Mardi


 The Just for Laughs festival is going on downtown at Place des Arts  and we went with the Explore program. I’ve heard about Just for Laughs but have never seen it before so I was excepting an act that was going to make me give a chuckle or two. Turns out, I neither laughed or comprehended the jokes for that matter because it was all in French. However, those who got it seemed to enjoy it, though, I didn’t hear much laughter from the crowd. My friends who stayed longer checked out another stage that did improv and said it was much better than the first show we saw. At the event there were also line ups of food trucks ranging from gourmet sandwiches to dipped ice creams, and vendors selling new and traditional snack foods. 
It may be my fourth time watching the fireworks, but this one was the best one yet, thankyou Greece!! It wasn’t just because the show was amazing in itself, but because I watched it on the Papineau bridge which Is closed after 6pm every Tuesday and Saturday for the firework competition. We actually took the subway to Jean Drapeau (a small island and park off of Montreal the bridge connects to) and walked (there’s a shuttle bus running but we just decided to walk) to this bridge that is overlooking La Ronde amusement park where the fireworks are lit from. Despite the 20minute delay that night, the experience was so magical. The fireworks were in my face for a solid 30 minutes and I had an exceptional view of the giant, mediocre, and even petite ones that I wouldn’t catch at Old Port or under the bridge.  All my senses were awakened to the sights and sounds of this gorgeous view. I even had paper fly into my hair (from the fireworks) and smelled the heavy, smoky odour in the air. The radio station trailer was on our end of the bridge as well so we heard the music the fireworks synced to. If you are to watch the fireworks, watch it from the bridge, trust me, best offer ever-free, astounding, and unforgettable. 

Mecredi
 Call us crazy but we walked over six hours from Laurier to Place D’Armes metro station with a meal break and window shopping in between. Montreal seems to be a small city after getting to know it so far. We browsed local boutiques and ventured to Schwartz on St. Laurent which surprisingly had a small line up, so we got a table for four and anticipated for their renown smoke meat sandwiches.   This local restaurant is over 80 years old and the place looks as if it’s that old as they kept its traditional diner appearance and old fashion furniture. The walls were plastered with news article reviews and even a poster of Schwartz, the broadway show (yes, this chain is so popular a musical was made about it!) 

Verdict: bread is homemade and not that flavourful, but the thick slab of sliced meat we got made up for it: rich in flavor and tender to the bite. It’s worth trying for sure, but I wouldn’t say it’s worth the money ($6.3) for just oversize slices of meat sandwiched between average tasting bread and a hint of mustard to a touch of tanginess. 

It was a day worth indulging in because I ended up trying a beaver tail, the original, with cinnamon sugar on it at Old Port. Its basically fried dough with a selection of different toppings, so it was similar to elephant ears I’ve had at Heritage days back in Edmonton, but I would choose cinnamon over icing sugar any day. 

Favorite part of today was walking into Boutique 1861 (a vintage inspired store) that was celebrating their grand opening. It was a media event with invites, but walk in customers got to attend as well and I was sure there were lots of fashion bloggers there! The place was full of beautiful pieces of lace, ruffles, tulle, and treats like chocolate, cupcakes and wine. It was fun to be part of it and we even got our picture taken.

Lundi





Went on a walking tour around the Plateau area (Mont Royale & St. Laurent) and we were introduced to aesthetic buildings and places that called for a photo to be captured. From castles to apartments to gardens to theaters, I can’t seem to get enough of Montreal’s hidden gems and beauty!
  
Vendredi
I took the afternoon and evening off for myself and spontaneously decided to go shopping downtown. I’ve been trying to spend as little as possible here to save for my trips after Montreal. Other than a top and two necklaces from a local boutique on Mont Royal, all my other purchases have predominantly been food. I didn’t plan on spending today, just mainly window shopping and browsing, and maybe spending at a local shop if my eye caught sight of something worthy. I really miss paying 5% tax in Alberta compared to 14.5% here, so if I did want something from a franchise, I could easily wait until I get home to buy it. 

Having said all that…. a top called out to me at Mango. It was on sale and Edmonton doesn’t have this Barcelona fashion retailer. It was still quite expensive for being a ‘sale’ item, but I finished a French exam today with flying colours, so its justifiable =)