On the move in Montreal

4 hours later we arrived in to Montreal and checked in to our cool hostel, Alexandrie. We were greeted and informed about the city. Due to booking direct we were asked to roll two dice - whatever the total we rolled was the percentage discount we were given off the bill - fun idea! For tea we cooked pasta, using a bag of ingredients as though competing in ready steady cook. We are slowly growing accustomed to the idea of making a meal with as few ingredients as possible, back to student times. Everyone else is also cooking a staple of stir fry, salad, pasta or rice.

In the morning we joined 'H', one of the hostel staff, for a free walking tour of the city. This was a great ice breaker to start up conversations with other travellers. As we walked through the 'plateau' area, we were informed of the reason why many of the houses have stairs outside leading to the front door (to create more space inside so that there can also be a front garden). We passed through fontaine park and met the local white squirrel. First pit stop was st viateur for a popular smoked salmon bagel. We then wandered down the leafy back alleys in the Portuguese area before picking up a Portuguese custard tart - so tasty! 'H' explained that house prices in the area have risen due to popular demand - a friend can pass on the contract to a fellow friend to keep the rent at the same price, otherwise if rented to a new tenant the landlord can increase the price to what they want, meaning people that have been living in the area for a long time could be paying half of what a newcomer might pay! The group then took the bus up to Mont Royal, a lookout over the city. After group photos we walked back down, passing a huge steel cross (an early attempt to convert everyone to Christianity). Back in downtown the group split and a few of us proceeded to the Barbie exhibition on the recommendation of H. Row upon row of Barbies from every nation, including celebrities and royals of course! After a quick pose in a Barbie box, we continued on to explore old town, visiting the Notre Dame cathedral. What a building!! The interior was decorated in dazzling blue and purple and you couldn't help but gawp at the stained glass and intricate detail of the walls and ceilings - even Hugo was impressed! We strolled through the pretty streets, passing a wedding and stopping for a 2 for 1 drink with live saxophone. On the way back to the hostel we came across a stage in jardin gamblin and paused to listen to a brass band/rap mix.

In the evening we joined a queue of locals to sample 'poutine' (chips, cheese curds and gravy) from ma poule mouillee, a Portuguese chicken joint. Their version of poutine had spicy sauce, grilled peri peri chicken and chorizo, a la Nandos. As the delicious smell entered our nostrils, we patiently waited 40 minutes to get our huge foil dish, safe to say we didn't make it back to the hostel without digging in. Even back at the hostel there was enough for seconds, attracting jealous stares from across the hostel table. With our new group of fellow hostellers, including a Brazilian, several Germans, an American and a fellow Brit, we learned a new version of wist, 'hearts'.

Next morning we helped ourselves to a round of free cinnamon toast and fruit salad. Along with Sam, the guy from the UK (also an engineer), we hired bikes from the hostel and went out on a city tour. We cycled by the river (along a street named rue rufus rockhead?!), passing by a photo shoot complete with model and classic car, a mummy strollercise class in the park, and the canal, before stopping by Atwater market. Huge pumpkins filled the outdoor space in front of the indoor market. We spent several minutes deliberating what pastries to buy from a fancy 'Pat Val' style bakery (selecting several resulting in a fancy tied box!). We continued on past 'Habitat 67', a freeform residential block structure, before arriving on Ile Notre Dame (built using earth excavated from the building of the city metro). Here the Olympic basin can be found, which was used for rowing and canoeing events in the '76 Olympic Games. The F1 track also circles the island, and much to Hugo's delight is open to the public to cycle along (off he went, leaving me behind). As we pulled in to a bike rack to admire the beach, we spotted a snake wrapped around the base! Hugo then spotted a brown creature darting across the path in to a big tree. We went in for a closer look and found a little creature popping it's head out of the hole. Sam must have thought we were mad as we took several pictures of the animal, at first thinking it was a beaver but later being informed it was a marmot. Still, a cute critter! On to Ile Sainte Helene where we momentarily stopped at the impressive biosphere, only to learn that the metal structure did not contain acrylic panels (a sigh of disappointment from the engineers!). We pedalled back to the hostel, although I did miss a turning, separating me from the other two. I unwittingly passed them by and Hugo had to pedal double time to catch up and redirect.

After our meal (and realising Sam was another Luke when it came to portions), we strolled down with Laura, one of the German girls, to the world press photo exhibition. Lots of impressive images and stories captured, although sadly many reflecting the conflict within and between countries. On the way back we looked left down a street to be met with a huge projection of a panda and then the sugar puff monster full size on a skyscraper. Curious, we went to take a look, however just as we neared the base of the tower, the credits started rolling. A strange encounter! Eager not to miss the Sangria night promised at the hostel we headed back. After a couple of cupfulls and then missing the deadline for picking up extra alcohol from the liquor stores, we proceeded to join in a game of beer pong with a group of Germans and a Danish couple. Not wanting to end the night, we headed out with the group plus Alexandre, one of the hostel staff (cheeriest guy on the planet), to a bar in the gay village with a sky terrace. Upon joining the queue and realising I had forgotten my ID, we had to double back to the hostel to pick it up - oops! Alexandre also forgot his - they use their medical cards over here as ID. Anyhow the night ended with the exchange of tongue twisters in all our various languages and the sharing of a large pizza at 3am.

On our final day in Montreal we hopped on the metro to check out the L'avenue gourmande food festival - good decision! For 3 dollars each we sampled arancini rice balls and then went back for fried dough balls in nutella from the shop 'Mr Puff' - amazing! We then made our way down mont royal street nipping in to shops offering free samples. One place called 'cool and simple' offered only freezer food but was like a waitrose equivalent - a good idea we thought! We went in to a fancy chocolate shop and it was here that I made a vital mistake - responding to bonjour with bonjour. The guy at the sample table proceeded to explain the ingredients and taste of a type of chocolate drop in French, however there was not enough of a pause to say 'en anglais', meaning I had to do some convincing head nods to his spiel and cross my fingers that he wouldn't ask me a question. Hugo found the situation all too amusing and wandered off to avoid giving me away. The guy must have thought I was very expressionless or deaf - we made haste asap! After filling up on samples we wandered around the old town and I refreshed my aching feet in one of the fountains. We knew about an event named 'le super mega continental' happening at 4pm and so after getting off at the wrong metro, we walked quickly behind a man with a rat on his shoulder to arrive 5 minutes late at place des festivals. A big crowd had gathered to watch the event - 375 people doing a dance routine to mark the 375th anniversary of Montreal as a city! For half an hour the dancers performed a perfectly in sync show with about a billion steps - people from all backgrounds, including some who would not immediately strike you as dancers if you know what I mean. Fabulous! As the crowds parted we rested on the steps, amused by a group of Buddhists dressed in white and hugging each other, and by an incredibly fast crawling baby.

In the evening we caught the metro with Sam up to the botanical gardens for the Chinese lantern display. All other residents of Montreal must also have had the same idea because we queued for over 40 minutes! Although the huge wave of people did not harmonise with the intentionally peaceful setting, the lanterns were really impressive! People gawped at the reflections of the huge blue dragon lantern in the dark waters of the pond. We got back to the hostel in time to pick up our rucksacks and head to the bus stop for our overnight megabus to Toronto (not the coach we expect of in the UK, but a cramped double decker!).Läs mer