Arrival in Montréal

My Air Canada flight was very comfortable. The interior of the plane seemed to be new. The staff was friendly and the flight was very smooth. We landed a little late due to a strong headwind, but getting through immigration and customs was a breeze. Soon I had my bags and was ready to venture out.

The view from my hotel room, looking away from downtown. The tower of the Olympic Stadium is visible on the upper right.

I went to an ATM to get some Canadian cash, then found a kiosk where I could by a three-day transit pass for $18 (Canadian). The pass was good for the airport bus into the city, then good for unlimited trips on the subway. Such a deal. I got to the hotel and checked in. My room was on the 20th floor, but it looked away from downtown. Oh well. I took a shower then went out for a little walk.

My room the next morning, watching the weather channel on television and drinking coffee made with the in-room coffee maker.

At 7:30pm, I met friends N. (aka The Beaver) and her husband Y. for dinner. They took me to a Portuguese restaurant up in the Plateau neighborhood of Montréal. Everything was delicious, and we had a good time catching up. Our appetizer was a mixed plate of fried calamari, marinated octopus, and grilled chorizo. My main course was a house steak (served with a fried egg), Y. had a rare steak served on a searing stone, and N. had a large fillet of cabillaud (cod), if I remember correctly. We washed it all down with a house red, the provenance of which I can't remember.

I was extremely jet-lagged and I hope that N. and Y. didn't mind my incoherence too much. After dinner, they very generously drove me back to my hotel where I crashed, only to wake up way too early the next morning. Ah, travel. By the way, lest you think my memory is great, it is not. I wrote down everything I ate, and where, along the way. So when I write about my meals, the memory is from my little notebook, not my brain. ;)