After the typical American breakfast at La Quinta Plattsburgh We packed up our car again and set off towards Montreal, Canada. Just before merging onto Interstate I-87 N, we stopped at a Lowe's hardware store. While geocaching over the past few days, we'd often found small magnetic boxes, which are actually meant for storing house keys. We bought several different models and are looking forward to hiding them back in Germany.
After driving 37 kilometers north, we reached the Canadian border. The officer took his job very seriously and asked numerous questions about our origin, reason for traveling, and return journey. The thoroughness of the check was probably due to the low volume of border traffic.
Montreal: Olympic Park
Our first destination in Montreal was the Olympic Park. We quickly found a parking spot in the residential area and set off, in summery temperatures, towards the Olympic Stadium with its distinctive, leaning 175-meter-high tower. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time and wanted to see as much as possible as quickly as we could. However, that didn't even happen, because everything in the Olympic Park is closed on Mondays. On top of that, there was construction going on everywhere! The 38-year-old stadium certainly needed it. So, we just walked around the stadium, took a few pictures, and then continued on towards the city center.
The GPS completely misled us here, as the addresses it found were all wrong. We did manage to find our way downtown, though, and headed straight to the tourist information center. There we got a map and personalized advice, including a customized itinerary for our day in Montreal. Excellent service!
Montreal: Marie Reine du Monde Cathedral
First on our itinerary was the Marie Reine du Monde Cathedral. It's truly amazing, because it's a smaller version of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it, but it's true. Absolutely beautiful! Truly!
Montreal: Mont Royal
From Place Ville Marie and McGill University, we then made our way to the entrance of Mont Royal Park. The university is truly beautiful, idyllically situated on the edge of the mountain (Mont Royal). Then came the steep climb, as Mont Royal is 233 meters high and quite a climb. It was really strenuous, but that was probably due to the warm, humid weather. Once we reached the top, we were truly overwhelmed. The climb is definitely worth it, as the view is simply breathtaking. All the tourists are there, wanting to take your picture. You're constantly being asked if you can have your photo taken, but of course, you're perfectly polite.
Then we headed downhill again to our rental car. Our accommodation for the night was the BEST WESTERN PLUS Brossard. A nice hotel, even if it's a bit dated.
