A Euro Feel In North America
by Tab Hauser (tab@tabhauser.com / www.tabhauser.com)
If you would like to get a taste and feel of walking around a European city without leaving North America I have two cities for you: Montreal and Quebec. These French speaking cities have a unique culture, architecture and delicious food all delivered in a most friendly manner and can be visited easily with in a weeks' time.
We arrived in Montreal not in your usual manner via plane or driving but late at night and on our boat coming down the St Lawrence Seaway. Port D'escale was our home during our stay located just across the street from Cartier Square. We liked Port D'escale not just for its location but also because it offered complete protection from wind and current as well as a $2.22 price per foot including electric and taxes. For those flying or driving in there are plenty of good hotels with all different ratings and budgets in the area.
Miracle (Center and Middle) Taking A Well Needed Break About Halfway Into the 1000 Mile Voyage
We arrived on a Monday at 10 PM pretty hungry. This being Montreal and having a Euro style to it, we were not concerned with finding dinner at this hour. After walking around Cartier Square and viewing the different menus and food at the outdoor tables we picked a place. Originally we were concerned with being stuck with "tourist food" in this prime tourist spot but were quite pleased with our meal this evening as well as other times.
Old Montreal All Near The River Just Off Cartier Square
Montreal is a perfect 3 night, 2 day city. Arriving in the evening had two advantages. It let us have one more delicious dinner and allowed us to have a first full day to do things. We did a 90 minute walking tour around the Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal) that we found interesting. This not only took us to different historical or interesting points of interest but also had us learn a little about present Montreal from our young guides prospectus. Other highlights include the view while visiting Mont Royal 764 feet above the city. You can drive there, visit it as part of a tour and even hike it. Other things to do is take a boat tour of the river front, visit the gardens, fine arts museum or stroll. We spent much of our time strolling not only the Old Montreal but the neighborhoods off Boulevard St Laurent. On our last night we decided to have dinner away from the old section. We asked for a good place that we can BYO as we had plenty of good wine on board. "Alos" on St Laurent was a name that came up twice with the locals and made reservations which is a must here. With wine in bag we hailed a taxi off Cartier Square that took us just under 3 miles up hill. We liked being the only tourists in this modern looking, open air kitchen restaurant. The food and service were upscale with a reasonable price for what we had. It was also nice having a good bottle without the added restaurant mark up.
Stained Glass of Church Of Notre Dame New Montreal Just Blocks Off Old Montreal
With the evening weather excellent we decided to walk all the way down hill back to Old Montreal. Doing this was nice as we got to see what life was like on a Friday night. What we saw were people enjoying themselves in all different ethnic restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and bars. As we walked further down we found a street closed to traffic filled with people eating at sidewalk or street tables along with a few pastry shops. Shortly after passing this area we saw people lining up in the street in front of a small store front. When we got closer we saw it was Schwartz's famous smoked meat deli. This place would be equivalent to any good Jewish style deli in New York City with decent looking sandwiches and good prices. While we were to stuffed to think about eating we did a pound of vacuumed packed smoked meat (corned beef) and rye bread for lunch on another day. We continued down St Laurent and at about a mile from Old Montreal we hit what looked like the club section where people were dressed to impress. Back in Old Montreal we walked around the well lit streets browsing in and out some of the shops that were open. We eventually settled at a large bar that had a good live rock band. After listening to a set here we walked back to Cartier Square where we listened to a set from a good jazz band. To find these places simply walk around until you hear something you like or see a sign on the store front. Other places for night life can include Crescent Street with its few blocks of restaurants and lively bars.
Onto Quebec City
Château Frontenac
The next morning we rented a car and drove three hours to Quebec City. We decided not to go by boat as it would have been an all day voyage and the fuel bill would have been more than the rental. Another reason for not taking the boat was because we wanted to stay at the famous Chateau Frontenac. Chateau Frontenac is one of the most imposing hotels for any city in the world. The reason for this is because the hotel was built to look a bit like a castle complete with copper turrets. Between its looks and the fact that it sits literally on the top of Quebec City makes it pretty impressive. The Frontenac has amazing views and in return it can be seen for miles. It was built in 1893 and became a national historic site in 1980. When we were there in 1981 it showed a bit of wear and tear. Fortunately the Fairmont Hotel who owns the property spent millions to refurnish it. Add the fact that this hotel sits at the foot of a UNESCO World Heritage site surrounded by cobble stone streets, good food and you have a really winning place to be.
Quaint Old Streets Make Quebec a Walking City
While Montreal has a modern city feel with a charming old section it is not nearly as quaint and European looking as Quebec City. From some the old gates with fortified walls, to its hilly streets full of unique old world architecture, food, language and atmosphere one can get a sense that they are more in Europe than North America.
Artists Rendering Of Quebec City An Original Gate Of the Only Walled City In North America
One can be kept busy here three days and not feel like they have rushed anything. Like other cities we have been to in Europe, our main activity here was to stroll. We did this on our own during the day and night as well as with a good walking tour that took us to places we missed on our own. The tour took us to a few churches dating back over 200 years. It showed us some of the original French built structures, as well as the court yard to the big school here and alongside canons that had good views of the river. The walking tour started next to the Frontenac and the statue of Champlain himself. It meandered down to the bottom of the city near the marina. After the tour one has the option to walk back up or ride the funicular to the statue.
Fresh Fruit and Iced Wines and Liquors of All Types Waiting To Be Sampled
There are several things one can do when in Quebec. As mentioned above, arrange the walking tour at at the visitor center. Other things to consider seeing should be the citadel , a walk on the promenade, visiting the Morrin Center and seeing the fresh market down below. The Morrin Center should be called to reserve a spot for the one hour tour of this unique building that was a prison and library (now used as a library and historical society). It is one of Quebec City's newer attraction and gaining popularity. The market is also worthy of visiting. At the market you can see, taste and buy farm fresh produce, pate, salami and sausages, fresh bread and pastry. You can also sample many different styles of ice wine and liquors made not just from grapes but from apples, pear and raspberries. One unique vendor sold cold flashed pasteurized blue berry juice. When he said how many blueberries need to be crushed to make a small bottle we understood the price. After loading 2 bags worth of goodies we decided on a picnic supper for a nice change of pace.
A Free and Zany Cirque Show Under The Ski
Evening activities included seeing the free and outdoor Cirque show that was being offered by the city. Another evening we dined at Montreal's top place called Restaurant Initiale below the Frontenac. Having dinner at Initiale is entertainment to itself. When you reserve a table you are not going to be rushed. The multiple courses and atmosphere is just a relaxing way to spend the evening. Here doing the seven course tasting menu is an enjoyable event. Most of the food is locally procured. In fact the after dinner cheese course had 7 different ones to pick all from Quebec. Reservations are needed in advance and remember this place is not for the frugal. After this wonderful experience we found walking on many of old the streets at night just the ticket to end a nice day.
A Night Time Stroll After A Good Meal
The next morning we woke up, packed our things and strolled a small section of the promenade before heading back to Montreal. We wish we had a little more time to find a good bakery and linger over some freshly baked croissants or crispy baguettes smeared with local butter.
More Photos Below Next Section
If
You go:
Hotels:
For Montreal I would consider any hotel with in a 10 minute walk of the Old
Montreal. One place I peeked in was the Embassy Suites nearby for area
information. I found the front desk and concierge exceptionally friendly. A
bonus here is that breakfast and cocktails are included.
For Quebec City there are plenty of hotels and smaller inns but the place to be is the Chateau Frontenac. It was special on my honeymoon in 1981 when I splurged to stay there and even better now. Our room had a magnificent view of the river and old town. The bar here makes very good drinks and was a perfect place to watch a thunderstorm one night seeing the lightning bolts light up the entire area.
Food:
Montreal:
Le Bonaparte in the old section is a classical French Restaurant. We found the price no different than eating at a good place in any big city. The food portions were appropriate and the wine list catered well to people of all budgets. The service was excellent from them helping me choose between two Bordeaux's, to bringing our food at a reasonable time to the wonderful chocolate mousse we shared.
www.bonaparte.ca/
Alos at 5207 St Laurent was the excellent place mentioned above. The cuisine is
modern continental with different beefs, fish and seafood offered. It is BYO
www.alos.ca
Le St Amable in Cartier Square served us dinner at 10:30 on a Monday night and did it well. We originally cringed at having to eat in center of tourism and was pleasantly surprised
Le Jardin Nelson on the east side of Cartier Square was where we stopped twice. One night to listen to jazz and another day for a really good lunch. This place is open air and inside the old walls of the building it was in. One unique feature they have in the event of rain are a few giant inside out umbrellas that catch the water and drain it down rather than have the rain bounce off it.
Quebec;
Restaurant Initiale in Quebec city offers modern cuisine with a French flare to it. If you watching the food channel, you are a foodie or need a special occasion this can be your place.
Lunch: For lunch we wondered around and stopped at outdoor places where we saw the food looking good. We never had a bad meal varying our menu from French onion soup, to smoked meat sandwiches, salads and fish from Canada's lakes and local waters.
Personal note: People change, events change. Back in 1981 we visited Montreal and Quebec as part of our honeymoon and then again to Montreal in 1987. On those visits we had the rudest service in restaurants, hotels and many places because we spoke only English. On this visit we found everyone we met welcoming whether it was in the tourist district or away from it. There were a few times driving on the way to or from Quebec City where we had a language problem but when that happened there was always someone who stepped in to helped out. There were people that went out of their way to help us and the waiter and waitresses could not have been any nicer or more professional. On our second afternoon we found the restaurant where we had dinner on our honeymoon. It had a green awning and was on the curvy street below the Frontenac. It was between lunch and dinner and the place was empty but the doors were opened. We walked in to see how the place had changed. We were greeted with a big smile and welcomed warmly. In talking to this person we said how nice it was to be met so warmly and that 30 years ago we were treated so badly. He went to apologize for his father's and uncles behavior and that at that time things were different. He said the next generation understands how to treat people so they come back and tell friends, while the last generation had a lot of pro-separatist feelings that spilled onto visitors than spoke English. We thanked him for his time and regretted that we had lunch already a short time ago but would consider coming back if time allowed. He shook my hand and invited us back anytime with a smile.
This is property of Tab Hauser and www.tabhauser.com No copy can be reprinted without permission . Email tab@tabhauser.com for comments, corrections or requests
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