Although the Flickr slideshow presentation above is not, as yet, complete, we’ll offer somewhere in the neighbourhood of 70+ pictures as an interim photo installment, covering our glorious, fulfilling 8-day sojourn to Montréal.

In the coming days, we’ll add another 30 – 50 photos to the slideshow, so check in early next week for a more expansive presentation.

First thing in the morning, all VanRamblings wants is un café and a bit of breakfast. But where to do that cheaply and well in Montréal? Turns out that one can find your not-so-run-of-the-mill greasy spoon breakfast on Rue Milton, west of Avenue du Parc, a charming little bistro called Le Place Milton (a photo of the interior included in tomorrow’s Flickr slideshow).
Following a great bacon and eggs petit-dejeuner, we hopped back on our Bixi, planning to head up to Mont Royal, when a thunderous rain storm came out of nowhere and just drenched us. Soaking wet (but warm), we made our way to our residence, changed and shot the following video …

Soon enough, though, the weather changed back to the expected hot and sunny conditions, and off we were on our Bixi to explore Montréal.
We headed over to Mont Royal (almost all up hill), but thought better of hiking up the mountain to see the sights, so - as our vacation wends to a satisfactory close - we decided to simply spend the late morning / afternoon riding around town, down the backstreets, the neighbourhoods and main thoroughfares, from Mont Royal in the north through to all the streets south to Rue Sherbrooke, from Rue Saint Denis to the quieter Rue Saint Urbain, to the bustling Rue Saint-Laurent, and finally ‘home’.
Of course, we stopped off for a cooling raspberry frappé, surfed the ‘Net on our iPhone, took in the sights, and enjoyed a momentary rest.
Late afternoon saw VanRamblings headed towards downtown, riding our Bixi south and west towards old Montréal. Early evening found us, once again, at Dunn’s Famous, where we supped on a smoked meat sandwich (they’re succulent and delicious). The remainder of our day, prior to taking to bed at night, was spent making preparations for our triumphant return to the west coast where, of course, convivial plans are already in the works for VanRamblings to be fêted by our many friends and supporters.
Come on back tomorrow for a preliminary Flickr slideshow presentation, with more than 70 photos, covering everywhere from old Montréal and Chinatown, to Schwarz’s Deli and Dunn’s Famous, and a great deal more.

Even prior to our leaving Vancouver, VanRamblings had set aside Monday, August 15th for our sojourn to Québec City. You’ll want to take the Flickr slideshow above to fullscreen mode to truly appreciate the travelogue.
Originally, we’d planned to stay overnight in Québec City, allowing us to roam to our heart’s content, but the ‘real life‘ considerations of which we have written previously played into our decision to make it a somewhat leaner visit than had previously been planned. In point of fact, though, we had an exceptionally good time, managing during our brief stay to take in everything we wanted to see, experiencing Québec City to its fullest.
We arose from an all-too-brief slumber at 5 a.m., made our way to the VIA Rail station by 6:30 a.m., boarding the train. By 7:10 a.m. were peacefully rolling on our way to Québec City for a 10:26 a.m. arrival time. The journey by train was uneventful, and relaxing (we just love train travel).
Upon our arrival and after disembarking from the train, we trudged up a very colline escarpée towards Rue Saint-Jean du Vieux Québec, closed off for pedestrians weekday evenings, weekends and holidays (although there were no vehicles on the rue during our midday visit). The warm, exquisite ambiance of the street allows passers-by to enjoy a unique shopping experience, while the many restaurants operate terraces which serve to showcase the 18th-century historical architectural to good advantage.
While exploring Vieux Québec, we overheard a couple planning a bus tour later in the day. Good idea! Next thing we knew, the Chateau Frontenac lay before our very eyes, and we were beckoned to book passage on an altogether comfy and air-conditioned 20-seat tour bus, as our garrulous driver / narrator Roland regaled us with enchanting tales of Vieux Québec.
During the two-hour tour, alighting at stops along the way, we visited l’Avenue Cartier, le Grande-Allée, La Citadel, le Vieux-Port du Québec, the Plains of Abraham, the Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame, the Quartier Petit Champlain, the Parliament Buildings, le Jardin Saint-Roch, le Fontaine de Tourny, le Parc de l’Artillerie, le Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, and more, many more sites! We were thrilled, and had a great time!
As far as possible, we covered most of what we experienced during our stay in Québec City with our Panasonic Lumix FZ-28, the results of which may be found in the Flickr slideshow at the top of today’s posting.

During our eight day stay in Québec, so as not to disappoint our constant reader, and to get all out of our vacation sojourn that we might, we have packed in as much as possible ‘to do’ during our time in la belle province.
St. Catherine’s Street. Check. Old Montréal. Check. Schwarz’s Deli and Dunn’s Famous. Check, and double-check. Montréal Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanique de Montréal). Covered that and Saint Denis already.
Basilique Notre-Dame. Well, kind of. Québec City. That’s coming today, with a report tomorrow. Mont Royal? Will ride my Bixi bike there on Tuesday. May, or may not, get to St. Joseph’s Oratory. Between trips on the Métro all over town and getting off at stations to explore various neighbourhoods, 8 – 10 kilometres of walking each day, bus rides galore, and now riding on my Bixi bike all over creation, for what is in reality a relatively brief stay in Québec, we believe we’ve covered a great deal and, overall, feel quite satisfied with what our experience of la belle province.
Sunday was the day we’d set aside for the Hop-On Hop-Off Double Decker Montréal Bus Tour, which would assure us that at least we’d get to most sites on our ‘must-see‘ list while visiting in Montréal. Alas it was not to be. We couldn’t get hold of the office either Saturday or Sunday, nor could we confirm a reservation online. C’est la vie; sometimes these things happen.
Instead, VanRamblings opted to ‘rent’ a Bixi bike (you may want to change the language at the top to English on the website) for a 72-hour period. Bixi is a public bicycle sharing system available in Montréal’s central core. Users rent a bike employing a ‘subscriber key’ obtained from a 24-hour a day touchscreen-operated pay station (employing a credit card): $5 for one day, $12 for three days, $28 per month or $78 annually.
A ‘no extra charge time period‘ covers the first 30 minutes on every individual trip. An unlimited number of such included trips are covered per subscription period. A trip that lasts longer than the ‘no-charge time period’ incurs additional charges, on an increasing price scale: $1.50 for an extra 30 minutes, $3 for 60-90 minutes, and $6 each subsequent 30-minute period (the increasing price scale is intended to keep the bikes in circulation). Given that there are 400+ stations, it doesn’t prove too much of an inconvenience to park your bike at a station, and after two minutes, recharge use of the bike for another 30-minute period at no extra charge.
Onto the travelogue portion of this Monday morning VanRamblings post.

Continue reading Montréal: In Which VanRamblings Travelogues For You →