Montreal trip day 2! July 26, 2017
Day 2 in Montreal was jam packed, and the hardest part was that I had no idea how to dress! Here’s the thing- when you’re living in Austin and it’s 103 degrees every day in the summer, you pretty much know how to dress for that. And it also distorts other weather for you. If it’s 100 here and 72 there, will I be… hot? Will I be cold? Is 72 cold??
I definitely did not pack well enough. I brought most of the clothes from my San Antonio trip, which was laughably stupid. I literally brought three sleeveless tops, and it was 65 each day when I woke up. I saw a woman wearing a down jacket one day!
68 degrees is summer to a Canadian and winter to a central Texan!!
Started the day off with a little hotel room selfie. We ate breakfast in the hotel, and then headed out for our walking tour. We each got Le Americain breakfast special, which I found funny. I guess we were taking our time and wading into the Quebec waters slowly!
The walking tour was in the heart of Montreal’s OLD TOWN, which is the most historic section of Montreal. It was a stunningly beautiful, confusingly chilly summer day.
Here are my pics from the walking tour! —
Look at this cool ferris wheel! It wasn’t open, sadly. Reminded me of the opening credits of BBC’s Sherlock.
And here is my aunt and me in front of an old church.
After our two hour tour, we wandered around a very touristy district which was closed off to cars. We got lunch at a little cafe with windows that were wide open to let all of the nice summer air in, and I had a cappuchino. Then we went to some little shops.
I was very charmed by everything being in French, and my aunt was reminded of her trip to Paris. There’s an emphasis on everything being cute and pretty and little.
Then we went back to the hotel to relax and get ready for our night.
We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant!
I tried ice cidre, which is my new obsession. It is made from apples that freeze on the tree in their cold winters, and they make cider or wine that way. It was extremely sweet, and I loved it.
However, my dinner wasn’t so great. The waiter was very excited for me to order this dish, and it was prepared by a contestant on Canada’s Iron Chef. But it was very weird. I think that’s a big part of travel- trying new things, eating like a local as much as you can, and accepting that the food is going to be VERY different from what you’re used to. This dish was about as far from an Austin taco as you can get!
Grilled cucumbers (whaaaat), rye bread crumbs, rock hard snap peas, homemade squishy pasta, and a pea puree. Hmm… My aunt’s dish was delicious though, and we’re always down to share!
JUST FOR LAUGHS COMEDY FEST:
My aunt and I got all dressed up and walked over to the Bell Center where Jerry Seinfeld and Gad Elmaleh were performing. We had talked to the girl at the front desk about directions, and she had mentioned she was going to the show as well. She had NO IDEA WHO JERRY SEINFELD WAS, which is just bonkers to me. But then again, we didn’t know about Gad, who is probably the most famous French-speaking comic on Earth. Funny how that works out.
We had great seats, which we were so excited about!
We took better selfies in the theater, but I like this one the best because my aunt is clearly very excited about our proximity to Jerry. 😁
The theater was SO full. It was only half the usual size of the Bell Center, but people were packed in to the ceiling, literally. We got there early, so it was pretty fun to watch the auditorium go from empty to brimming with comedy fans.
Jerry and Gad came out at around 8:20, and they have a great energy and banter together. You could tell they tour together. I was surprised that Jerry went first- I mean, he’s one of the most successful comedians on the planet, and he basically opened for Gad. His act was great. He really is a master of observational comedy. The best stuff was about his wife and kids, like how his life with his wife is essentially a game show he’s always losing called ‘Are You Even Listening to Me?’ I did roll my eyes at a few of the jokes, which were probably geared towards some of the 60 year olds in the audience. He had a whole bit about how dumb it is that people hang out in coffee shops and how he doesn’t understand mocha-choka lattes. Yikes. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard a mocha-choka joke on every sitcom made by the grandpa character since 2002. But most of Jerry’s act was hysterical and he was surprisingly physical. It was incredible to watch.
Gad was incredible as well. I watched some of his stuff online beforehand, and at first it was very disconcerting because he was speaking to a different section of the audience than Jerry had. He was joking in French, speaking quickly, making references we didn’t understand… And then he opened it up. His stuff was a lot more modern and fresh than Jerry’s, with jokes about online dating in NYC and being famous in France but nowhere else, and girls on Instagram. I am definitely a fan of Gad now.
END OF THE NIGHT:
Back in my hotel room, I was hungry from not eating a ton at dinner. I ordered room service and put on the movie Edge of Seventeen, which I’d never seen and was available on Canadian Netflix. I ordered the French Onion soup and another glass of ice wine. Both were super good! I normally don’t eat bread or butter in my life at home, but quite obviously I couldn’t say no while in Montreal. They take their bread seriously, like the French do.
I took a shower and worked out in my room, which was a dumb idea after drinking all that ice cider. I was racing the clock to get to bed at a better hour. I was practically falling asleep during our walking tour because of my night owl habits the night before (not because the tour was boring. Although he did point out a LOT of courthouses. A LOT.)
Montreal Day 3 goes up tomorrow!
-Taylor
TAYLOR DOROTHY 