was Muru Crepes for brunch. Right in Old Montreal, just a few blocks away from our loft, this place serves the best crepes I've had! I could move to Montreal just for Muru Crepes...it's that good!
On our first day in the city, it rained heavily, so after our brunch, we decided to check out the underground city. A stop at the apple store was a must to procure the wireless router for the loft, which only had cabled internet.
Kabir spent some time at the Apple store's Kids zone
where he was more attracted to the iPad's base than the iPad itself! :)
We spent rest of the day just walking underground in the shopping malls connected to each other underground.
It was a bit of a mall overdose for me and I wanted to stay clear of them after that! We did find Kabir a cure t-shirt that had "K" on it but other than that it was a very long day at the malls!
Later we walked to Chinatown and dined at Restaurant Mai Xiang Yuan; a small chinese restaurant serving just dumplings! How could we have not eaten there! They had a delicious vegetarian option (dumplings with egg and tomatoes), which Mom enjoyed!
Next day onwards, the weather got better and we walked a lot outside. We would start every afternoon after K woke up from his first nap and continue till the end of the day. Walks are one thing I love about city vacations!
It has an organ with 7000 individual pipes!
Kabir enjoyed his time by the fountain there!
Sherbrooke street was one of my favorite streets...clean, quiet and very artistic. A visit to the Fine Arts Museum took us there. When we reached, it was almost time for the museum to close so we spent some time at the gift shop where Kabir and I did some coloring together!
I loved the art on the street; the sculptures were beautiful!
One whole street was a piece of art! Kabir loved walking through the white and yellow sheets
We did make it to the Fine Arts museum another day and checked out a few exhibits. It has a vast collection of paintings from both local and international artist, some of them very young!
Our last Sunday in Montreal was Father's day. I found just the right place to celebrate Tarun and the great Dad he is! We had a wonderful lunch at La Croissanterie Figaro and on our full stomach's I decided to order a chocolate croissant (which I had read good reviews about) to share. After sharing one, we all wanted more! We started with one other order and ended up doing a repeat!! They were yummy!
We later went back to the Sherbrooke Street for a stroll.
It was a week with the people I most love, great food, great location and beautiful weather! All in all, a perfect vacation!
A very different city from any other American/Canadian city we've been too.
We rented a loft at Auberge du vieux-port in Old Montreal and Kabir enjoyed it's open space to run freely!
Old Montreal has a lot of character, with cobbled roads, narrow alleys, outdoor cafes, Notre Dame, museums, horse drawn carriages, art galleries, street artists etc. I was happy we chose to stay there.
On our first day in the city, it rained heavily, so after our brunch, we decided to check out the underground city. A stop at the apple store was a must to procure the wireless router for the loft, which only had cabled internet.
Kabir spent some time at the Apple store's Kids zone
where he was more attracted to the iPad's base than the iPad itself! :)
We spent rest of the day just walking underground in the shopping malls connected to each other underground.
It was a bit of a mall overdose for me and I wanted to stay clear of them after that! We did find Kabir a cure t-shirt that had "K" on it but other than that it was a very long day at the malls!
Later we walked to Chinatown and dined at Restaurant Mai Xiang Yuan; a small chinese restaurant serving just dumplings! How could we have not eaten there! They had a delicious vegetarian option (dumplings with egg and tomatoes), which Mom enjoyed!
Next day onwards, the weather got better and we walked a lot outside. We would start every afternoon after K woke up from his first nap and continue till the end of the day. Walks are one thing I love about city vacations!
Kabir adjusted very well outside and enjoyed his independence!
Notre-Dame Basilica was definitely one of our favorite spots. It is a beautiful church which is very popular for weddings, so much so that it is booked for the next 3 years!
It was just the day to be sitting out in the sun, so we enjoyed the outdoors after visiting the church.
We spent time at Place Jacques Cartier; which had outdoor cafes, street performers and a lot of people.
Kabir enjoyed his time by the fountain there!
One day, we visited Mont Royal and enjoyed the lovely park and the views!
Kabir enjoyed playing with the grass!
On our way back from Mont Royal, we stopped at McGill University which has a beautiful architecture!
Tarun and Kabir explored the grounds!
Sherbrooke street was one of my favorite streets...clean, quiet and very artistic. A visit to the Fine Arts Museum took us there. When we reached, it was almost time for the museum to close so we spent some time at the gift shop where Kabir and I did some coloring together!
I loved the art on the street; the sculptures were beautiful!
One whole street was a piece of art! Kabir loved walking through the white and yellow sheets
and then there was love! :)
We did make it to the Fine Arts museum another day and checked out a few exhibits. It has a vast collection of paintings from both local and international artist, some of them very young!
We walked on Rue Saint Laurent; which divides the city into East and West; Rue Ste Catherine, Rue Saint Crescent and Rue Saint Denis to get a vibe of the different city sectors.
We spent a lot of time in Old Montreal, checking out the art galleries and walking by the water!
Our last Sunday in Montreal was Father's day. I found just the right place to celebrate Tarun and the great Dad he is! We had a wonderful lunch at La Croissanterie Figaro and on our full stomach's I decided to order a chocolate croissant (which I had read good reviews about) to share. After sharing one, we all wanted more! We started with one other order and ended up doing a repeat!! They were yummy!
We later went back to the Sherbrooke Street for a stroll.
And just like that the week was over and it was time to fly back home. We enjoyed our last luncheon at Muru Crepes and then hailed a cab to the airport.
It was a week with the people I most love, great food, great location and beautiful weather! All in all, a perfect vacation!
