A busy first full day in Montreal!
We got up quite early this morning, just after 6am, and then realized we were in Eastern time which meant we had slept in past nine :). We got up and made ourselves ready and then went breakfast hunting.
Around 10am we found Eggspectation which had been recommended to us by the hostess at the Irish Embassy last night. The building was a remodelled brick factory building done up in a faux-retro pseudo hipster style but was comfortable and the food was good. I had a nice big omelette and Sharon had a Montreal bagel with cream cheese!
When we were done we had a couple of hours to kick around before Mimi was to meet us, so we headed back to Rue Sainte-Catherine to see it in the daylight. Still not too bustling before noon, we wandered by many trendy shops, bars and the usual big name franchises, but didn’t pop in anywhere.
Upon consulting our map, though, we did decide to wander down Rue Peel, past the Square Dorchester and the Place du Canada to the Cathedral of Marie-Reine-du-Monde (Mary, Queen of the World). This fantastic structure is apparently a 1/4 scale replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Giant vaulted ceilings, spiral columns, historical paintings, stained glass, statuary, great organ, and a large ciborium, all command your attention. An awe-inspiring walk through a magnificent structure.
A little further down Rue Sainte-Catherine, we found another church – Christ Church Cathedral – which is under some renovation but still open to the public. Another great space, this Anglican cathedral is gothic revival impressively framed by the KPMG building behind its traditional steeple.
We were just wandering into Phillips Square when Mimi texted us to say she was done and ready to meet us. We 180’d back along Rue Sainte-Catherine to Rue Guy, found the Redisdence for the Grey Nuns where youth were swarming nearby busses, swam up the current of rolling suitcases and swinging duffle bags and found our daughter making her way out with her gear. We were happy to see her!
We also found Mandy among the crowd and between the two of them we had a quick run down of the conference and the trip across the country to get here (see Mimi’s blog for more on this). Everyone seemed in good spirits and the adventure appears to have been a success.
We walked back to the hotel where Mimi was happy to unpack, lie down for a bit on a real bed, and give us a bit more of a run-down on how the Rendez-Vous conference went. Then, seduced by hot water, she disappeared to the bathroom.
Sharon and I left her to relax and made our way back up to Rue Sainte-Catherine again to find an Ossoyus wine at the SAQ Express and some decadent looking chocolates at Juliette and Chocolat to take with us to Rosemére.
Back in our room we huddled around the computer to try to determine the best route out to Mimi’s host family from her exchange program last summer – Mimi really wanted us to experience the train trip that she often made into town and plotted out our route. We chatted and relaxed for the short remaining time before leaving for the Metro.
Just after 3:30pm we made our way east to Station Lucien-L’Allieir and after figuring out the kind of pass we needed we boarded the next north bound train. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been on a subway! The ride was comfortable and seemed fairly quick. But not quick enough, however – when we arrived at Station de la Concorde we discovered that our train had already passed through. So we popped down to the street, found a convenience store and called a cab.
Close to 5:30pm we arrived at Véro’s beautiful home and for the first time met the family who had hosted our daughter for six weeks last summer. Sylvain and Gilberte met us at the door, and then Vincent and Audrey, and finally Véro who had just gotten home from work – she’s stuffing stuffed animals this summer 🙂
Big hugs all around and Mimi and Véro were very happy to finally meet each other – after hearing so many things about each other from their opposite’s parents, living in each other’s rooms and exploring their respective neighbourhoods, it was fun to watch them make the last connection. Not surprisingly they hit it off very well and conversed and sustained translations for us all for the next four hours.
And it was a really fun four hours! We quickly found humour in our respective struggles to make ourselves understood, our daughters clearly in command of the situation, and any apprehension of awkwardness vanished instantly. We had a tour of their lovely house and saw where Mimi had been sleeping, eating, and generally hanging out with her friends.
Then we had a magnificent dinner on the back patio, Sylvain barbequed two kinds of sausage, chicken and vegetables and we enjoyed very fresh bread (with waves of nostalgia for Mimi), corn chips and salsa, and many types of drinks (including four samples of Québec beers!). The conversations just continued to roll as we remembered some of the experiences that stood out for us last year, and recounted stories of things that have happened since (Véro’s been to Mexico and Costa Rica!).
As it began to get dark, we moved inside and Sylvain surprised us all with home-made donuts – Mimi nearly melted to see one of her favourite treats brought out. As we dipped these delicacies in icing sugar the conversation turned to the possibility of shopping for Mimi’s prom dress while we are in town. Gilberte, Vero and Audrey were all happy to help out! Phones and tablets were marshalled to the cause and Mimi now has some serious leads to follow. This conversation then easily morphed into an insider’s set of recommendations for things to see and do while in the city. We’ll never see everything! But we have some wonderful options to choose from.
We wrapped up our visit around 9:30pm but had the pleasure of Véro’s family’s company a little while longer as they generously drove us down to the Montmorency Metro station. Mimi and Véro chatted about their experiences of various landmarks along the way, with ice cream seeming to be a recurring theme.
Finally it was time to say au revoir to the wonderful people who had looked after our daughter so well for most of last summer, and to our “host daughter” who seems to be happy and thriving as she prepares for her next adventure! We had a lovely evening and Mimi remarked how wonderful it had been to have had everyone together who had been a part of that experience. It was like putting the whole story together. And we also had a bag of bread and donuts for our stay in Montreal!
From the Montmorency Metro it was smooth sailing back to the hotel where we looked at some options for tomorrow, sorted out our sleeping arrangements, and prepared to retire. A full day but a fun one with some very happy family time among new friends.
