When last I posted, I was coming to the end of visiting friends in Toronto - which was more like being part of everyday life - and was about to resume more touristy travel in Quebec City & Montreal.
It was lots of fun! I had few expectations or impressions going in - I knew QC was famously historic, that Montreal also had some historic elements, and that both cities were largely French-speaking. That’s about all the prep I did.
My friend and I stayed inside Quebec City’s historic walls, up on a very steep (and defensible) cliff, and it was truly spectacular in its beauty.
We didn’t have any specific plans, and did a LOT of walking - 10 miles per day for a couple of days, easily. Ouch my legs ached on all those cobblestones! We took a walking tour, traveled by ferry across the river, went up the cliff in the funicular, ate some really great food, and just enjoyed meandering.
Then Sue went home and I traveled by train for some solo time in Montreal. I’d done a small bit of homework - I reserved a hotel about a 45-minute walk from the downtown city, in the neighborhood called the Plateau, and I booked a food tour. I really really really enjoyed rambling around Montreal.
There are murals just EVERYWHERE, and since I was there at the tail end of summer, I could enjoy the several city streets that are pedestrian-only boulevards from June through early Sept. Lots of the neighborhood streets showcased yards with interesting art and gardens, and I loved the Montreal-specific housing with exterior stairs sweeping up to the 2nd-level units.
I enjoyed the food tour, and also just happened to stumble onto some other great food on my own.
The city itself is unmistakeable a very urban space, and I’m so glad most of my time was in the neighborhoods instead.
I’m super happy I experienced both cities. As for recommendations, I think everyone should go to QC at least once, but I feel like it can be one and done. Montreal feels like it’s got a lot to offer to a repeat visitor, and I hope to go back again. In fact I’m already fantasizing about spending maybe a month there, in a sunny apartment in the Plateau, but that’ll probably have to wait until my NEXT sabbatical!
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