my family and i took a trip to canada! i was so excited to explore this country. this was my first time there and i fell in love with it! we spent four days in montreal and we did a lot. we aren’t the kind of people who relax by a pool on vacation. we love to explore and see the culture of a place (not that there’s anything wrong with just laying by a pool on vacation). here are the places we visited (restaurants, landmarks, etc.) and what we thought of them. enjoy!
Day 1
Gay Village
we rented an apartment on airbnb because we prefer having a house over a hotel. it was really close to the gay village in montreal. the second we arrived in the late afternoon, we went there. it was so cool. they had beads strung over the street that made a rainbow. they were over 1 km long! it’s hard to explain so check out the pictures. i would say to be careful here though because i got a few weird stares from guys. i was really glad i was there with my entire family
Dinner: Perin-Magellan
for dinner, we went to this restaurant called perin-magellan. we sat outside in the back where they had all of these beautiful trees. it was so gorgeous and quaint. they had only a few vegetarian options for me, which was unfortunate, but they had a veggie platter inspired by the chef (meaning he made whatever he felt like making). i was expecting like a middle eastern platter with hummus and veggies, but it actually turned out to be veggie lasagna. it wasn’t what i was expecting, but it was very good. the dessert was very delicious. it started raining after we ordered dessert so we had to go inside and the inside of the restaurant was very nice as well.
Day 2
Breakfast: Mamie Clafoutis
we wanted to go to a bakery for breakfast because canada reminded us of where we’re from (germany) and in germany, everyone goes to bakeries for breakfast. this one had a lot of options, although there weren’t many sandwich options for vegetarians. i shared an apple pastry with my sister and i had a scone. i also tried this juice brand that everyone seems to love in canada called Loop. all of it was very good.
Complexe Desjardins
we just started wandering around montreal after breakfast and it started raining a bit, so we walked into this mall. it’s really cool to walk through because they have this giant fountain that squirts water really high into the air and they have really cool stores. they had a poutine statue and i couldn’t help posing with it:)
Chinatown
chinatown was really cool. it’s very small, but the streets are very cute and there are a lot of good places to get food. my sister and i love bubble tea so we got some there. the tapioca pearls were a little hard, but otherwise it was really good. it started raining at this point so we had to stay there for a bit until the rain stopped because, like the smart people that we are, we forgot raincoats and umbrellas.
The Notre Dame
we walked around more and went to the Notre Dame in Montreal. this was probably one of the only touristy things we did. we only went for about five minutes to see the outside. i know some people do tours and stuff, but that just isn’t our thing.
Old Port
next, we went to Old Port, which was really nice. there was a ferris wheel which we wanted to go on, but it was REALLY expensive so we decided against it. my family had eaten lunch at this point, but i’d only had a few fries. there were food trucks so i decided to go to one of them. so far, i wasn’t having much luck with good vegetarian options in canada (even though i had been told there were many). i found a food truck called Smokies that offered vegetarian poutine and i really wanted to try it, so i ordered it. if you don’t know what poutine is, it’s basically fries, cheese curds, and a gravy type sauce. the fries, cheese, and sauce were really good, but the fake meat on it was not very good. i don’t think i would want to eat poutine on a regular basis, but i’m glad i tried it.
Dinner: Menthe et Couscous
for dinner, we tried something completely different. we had north african-mediterranean food. i decided to get tajine. tajine is food cooked in this cool pot. it’s hard to describe so look it up. i highly recommend trying it. the food was good, but they gave us way way too much. i could barely eat half of it. most of the meals, definitely the tajine at least, i would recommend splitting with someone. the appetizers and dessert we had were excellent though.
Day 3
Breakfast: Café Saint-Henri
this was probably my favorite breakfast spot that we went to on our trip. the cafe was really stylish and simple. i felt so relaxed there and the woman who made my coffee was so sweet. i forgot to order it decaf (i can’t have caffeine) and she remade it for me. the muffin i had was also really good. when we went to quebec, we found the same cafe so i think it’s a chain. i highly recommend going.
Parc du Mont Royal
our activity of the day was hiking up to the parc du mont royal. it was very exhausting, but definitely worth it. the view of montreal was incredible! there were a lot of people, but we were still able to enjoy the view. there’s a lake and a place to eat as well with a gorgeous view, but it’s more of a cafe than a place for lunch.
LOV
on to probably my favorite restaurant on the trip. i had never been to a vegetarian or vegan restaurant, but we decided to go to one. my sister, who is a huge carnivore, was not happy, but i think everyone was pleasantly surprised. the design of the restaurant was gorgeous (my interior designer mom loved it). i had the bbq burger, which had jackfruit, because i’d heard from people that jackfruit was a really great meat substitute. it didn’t disappoint. the burger was amazing! we had the brownie and cheesecake for dessert. they were both good, but the brownie was a bit dry. otherwise, an amazing restaurant with great options!
Day 4
Breakfast: Café Saint-Henri
we went to the same place for breakfast because it was so good! again, highly recommend!
Montreal Botanical Garden
we usually let my dad pick what we do because he’s so good at it and knows us really well, but i actually found this place. i had never been to a botanical garden before so i didn’t know what to expect. i think it’s more for people who are really into plants and flowers, but i’m really glad we did it. it is a lot of just walking through gardens, but there are a few highlights that make it worth going. one of them is that they have sheep which you can pet. also, the chinese garden is gorgeous and a must see. there are also these “huts” built out of branches that are pretty cool.
Cafe Frida
after the garden, we had to leave montreal:( we were going to quebec though so i was excited! on our way to quebec, we stopped at Cafe Frida, which was another vegan restaurant. my family was so pleasantly surprised by LOV that we all decided to go to another vegan place. this one was just as good, if not better. i got the frida bowl, which was good, but i kind of regret it because i could have made that at home. i should have gotten something that we can’t make at home, like i did with the bbq burger at LOV. it was still really delicious though! my dad got the philly cheesesteak, which he let me try. it blew my mind! it was incredible! probably the best thing i ate on our entire trip. i highly recommend cafe frida and the cheesesteak!
OTHER PHOTOS I TOOK:
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