NOTE: This entry is part of a series in which I fly over 40,000 miles in two years. Read the introduction here. I took the bus on this particular journey so there are no airmiles.
If you’re looking for a taste of Europe in North America head over to Montreal. This delightful and laid-back city oozes with a “cool factor” that can’t be matched. You will find a fantastic blend of cultures from French speaking countries around the world. This was my first trip to a place where English is not the primary language. Here’s a couple of interesting things I noticed:
- Cars in Quebec don’t have license plates in the front so if you buy the car of your dreams and want it to look good register it there.
- Alcohol is freely sold in supermarkets unlike in Ontario. French vs British culture?
- A huge punk and goth culture still exists in Montreal even though its much harder to find in the rest of Canada.
- The French are infamous for giving you attitude if you don’t speak the language. Is it that bad? Not really. Just take it all in good humour.
- Routing: YYZ-YUL-YYZ
- Mileage and Cost: 628 miles for $80 equals 7.85 cents per mile (target: less than 5 cpm). I haven’t found a bus trip that can match a cheap flight in value.
- Remaining: 25413 miles (no change) in 1 year and 124 days
- Goofs: (1) Forgetting my phone charger. This turned out to be a good thing as I was able to catch up on a lot of reading while traveling. (2) My French – or the lack of it. I really enjoyed attempting to communicate with gestures though.
- Soundtrack: None (no phone)
- The great: The many festivals, Old Montreal, The Biodome, pretty neighbourhoods and gorgeous women everywhere!
- The good: Canada’s best nightlife, Parc Mont-Royal and the Olympics stadium.
- The bad: Being surrounded by Quebecois (the locals) when their hockey team got kicked out of the Stanley cup; not a pretty sight.
I’ll definitely have to go back to Montreal. Its a city so close to home but yet so different from any other.
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