Countryside
As Renato and Dennis had a rental car, we decided to make a road trip out of Montréal and into the Quebec countryside, towards the US border. There, Quebec starts to become anglophone, and has a rich history between the US and Canada. Some of the towns there were founded by English loyalists, who were […] Read More
Piknic Electronik
It’s an institution on Sundays, on Île Ste. Helene in the middle of the St. Laurent river. Piknic Electronik, a Montreal outdoor party tradition with DJs playing house, techno music and other genres. It is held in Park Jean Drapeau from May through to September, right underneath a massive modern art metal sculpture, with a view […] Read More
Over eaters
Lisa, Brian, Marisa and I started the day in a cute diner on Mont Royal: Beauty’s Luncheonette, a Montréal institution since 1942. While waiting for our table, we chatted with the host, a 94-old weasel who made sure everyone was seated. He had passed on the torch of cooking to his son long ago, but he’s probably […] Read More
Coral Egan
We wanted to walk to the Botanical Garden in Montréal, close to Renato & Dennis’ place. Alas, it started to drizzle when we walked over, not much, but enough to exclude any outdoor activity. So we hesitated between the other, nearby attractions like the planetarium and the BioDome. However, all the parents with kids headed for […] Read More
Vieux Montréal
Renato, Dennis, Declan and I visited the old part of town, Vieux Montréal, around the cathedral. It’s an interesting mix of styles, really old smaller buildings, interspersed with more modern ones, e.g. from the 19th century. Cobblestone streets remind you of Europe, and of the age of this city, which is one of the oldest […] Read More
Canada Day
Happy Canada Day! On 1st of July, Canada celebrates itself with parades, fireworks and a lot of other events. The day is the anniversary of the enactment of the British North America Act in 1867, which united three Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick -into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Truth is, that it was […] Read More
Beat Market
The Jazz festival really brings far more musical styles into Montreal than just Jazz. Monday night, after a sleepy day in the park and a stop in a bar to watch the German team playing Algeria in the World cup, I went downtown to meet Joel and Greg to watch a couple of the free […] Read More
Les tam-tam du Mont-Royal
I spent Sunday afternoon in the park on Mont Royal, at the Tam Tam festival… Hundreds of people gather there every Sunday during the summer months, to listen and dance to tam tam players, hang out on the greens, drink, smoke, or dance to the electronic DJ close to the gazebo. It is a pretty […] Read More
Montreal overload
I am so tired. I fell like I haven’t even unpacked fully yet and I am in the middle of party central. The past days have been intense… I met up with Joel and Brandon again on Friday night, and we went to the so-called Village éphémère, on the St. Laurent River front. It is […] Read More
Festival du Jazz
By coincidence, I came just in time for the opening of the 35th Festival International du Jazz de Montréal. From June 26th to July 6th, the city is buzzing. Two million visitors are expected, among them half a million tourists… Hundreds of concerts will happen over the course of two weeks, and I can hardly […] Read More