"Qui vivra verra" a widely used proverb in French that translates to "She/He who lives, shall see". This quote is often used to describe moments that are unpredictable in life.
Such was this trip of mine to Montreal, back in the summer of 2019. When covid had yet to control our travel plans. What prompted this unforeseen trip across Canada was my love for Shawn Mendes and my newfound adult recklessness. Tired of working a dead end job in retail, I thought it was time to take a break. I came across a Shawn Mendes concert promotion happening over the weekend in Montreal and without thinking anything through I purchased my first ever concert tickets in the August of 2019.
Living in Victoria, Vancouver Island, it took me seven hours to fly to Montreal, Quebec. Luckily, I was in touch with a college friend who had moved to Montreal early in 2019. She happily came to receive me at the Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and allowed me to stay with her for the two nights. Seeing a familiar face in a busy city provided me a sense of calm and relief that I did not know I needed. All the signs at the airport and metro stations were in French. The announcements were in French as well as in English. However, it was difficult getting around without having proper fluency in French. The people I met in the public transit buses would often ask me basic questions that I could not answer because they only spoke French. My friend Kiran would step in during such moments and save me from embarrassing myself. It felt like I was in a different world altogether. Having a friend who was familiar with the city life and the language surely proved to be a plus.
I had 3 days to explore this city and I decided that the best way to do so was via Airbnb Experiences. I found two hosts for the two days I was in Montreal. One was a freelance photographer who worked for a beauty magazine in the day and spent his time off showing tourists around Montreal along with capturing breath-taking photographs of them. Below are some of my photos that the talented Giuseppe took for me. He likes to be called by his pet name "Peppe"- which is a short form for his Italian name Giuseppe. He showed me around Old Montreal whilst talking about its history. I had the rest of the day to myself which I spent strolling around the city and taking in all the beautiful landscape and gothic architecture that this city had to offer.
The second host for the second day was an Austrian college student at McGill University. Leander was well acquainted with what Montreal had to offer. Hence, it was easy for him to pick places of interest for me and an American family- both of us had booked him for the same hour turning the tour into an interesting group tour. He started us with a long stroll across downtown, pointing out the oldest buildings, visiting ancient cathedrals and an old bank vault that turns into a bar during the night. Mount Royal was our last stop. The view from the top of this mountain was stunning. A perfect place to picture the skyline of this city. After his tour ended I took a short 20 minute walk from the Mount Royal Park to the Bell Centre where I witnessed my first ever live concert. Shawn Mendes was undoubtedly the epitome of ethereal. The best experience of my life. The Bell Centre was massive and the concert was definitely worth every penny. It lasted till midnight but I left early since I was travelling alone and did not wish to miss my last train home.
The next day I woke up to a clanking noise which persisted for a while. My friend Kiran offered me some tea and talked about how the noise has been a regular guest since a week. Summer in Montreal is construction time. So you might bump into traffic, road blocks and get annoyed with the clanking noise that comes hand in hand with construction. The last day in Montreal I spent with my friend wandering around the city. We checked out Indian restaurants and went to a barbie expo at Les Cours Mont-Royal which is home to the world's largest barbie exhibition along with being a great shopping hub. I certainly recommend adding this to your list of 'must visit places in Montreal'.
This was it. Less than 72 hours in Montreal with endless opportunities to explore this wild city. I only managed to skim through the city, there is so much more to do. Giuseppe and Leander both mentioned that Montreal is famous for its nightlife. Had I been travelling with friends I would have undoubtedly checked out a few pubs and bank vaults turned into bars but being a girl in her twenties travelling alone at night in a city like Montreal can be a bit scary. So I left the night scene of Montreal out for next time. Along with the few museums that I did not get a chance to traverse.
I took a cab to the airport and as the plane takes off to my sad reality back home. I cannot help but smile and wave the Magnifique City of Montreal a last goodbye. Until next time.
