Lately, it seems as if our weekends have been more outside of Toronto than in, and we continued that trend this past weekend by visiting Peter and Emily in Montreal! Elizabeth lived in Montreal for eight months and this was Luke’s third weekend trip to Montreal so we didn’t feel the need to see all of the top tourist attractions but, in saying that, we still managed to do quite a lot without really intending to.
Looking back at the island of Montreal
On Friday, we left work a bit early and caught the 6 pm train from Union Station. Arriving in Montreal, slightly delayed, at 11:15 pm we were welcomed at Gare Centrale by Peter and Emily and followed them to their apartment. We had a bit of a late night bonding over senior dogs and enjoying some Mexican Dip.
The next morning, we wandered to Old Montreal to meet Luke’s friend from school for brunch. Two hours passed quickly and before we knew it, we were walking to La Galerie d’art Blanche to see an exhibition of his work on the day it opened. His work was quite impressive to see in person, and you can find some samples of his work HERE.
Peter and Emily then met us at the gallery in the Old Port and we headed to the World Press Photo exhibition which is being held at Marché Bonsecours. After a detour to get to the front entrance (most of Montreal seems to be under Construction right now in preparation for the 375th anniversary next year), we headed into the exhibition hall. World Press Photo has been hosting an annual international competition since 1955 and it has become one of the most prestigious awards in photojournalism. Its associated exhibition is hosted in cities all over the world every year.
The next morning, we wandered to Old Montreal to meet Luke’s friend from school for brunch. Two hours passed quickly and before we knew it, we were walking to La Galerie d’art Blanche to see an exhibition of his work on the day it opened. His work was quite impressive to see in person, and you can find some samples of his work HERE.
Peter and Emily then met us at the gallery in the Old Port and we headed to the World Press Photo exhibition which is being held at Marché Bonsecours. After a detour to get to the front entrance (most of Montreal seems to be under Construction right now in preparation for the 375th anniversary next year), we headed into the exhibition hall. World Press Photo has been hosting an annual international competition since 1955 and it has become one of the most prestigious awards in photojournalism. Its associated exhibition is hosted in cities all over the world every year.
The exhibition covered many topics that have been frequently in the press over the past year such as the Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement, while also showing the daily lives of people all over the world that don’t always make the news. The exhibit was beautiful, gut-wrenching, and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
After ducking into a pub for an impromptu late lunch to avoid the rain, we headed back to the apartment for a little break. Sadly, but deliciously, we got a bit caught up in eating Mexi Dip Round 2, and left the apartment later than we had hoped for the evening’s adventures.
We showed up later than anticipated at the Jardins de lumière at the Montreal Botanical Gardens but enjoyed every minute of it. In September and October, the Chinese and Japanese gardens are lit up with multicoloured lanterns that are produced in Shanghai specifically for this annual exhibition. Although it was too dark to clearly see the greenery and indulge Elizabeth’s new plant obsession, the gardens looked spectacular when the sun went down, illuminated by these lanterns.
After ducking into a pub for an impromptu late lunch to avoid the rain, we headed back to the apartment for a little break. Sadly, but deliciously, we got a bit caught up in eating Mexi Dip Round 2, and left the apartment later than we had hoped for the evening’s adventures.
We showed up later than anticipated at the Jardins de lumière at the Montreal Botanical Gardens but enjoyed every minute of it. In September and October, the Chinese and Japanese gardens are lit up with multicoloured lanterns that are produced in Shanghai specifically for this annual exhibition. Although it was too dark to clearly see the greenery and indulge Elizabeth’s new plant obsession, the gardens looked spectacular when the sun went down, illuminated by these lanterns.
We then finished off our evening with some Archery Tag! And we were all feeling it for a few days afterwards… We went all out.
Sunday morning we had a lazy morning, totally exhausted from Archery Tag, and eventually wandered down to Place Ville Marie for some brunch in their newly opened restaurant on the 44th floor, Les Enfants Terribles. The prices for brunch were reasonable, the food was tasty and the views made it that much more enjoyable.
Sunday morning we had a lazy morning, totally exhausted from Archery Tag, and eventually wandered down to Place Ville Marie for some brunch in their newly opened restaurant on the 44th floor, Les Enfants Terribles. The prices for brunch were reasonable, the food was tasty and the views made it that much more enjoyable.
The outdoor part of the restaurant
After some indecision, we made our way to Parc Jean-Drapeau, picking up cupcakes along the way. We spent just over an hour in the park, enjoyed a picnic, and then at the spur of the moment decided to take the ferry back to the island of Montreal. Worth every penny.
This is not the ferry we took, this is a pirate ship
We then wandered back to the apartment for our final time on Sunday. When we got on the train at 6:40 pm, we realized that we had only eaten brunch and a cupcake all day. Times flies when you’re having fun!
Thanks to Emily and Peter for hosting us in Montreal and for all of their great ideas. Here are some more photos of our whirlwind weekend in Montreal:
Thanks to Emily and Peter for hosting us in Montreal and for all of their great ideas. Here are some more photos of our whirlwind weekend in Montreal:
If you're interested, here's our post about our long weekend trip to Montreal in 2013!
This time last year, we were hiking the Brigus Head trail in Newfoundland. Two years ago, we were in San Francisco, and three years ago we were hiking the East Coast trail in Newfoundland again!
This time last year, we were hiking the Brigus Head trail in Newfoundland. Two years ago, we were in San Francisco, and three years ago we were hiking the East Coast trail in Newfoundland again!
