Montreal/Quebec (4/29/2010 - 5/2/2010)

Here's a quick rundown of the Montreal/Quebec trip (skip to the end for pictures)...


Thursday, 4/29

Galen and I took an early (6:10 AM) flight to Montreal via Chicago.  After arriving, we took the 747 Express bus into town and found our hotel - Le Cantlie.  After checking in we walked to a nearby bakery/cafe for lunch.  Next, we wandered around the block, eventually ending up at the Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde.  After that we wandered up Mont Royal before heading back to the hotel for a nap.  Later in the evening we walked over to Rue Crescent for dinner and drinks at Sir Winston Churchill Pub.


Friday, 4/30

Around 9 AM we picked up the rental car we had reserved the day before and drove to Québec City.  Once we arrived in the city, we didn't know where the hotel (Manoir Victoria) was, so I used Google Maps on my phone to find it, even though I knew it would result in outrageous international data use charges.  After checking in we walked to a nearby crepe joint for lunch.  After eating, we dropped our leftovers off at the hotel then walked around Old Quebec to the Citadelle, and then down the Promenade des Gouverneurs.  We stopped at a hat shop, where Galen bought a new "shepherd's hat" while the elderly couple who owned the place talked our ears off.  We next stopped at St. Patrick Irish Pub, but left after only one drink since they sat us in the dungeon-looking lower level, before heading back to hotel for a nap.  Later we went back out to Pub Saint-Alexandre and caught the end of the Montreal/Pittsburgh hockey playoff game.  After that we walked down Rue Saint-Jean (which had been teeming with activity during the day), but couldn't find more lively nightlife.  So we walked back to hotel, then back out to the Grand Allée area, which had barely more bustle.  We tried to get into a club but we had no cash (for the cover charge) and the ATM did not work for me, so we settled for a lounge/bar next door.  We headed back after a couple of drinks.


Saturday, 5/1

We had brunch at a restaurant next to the hotel then checked out, while leaving our bags in storage.  We then check out the Musée de la Civilisation, then stopped for a snack before heading back to the hotel.  We drove back to Montreal, but arrived at the car rental place after it had closed - a "manifestation" (protest demonstration) caused a lot of traffic while getting into and around the city.  So we drove back to the hotel (and parked the car there overnight) and checked in.  We walked out to Crescent for dinner at an Italian restaurant, then back to the hotel for some rest/studying.  We headed back to Winston Churchill's on Crescent later that night.


Sunday, 5/2

Galen started the morning off by returning the car and then going for a 10 mile run up and around Mont Royal...while I slept.  Later on we took the Metro to Old Montreal and checked out the Basilique Notre Dame (which was awesome) and a bit of the port area.  We had lunch on Place Jacques Cartier, where I sampled the Poutine Franky (which combines the Quebec traditional foods of poutine and smoked meat for a heart attack inducing meal).  After that we walked to a bar on St. Laurent to watch the first part of the Canadiens-Penguins game before heading back to the hotel for a nap.  In the evening we walked down to the Métropolis, with a quick stop for dinner, for the Jónsi concert, then back to the hotel.


Monday, 5/3

We traveled back to St. Louis.