Summers past--our first trip to Montreal part 2

Day 3

We walked around Rue St-Catherine and the Underground city. The Underground city was huge! Something like 3 stories of shopping from the ground down! Window shopping was the main activity of the day although I managed to get a few items here and there. Lunch at Schwartz’s was a bus ride away. There was such a long line! For a corned beef sandwich? Really?! We stood in line for 30 minutes before we finally got inside the store. This had better be good! Hubby really liked the smoked meat and I was on the neutral side. I bought some Montréal steak spices, though, to take home. The sandwiches were huge and the meat was tender and very tasty.  Spices encrusted the edge of each slice of meat. I can see why this is an institution, a must-go-to place when you are in town.

After more walking around, we had dinner at this Thai restaurant at the mall. A friend recommended this and it was good, indeed! However, I wouldn’t say it was better than some of my favorite Thai places in Toronto.

Day 4

Breakfast was at St-Viateur bagel on the day we left because what is a Montréal experience without bagels? There is something about Montréal bagels that I think would make you a loyalist. No other bagel would be good enough after you’ve tried one. I guess this is how New Yorkers feel about their bagels, too.

Before heading home, we passed by St Joseph’s oratory. Such a beautiful church! By the time we found a parking spot, it was already DD-1’s nap time. So, hubby pushed the stroller up the hill and was panting by the time we got to the top of the church. Praying for strength took on a literal meaning! It would have helped if we had stopped to ask if there was another way to get to the top. Because on the way down, we saw there were escalators and elevators. Oh well. We would have to think of it as burning off all the poutine we had eaten! We lit some candles in the prayer room. There were probably thousands of crutches on the walls, presumably from all those who came and were healed. We also checked out Brother Andre’s house and got some holy oil and water to bring home.

The ride home was pleasantly uneventful. We came back with less stuff than we had brought in the beginning (well, less diapers, milk and baby food). We did have more memories and a wonderful birthday trip. J'ai adoré Montréal.

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