I'm back from Montréal... without images, sigh. It's a long story. And really, it was so hot and we did so much walking I could not even carry my camera around nor did I once turn on my iphone in 4 days. It was the first time I in years I was without a phone... and... it felt great. It freaked me out a bit but it had to be done. When you are on vacation, be on vacation.
My husband and I stayed at the Opus. The pros was it was centrally located in the city and had a nice overall aesthetic. In addition, the concierge was very helpful. On the flipside, the hotel had a wedding on Sunday night that went until 2am, and our room's breakers had to be reset so the TV did not work for one night. Not too serious but also not relaxing to deal with on a vacation where you just want to be taken care of and nurtured. Unless you want to party do not stay there on the weekends. The weekdays were fine.
Lesson number 1: do not go to a city for relaxation unless you have a driver and a spa, LOL : ) I learned while I was soaking at the Scandinave Les Bains for a few hours in Old Montréal that I could have used a full week at a rural located spa, not a city. But, my husband and I got much needed quality time together and that was the full upside. The eucalyptus sauna at Scandinave Les Bains did not hurt either. You can stay at the spa for three hours for $60. Not too shabby.
We walked around the city everyday and my favorite place was Old Montréal. Walking through the old buildings dating back to 1600 felt grand and like I was really on an adventure. We ate at Gandi, an Indian restaurant, which was moderately priced and very good. Pointe-a-Calliere, Montreal's Museum of Archaeology and History is also a beautiful building and has a lot of information on the history of old Montréal.
My favorite place to eat was Crudessence, a raw vegan organic foods café and restaurant. Casual and friendly located alongside Park du Mont-Royal, where I passed out in the grass twice in one day.
And, if you do not know French or are rusty like me from not studying it or speaking it often, the "t" in Montréal is silent so it sounds like moon-ray-elle.
Out of everywhere I could have shopped I was focused on Lululemon for yoga clothes. We are without one in Syracuse, NY and I desperately needed new yoga pants to practice and teach in. I saw a million frocks I wanted to buy but passed by lovingly knowing I will catch them on the next trip to Europe this Spring 2011. I was actually not in the shopping mood at all and more in the kick back relaxation state, hence, next time, we should go camping or to the spa. All and all we had a great time.
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