I’m writing this on the way back from Montreal. We’re one short flight from home, and the end of another holiday. Despite Chuck having a cold that wouldn’t give up, we both had a great trip and we’re very much looking forward to returning next year. Today, we made one last walk down Rue St. Paul in the Old City and stopped for lunch at Gandhi – which has been one of our favorite Indian restaurants. This lunch visit didn’t change our view. Lunch is a bit more expensive than average (around $16 a person) but it’s a surprising quantity of food, so much that we regretted having such a large breakfast. That lunch will last us the rest of the day.
After lunch, it was time to head for the airport. We took a cab, so we had the most flexibility in departure time. It takes about 25 minutes or thereabouts from the Old City to the airport. We arrive about 2 hours before departure, which is generally absorbed by customs, folks gazing uncomprehendingly at the Northwest Airlines self-check-in terminals, etc.
We’re not exactly travel nerds, but I spent a few minutes constructing a list of things we’ll do differently next year when we return, and I thought I’d share it.
* Pack more wisely – over time, we’ve done well at honing our packing list to the essentials for the Montreal trip. But it can still use some work. I came with four button-down shirts – and wore only one of them to dinner. The rest of them, we were too casual to bother with them. I came with heavy mittens; two years ago, I needed them. This year, not so much. A second pair of lighter gloves would have been a nice addition in the suitcase. There’s always the shoe question. I brought casual black loafers, nice for all those button-down shirts, but not really the shoe for long (or even short walks) to restaurants. They got used once. My sturdy everyday shoes and my more rugged black boots were exactly what I needed.
* Wine – You’re allowed to bring up to two bottles of wine per person into Canada, provided it’s for personal consumption. Twice now, we’ve not brought wine, hoping we could get lucky at SAQ, the provincial alcohol stores. Twice, we’ve been disappointed. Wine selection isn’t that great off-the-shelf in Quebec, or so we’ve found. SAQ operates a number of different stores, and we’re told that SAQ Selection has the best variety of wine. But even then, you won’t find the variety you’d find in many wine stores in the US.
* More independent restaurants, fewer hotel restaurants. This is a standard rule of thumb if you’d like to save money. We booked this year with the intent of trying specific restaurants, as well as revisiting a few old favorites, and it so happened that we visited 3 hotel restaurants. They were somewhat more expensive, but each was one we sought out, and each was one we enjoyed. Next year, we’ve decided to try staying away from them as much as possible and explore more of the small, but celebrated, restaurants of Montreal. Either way, you can get a great meal, but at a hotel, the price for two climbs to $200 or more ($300 at Cube), whereas a restaurant like Brunoise or Cochon costs around $150, depending on your beverage choice. I also think we feel more comfortable with our (still very basic) knowledge of the city, and we’re more familiar with the Metro than before. So there’s every reason for us to explore the scene in The Plateau more than we have, for instance. That goes beyond restaurants, to shops, as well.
* Chinatown – we’ve walked through Chinatown often, but explored it little. I think 2007 will be the year that we change that. We’ve set a working goal of having one lunch and one dinner in Chinatown next year – that’s a lot given the limited number of days (and meals) available. Here’s an easy one: Christmas night. Most restaurants are closed, but many Chinese restaurants aren’t.
* Getting There. We continue to debate the best way to get to Montreal. There’s no doubt we love taking the train from Toronto to Montreal, however when you include the flight time to Toronto, that’s a lot of travel, and you inevitably arrive in Montreal in the evening, unless you’ve set aside a separate day to get to Toronto and stay overnight there. This is what we did in 2005, and that was a lot of fun. So the 2005 itinerary still resonates with us. But we’ve also considered flying directly from our home city to Montreal. There’s a connecting flight involved, but if we leave first thing in the morning, we can land in Montreal around 1pm, which gives us half the first day to enjoy the city.
I think what this comes down to is the value of “being there” versus the value of “getting there.” We like both experiences, so we’ll be weighing the method of transport this year, too.
A few things to think about, but all in all, a tremendous experience yet again in Montreal. Friendly people who enjoy life, and the spirit of Canada, which is truly a welcoming country. If you’ve not made the trip to Montreal, I highly recommend it, and I hope you’ll share your experiences!
Bon Chance!