As indicted in an earlier post, I travelled to Montreal, New York and Los Angeles during the month of October. My first port of call was the City of Montreal, located in Quebec province, Canada. I was lucky enough to be there to see the Autumn colour, which really added to the attractiveness of an already pretty location.
Contrary to what I had been told (through people I know, guide books, websites and other Canadians) I did not have a problem not being able to speak French. People were very friendly generally, and all staff in the hotel, restaurants, cafes and retailers all spoke (and were more than happy to speak) English. All signage is in both English and French too.
Montreal is very much a university town (with six in an 8k radius). As such there is a great focus on student life, with an abundance of cheap (and good) cafes, restaurants and bars and art galleries, museums and bookshops.
One of my tasks whilst in Montreal was to source a copy of “Interview with a Vampire” by Anne Rice, in French, for my step-son Carl. I was directed to Archambault, a fabulous book/music/game/DVD store in the Latin Quarter. I don’t speak a word of French, but the store staff were wonderful and helpful. This is a great bookstore and worth a visit. Archambault’s Website
I also paid a visit to Indigo (Used to be known as Chapters). Indigo is a Barnes & Noble style bookstore. Nicely set out, well lit, reasonable range of new and popular books, pleasant cafe, and a lovely selection of Christmas decorations (a bit expensive though) if it is your thing. Standard fare, but if you are after popular and new books it is worth a look. Indigo/Chapters Web Link
Montreal is a great place to visit, but it is not the sort of place that would hold me interest for more than a few days (unless I was attending the Jazz festival or other events).
