Trip to “La Belle Ville” Part 2 – August 24, 2008

*Continued from before. I’ve only got two shots of the same picture, so here’s the second one. I’ll even include my palm on the left side of the frame for free. ;) I’m going to rush through the next few posts so that I can get to the more recent stuff. I hope to be caught up in two weeks, but that depends on how my schedule works out.*

Old Montreal was beautiful. If I recall correctly, it was sweltering hot. Of course, we were walking around just after lunch, so the sun was at its prime.

I lined up to get some ice cream in one shop, only to find out that the place next door had no line. Major bummer.

There was a Nouvelle-France festival going on. It was pretty interesting looking, but the boys didn’t feel like sticking around. I made a mental note to myself to drop by with history-buff friends.

We walked to a museum or convention centre by the water, and cooled off in the air-conditioned food court. I got a yogurt smoothie because I was just DYING from the heat and humidity.

Eventually, we decided it was just too hot to walk around without any shade. Our friend suggested hitting up rue Ste-Catherine for some trendy shopping. Since having a job and being able to pay for my frivolous spending, I have NEVER shopped on Ste-Catherine. I was in heaaaaaaaaaven! Classy little boutiques, brand-name stores, reputable restaurants, and even strip clubs on every block! It was packed with tourists and locals alike. I got a cute little hat from the Gap, not that I couldn’t get it another Gap at home. It was special because it was the first hat I’ve ever bought for myself. And because it’s the only souvenir I have from this trip.

It started to rain, so we quickly made our way back to the car. I was heartbroken. If I had the choice, I would have continued to shop for the rest of the day.

Then I had the great idea to visit Krispy Kreme. The boys had never experienced the joy that is a freshly glazed donut, straight off the Krispy Kreme conveyor belt. We drove around the mall three or four times before we decided to ask someone at the movie theatre. I was so disappointed when the box office cashier told me that it had gone out of business. No donuts for us that day. Sigh.

Now that our little adventure to the land of cushiony donuts failed, we were bored. Keep in mind that this trip was a Sunday daytrip, so there wasn’t much else we could do at 5:00 in the afternoon. We ended up at a small pool hall *slash* bar *slash* lounge. I think it was called Sharky’s, or something close to that. We played for a few hours and had a few beers, but soon, our stomachs were too hungry to be ignored.

We went to a little pho place. I wish I could remember more, or had the foresight to pickup a business card or takeout menu, but alas, I was hungry, damnit! I remember I ordered the special (with all sorts of little bits of beef), and it was good. The soup wasn’t too sweet, and the noodles were cooked to the perfect chewiness. The meat stuffs were good, too. The flavour wasn’t cooked out of them, making each bite deliciously beefy. I only ordered a small bowl, so I had plenty of space for some Vietnamese dessert. It was the one with coconut milk, red bean, yellow bean, and noodly jello things. I love almost all Vietnamese desserts, so I guess it doesn’t mean much when I say it was DEEEEEEEELICIOUS.

Since it was getting late, we dropped off our friend and headed back to Ottawa. It was pouring rain at this point, but we still made it back home within two hours. It was one of the best daytrips we’ve taken because of friends, food, and good weather (not so much at the end of the day). Next time we go to Montreal, I’m going to try to find the proper names of the places we visited.