Susanne So in the middle of February of 2011 I headed off with Via Rail and rode in comfort to Montreal, which took about 5 hours from downtown to downtown. No hassles with airport security, and no stress due to road traffic, I was able to enjoy the leisurely ride, make use of the onboard Internet connection and arrived relaxed in Montreal. I was staying at the historic Auberge Bonaparte in Old Montreal where I got a personal tour of the restaurant and the rooftop terrace which provides a fabulous view of the Basilica of Notre Dame.
After a walk on beautifully illuminated Rue St-Paul and equally dressed up Place Jacques Cartier, my evening program included a visit to the Basilica of Notre Dame, where I watched the show “And then there was light…” , an impressive multi-media show about the history of this outstanding cathedral.
As part of the “Montreal en Lumière” winter festival, I learned more about the city in an informative (and very tasty) culinary walking tour through Old Montreal during which I got to taste foie gras, various Quebec cheeses and some of Quebec’s special maple syrup products. To work off some of these calories, I went snow-shoeing on Mont Royal with a guide from Les Amis de la Montagne. I had never snow-shoed before, and with all the information provided by the guide and a warming taste of mulled wine, it turned out to be an amazing afternoon.
