I thought I would post while it was all still fresh in my mind.
We had a wonderful trip. The location of the Hyatt was perfect for us as we like to walk and were able to do so for just about everything. The people were remarkably friendly and nice and very good about speaking English -- although I did try to offer a few butchered French phrases to show my respect for the language and culture.
Old Town Montreal was lovely in my opinion. Yes there were a lot of tourists but the buildings and streets and history were all so interesting -- a real treasure. We are kind of history nerds so we had a private 3 hour walking tour that was FILLED with interesting tidbits about your rich history. We loved the History and Archeology museum -- truly first rate. We also went to some other smaller museums that caught our fancy and found they were all well done. We loved the walking path along the river and the many small parks throughout the city. We also enjoyed the cafe culture -- so many good pastries and good coffee.
Of course The Basilicia is just magnificent -- truly one of a kind. We went to Mass on Sunday so we were able to hear the fabulous choir. We also attended the Aura light show one evening and we though that was worthwhile. We missed the organ show at 2:30 most days but we did hear the organ during a private tour -- would have loved to hear the one hour long organ recital tho. Next time!
We went to Jean Talon market and that was fun -- wonderful food and a great atmosphere. The Just For Laughs festival was right next to our hotel so we strolled among the crowds several days and it was a real party atmosphere. It was VERY loud though and we had to move our hotel room because the party goes on until 3 am and we prefer to sleep during those hours.
We were very impressed with the subway system -- easy to use -- fast and efficient and seems to hit all the major areas of the city. It was very reasonable also. Mont Royal was lovely and we took the bus to the top and then hiked down.
I was surprised at the heat the first two days -- only 81 but the humidity was awful! It did cool down though and I much prefer the mid-70's for walking about.
We will return because we ran out of time to see everything on our list. Thank you again for all the kind suggestions -- we really benefited from all the good advice.
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