This is the 1st of a series of posts dealing with my 2025 trip to Quebec Canada. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public). Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a year later or to add further clarification. These are indicated by “NOW”.
This post also has a “day 0” because I had to travel slightly within Greater Victoria the night before to make my flight.
Yesterday after a trip to Gonzales Beach (saw deer with fawn en route) I took a 75 bus (Victoria Transit) to Brentwood Bay (Central Saanich) where I stayed with my friend Michelle because my flight was early and there's no longer an airport bus. I got to see her mother for the first time since the 1990s and met her partner Rob and cat Susie. After about three hours' sleep Air Canada woke me up at 1:26 am with a text reminder to check in. Managed to get a bit more sleep after that. Just after 4 she drove me to Victoria International Airport, North Saanich.
I waited until Tim Horton's opened at 5 and then bought breakfast there. I got through security with minimal difficulty (they did a quick look at my new laptop). There were kids in front and behind me on the plane and the guy beside me elbowed me a little but the flight went pretty well. In fact, whereas Westjet discontinued their map screen, Air Canada, at least on this flight, still had it. So during the flight I photographed the map periodically so that when I go through the photos later it'll be easier for me to determine where I’m flying over in a given photo.
[NOW: The map unfortunately doesn’t show province dividers but is otherwise pretty useful.]
After the plane landed and stopped at Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport, Dorval, there was a long wait before people were let off, so by that point my legs were in a bit of pain. I considered eating at the Subway after getting back my suitcase but it was too expensive. I found a machine to get a Zone A transit pass. Curiously the bus stop was a ways down from the nearest door. I got on the 747 bus (all remaining transit today STM/Société de transport de Montréal; wonder if the bus number was named after the well known Boeing planes). The window was minimal but enough for photos. I got off at Station Lionel-Groulx in Montreal and transferred to an Orange line subway train (not really light rail; giant tires) to Station Snowdon. There I switched to a Blue line subway train to Station Édouard-Montpetit, which is located at Université de Montréal (University of Montreal). I exited to construction.
[NOW: Zone A covers the entire Île de Montréal and Parc Jean Drapeau regardless of transit service. The Orange Line is Line/Ligne 2 and the Blue Line is Line/Ligne 5.]
Because the construction prevented walking the most obvious route I asked directions and that involved cutting through an arena. I found the residences, which involved multiple staircases up a hill. The door was locked but I finally managed to get checked in. My room is on the 16th floor and the main ground floor is 7. After dropping off my stuff I took a different set of stairs down and then a 51 bus to try to bypass construction. I think one end of Édouard-Montpetit might be away from the construction but I stayed on one stop too many and got stuck in construction transit for a while before I could double back two blocks to the station. I took the Blue Line back to Station Snowdon and then an Orange line train to Station Lucien-L'Allier.
[NOW: I stayed at ZUM Residences at the University of Montreal.]
I walked to rue Ste-Catherine. The McDonald's I used to go to most often was gone and the spot under construction but I found a Burger King nearby. Service was slow but cheap and I got get lime Coke there. I went to Capitaine Quebec comic shop and then headed east along Ste-Catherine, with a couple detours: rue Bishop to see the now closed Auberge Bishop that I stayed at most trips and Place Jeanne Mance. Only some of the water jets were on. One section of rue Ste-Catherine where Place des Arts is had a temporary exhibit devoted to Hydro-Québec, with giant plug art pieces. I visited Renaud-Bray in Complexes Desjardins.
[NOW: Google says the above McDonald’s is temporarily closed but I have my doubts. The full name of the comic shop is Capitaine Québec les Livres Comiques. What I called Place Jeanne Mance is actually Place des Festivals. I’ve corrected subsequent uses in this and later reports directly.]
I walked to Bassin Bonsecouers in the waterfront area of Old Montreal and then walked around Old Montreal a bit more. I passed a couple large convertibles (5 seaters) as I returned to rue Ste-Catherine. Also passed through their Chinatown. Heading west on rue Ste-Catherine I had dinner at the McDonald's nearest Place des Festivals, in part because it had outdoor seating. At Indigo I bought a trade of Daredevil stories. I already had the stories in English but this trade was in French. I returned to Station Lucien-L'Allier and took the Orange line train back to Station Snowdon. I got off one stop early (Station Université-de-Montréal) in part to see more of the university but mainly to avoid construction). I hit a bit of a snag with the WiFi but got it worked out.
No comments:
Post a Comment