The designer of Montrel’s Notre Dame Basilica was so moved by the result of his work he converted to Catholicism. © Tourisme Montréal, Stéphan Poulin
Dear International Living Reader,
A quest for warmth led us to a tour of Montreal’s Notre Dame Basilica, completed in 1829. Inspired by Paris’ Sainte-Chapelle–though truly cathedral in scale–it boasts soaring, vaulted ceilings hand painted with stars and stained-glass windows depicting scenes from Montreal’s social and religious history. An Irish protestant from New York designed the church and was so moved by the structure he converted to Catholicism.
Sufficiently thawed, we once again donned hats and gloves to wind our way over salt-encrusted sidewalks, past high-end galleries, by a sushi bar, a Thai restaurant, a French bistro, a fur and leather shop, to the silver-domed Bonsecours Market, built in 1847 as Montreal’s City Hall. Today it is heated… and home to a long, light-filled hallway of boutiques showcasing the wares of Quebec artists and artisans–delicate hand-blown glassware, fine silver jewelry, Province-inspired table linens, and these hideous tree trunks into which lifelike lizards had been painstakingly carved (the highlight of my three-year-olds’ day, mind you).
We might have lunched there at one of the three restaurants–all packed with local businessmen–but we’d passed a creperie several blocks away and, craving a bit of La France on these American shores, we headed there instead.
Aux Delices du Vieux Montreal ("delicacies of Old Montreal") lives up to its name. A dozen small tables fill this one-room café where the Laurentienne Crepes–ham, cheese, asparagus, and béchamel–flop over large plates and warm you from the inside out. With a view of Rue St. Paul through white lace café curtains, we happily sipped the house wine (C$3.75 a glass) and watched the locals brave the cold. We could have ordered any number of dessert crepes–from Nutella-filled to Suzette. But sufficiently sated, we paid our check for C$36 (US$27) and headed out. (Aux Delices du Vieux Montreal, 3 rue St. Paul Est, tel. (514) 874-1984).
Dinner proved just as satisfying. We dined in elegance–crisp white linens, flickering candles, waiters in black tie–fireside in the crowded front room at the Restaurant du Vieux Port, housed in a building that bunked sailors in the 1880s. It may be cold this time of year, but the weather isn’t keeping the locals home for dinner. With reason. My husband’s grilled lamb, served with mashed potatoes and veggies all but melted on the tongue. And my filet was cooked pink, just the way I asked for it. Our kiddo antsy, we skipped dessert. But the French truffles delivered with the check satisfied the urge for a sweet. All told, the bill came to C$95 (US$75) for dinner, wine included. (Restaurant du Vieux Port, 39 St. Paul Est, tel. (514) 866-3175).
We’ll go back this summer or next to spend time in the city’s vast and–as the photos in the tourist brochures attest–flower-filled gardens and parks. If you’re looking for an excuse to do the same, the annual Montreal International Jazz Festival is scheduled for June 30-July 11, 2004. And the Just for Laughs Festival–which locals raved about on three separate occasions–is on the calendar for July 15-25, 2004.
Jennifer Stevens
Contributing Editor, International Living
P.S. Though I speak French… I really don’t need it here. Everywhere we go, people launch into English willy-nilly–perhaps our furless hats mark us as visitors. In well-touristed France, lots of locals speak English, too, though most often with reticence. Here in Montreal they do so with a smile. It’s an easy place to visit. And worth it for a taste of Europe so close to home–even in the dead of winter.
Editor’s note: You can meet Jennifer in person–along with our roving editor Steenie Harvey, and a whole host of well-known guest speakers–when they gather in Paris this May or Chicago this June for our next two live Travel Writing Workshops. The Early Sign Up Discount expires today–to reserve your seat and get your discount, go here now.
