It has been quite a while since I have spent time in Montreal, and this past weekend I was reminded of just how great a city it is. Rob and I arrived on Friday afternoon, and checked in to our hotel in Old Montreal. Our hotel, The Nelligan was highly recommended by Fiona, a hotel connoisseur of her own. Our room was on the fourth floor. It was large, and had a fireplace – A FIREPLACE!!! My day...no, our weekend was set. After unpacking, and yes turning on the fireplace for a few minutes we headed to St Catherine Street in search of a practical pair of boots for Rob. On route we of course each picked up a hot drink from Starbucks to keep our fingers and stomachs warm.
Although it has only been a few years since Rob spent a frigid winter in Calgary, he and his feet seemed to have forgotten the impact that cold pavement, snow and slush can have on ones toes. We headed straight for The Bay, and Rob walked out wearing a new pair of Timberland boots - a side note, when did Timberland re brand itself and start making very stylish boots? I too ended up buying a fabulous pair of Timberland boots from Holt Renfrew...how can I call myself the Fashion Packer when I had no idea that Timberland had expanded beyond those beige lace up boots?
We went to a few more stores, picked up a few Christmas gifts and navigated our way back to the hotel. We treated ourselves to a glass of proseco and were soon joined by Heather and Lou, who would be our partners in crime for the remainder of the weekend.
Rob's birthday was this past Sunday, and I was determined to take him to Montreal's best steak restaurant to do a little pre-celebrating. I had spoken with a few different people, and the one restaurant that kept reappearing on the list of must-eat places was La Queue de Cheval. A reservation was made, and the restaurant did not disappoint. I, for the first time ever, ordered steak and enjoyed every minute of it. Max, our waiter was thorough and didn't leave out any detail. The portions were large and the quality of the meat fantastic. We ordered broccoli, and we were literally served the whole head of broccoli. The baked potatoes were the biggest potatoes that I have ever seen. The food was good and the company was even better. It was a great evening.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at Eggspectations at an old haunt of ours, which we used to spend many a Sunday morning at in Ottawa. In fact I think I have praised this breakfast joint in a previous blog. We had breakfast and were on our merry way. We made our way back to St Catherines and this was the moment where the boys went one way, and we went another. Wise choice boys. The boys spent the afternoon in Les 3 Brasseurs, while we did as we use to do best, we ran Saturday errands.
We met back at the hotel in the early evening for proseco round 2, and then had dinner at a local Italian restaurant. The restaurant would perhaps not make my top ten list, or even my top 20, but it was near by and did the trick. We left Heather and Lou at the hotel to enjoy a quiet night in, while we headed to the hottest ticket in town on this particular evening - UFC - GSP vs. Koscheck. While UFC is not really my cup of tea, I am a sucker for any sporting event which involves a passionate hometown crowd and the Bell Centre did not dissapoint. We arrived in time to see a few under cards, which too featured Canadians - all of whom seem to be boosted by a combination of Canadian flags, and loud cheers. It i safe to say that the noise level in the Bell Centre on this particular night, especially as GSP made his grand entrance, would easily compete with the excitement during a game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Thankfully the hometown boy won, and the disliked Pittsburgh native redeemed himself by thanking the fans for creating a great atmosphere.
Sunday morning we drove to Ottawa, a city that is close to my heart. We spent a couple of hours in the city, before boarding the bus back to airport... The airport and flight experience was interesting...the topic of another blog perhaps...although I have a feeling that Rob may tackle this particular one....
Adieu Montréal. A bientot.
http://www.queuedecheval.com/
www.hotelnelligan.com
http://www.timberland.com/
www.ufc.com
www.les3brasseurs.com
www.holtrenfrew.com
No comments:
Post a Comment