This is the 7th 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”.
There were more fireworks last night. At least initially it was just one at a time, just as I was drifting off to sleep at Auberge Internationale. I finally did get to sleep but was woken up at 3:30 by rain. I eventually got up and tried to do stuff like pack to kill time. Eventually I got wanderlust and went outside, visiting the Fortifications and more of Old Quebec/Vieux Quebec. I returned to the hostel for breakfast though my body didn't want as much food as the day before. I wandered around Old Quebec some more, including the narrow area, which requires going down some steps to get to.
[NOW: The full name of the Fortifications is Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site / Lieu historique national des Fortifications-de-Québec. The narrow street is Rue Petit-Champlain]
I returned to the hostel and checked out and went to Terminus Gare du Palais. The Orleans Express bus to Montreal was half an hour late and thus arrived in Montreal half an hour late. In the second of the two stops in Quebec City, Gare d’autocars de Sainte-Foy, someone sat beside me. My backpack on my lap thus felt a bit like a blanket and I kept fighting sleep until I got it on the floor between my legs. After I got off I went to a nearby Burger King for lunch. I took an Orange Line/Ligne Orange metro train to Station Jean-Talon and there switched to a Blue Line/Ligne Bleue train to Station Édouard-Montpetit. I walked to ZUM Residences. It felt a bit surreal to be checking into a place I had checked out of two days earlier. There are two towers with a section on the ground floor (7th) joining them. I was in a different tower this time, the one closest to the metro, and only two floors up on the 9th.
[NOW: The Orange Line is Line/Ligne 2 and the Blue Line is Line/Ligne 5. ZUM Residences are at the University of Montreal / Université de Montréal.]
I walked downtown on the east side this time. I took another spill, I think because the bottoms of my shoes have become more flat with all my walking, thus more slippery. I visited Cheap Thrills (music, books, a few DVDs). At a Jean Coutu on rue Ste-Catherine, Orange Crush was cheaper than other pop; worked for me.
I walked to Old Montreal/Vieux Montreal, including the waterfront, Marche Bonsecouers, and Place Jacques-Cartier. There was a Free Palestine march. I watched a bit of it and would have watched more if not for the fact that they're pretty common in Victoria too. I walked to rue Ste-Catherine and headed west. I got some francophone DVDs at Boutique Volume. Continuing on, I passed another protest, this one calling for war with Iran. and preaching a lack of forgiveness. I made it to the Burger King I ate at when I first arrived in Montreal, mainly because I really wanted lime Coke. I briefly passed the former location of Auberge Bishop again. While open, it had a really nice interior including stained glass art. Heading east then north I visited Renaud-Bray on rue St-Denis. It was at a different location from 2019 and no longer sells DVDs.
On av du Mont-Royal I got another drink at the same Jean Coutu I went to on that street a few days ago. I visited Librairie l'Échange, which sells books, music, DVDs. I usually find something but no luck this time. I did find DVDs at Bouquinerie du Plateau. I wandered the car free area again, though not as thoroughly as last time. I took an Orange Line train from Station Mont-Royal to Station Jean-Talon and a Blue line train from same to Station Édouard-Montpetit before returning to the dorm.
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