Christmas-time in Montréal
We spent that “funny bit” between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve in Montréal, where the Christmas spirit was still alight.
As not many walking tours were running during the winter season, I pre-booked a private tour with 16/42, who state on their website “if your pet wants to see the sights, they too are welcome to join” (even the public tours). Our guide, René, took us around Old Town Montréal, starting with the first headquarters of Bank of Montreal. Here we learned that in previous times, the vault was secured by a flooding system, i.e. it was constantly immersed in water and drained whenever access was required, to ward off any intruders! Across from BMO is Notre-Dame Basilica, site of Celine Dion’s wedding, although it has a much earlier history, with the second, final tower completed in 1843. René showed us further points of interest, such as the courthouse “Palais de justice”, Marché Bonsecours public market and the Archaeology and History Museum within which you can walk along N. America’s first collector sewer. Not all the stops allowed dogs inside so I either carried Rita or took shifts with a family member.
With my brother and René
We continued our day in Old Montréal, exploring the shops and cafes. Dog friendly spots included Maison Pepin homewares and inside the café of 60s-themed Uville Hotel – they serve coffee and pastries! If you stay until darkness falls, be sure to check out Cité Mémoire, a projection video circuit around Montréal city. The projections show life as it would have been at various milestones in the city’s history, from the Beaver Rebellion of the 1600s to the 1967 World’s Fair. They are pretty impressive!
As of October 2022, dogs are permitted on the Montreal Métro. However, there are strict rules, the most notable being requirement of a muzzle while in the stations, so we decided to give it a miss.
A short drive away is 4 Origines Tap Room, which is dog-friendly inside and out! Rita met doggie friends Tucker and Kay and enjoyed inspecting the pints. There were board games and pinball machines available for humans’ amusement, and of course merchandise to purchase.
We took an evening to visit Laval, an area to the north of the city. This is where Illumi, undoubtedly the largest drive-through light show in the world, took place. Dogs were welcome in the car on any day, and just a day a month was allocated as dog-friendly for the walk-through. We enjoyed it in the car, which I think was probably more effective. It took an hour to drive through, and we gasped at the supersized horses, dinosaurs, flowers, ski slopes, helicopters……you name it, it was there in lights! They had even superimposed kids’ drawings into lights, through their “Draw-Me Illumi” competition. Stopping points along the route allowed you to pull up and get a snack, drink or souvenir. Rita was certainly dazzled by the lights and music!
Also in Laval is Café Arthur, where you can bring your dog inside to play while you have a bite to eat. I’m all for dog-friendly dining, however this was set up more like an off-leash dog park with tables. Once through the double gated entrance, you could let your dog off to join the other loose dogs. It was very noisy and needless to say, with food about, there were some snaps and growls alongside the playful chatter. We ended up not staying for food. I would much have preferred a place where you could keep your dog peacefully at your side while enjoying a relaxing and tasty meal. To me, this was a “dogs-first” place where I might have got a coffee if the dogs had managed to settle down, but I wouldn’t spend my time eating here.
For a green walk in the city, head to Mount Royal Park. In the snow, it was more white than green, but you get the idea! We parked at the main lot and, navigating cross-country skiers and tobogganers, walked up to the Kondiaronk Belvedere viewing terrace for a birds-eye view of the city. With over 200 hectares to explore, encompassing cafes and gift shops, you could spend a whole day in the park, so I hope to explore it again in the summer.
Given our Québec Christmas Market disaster, we made a point to visit The Great Christmas Market at Quartier des Spectacles on Sainte-Catherine Street. From their website, “our four-legged friends are welcome, as long as they are kept on a leash”. It was a small market, but worth going for the atmosphere. I introduced mum to Beavertails (or rather, Queues de Castor!) and Rita had a fan tap me on the shoulder so she could take a photo of her. There were a few stalls and a Christmas Tree, which rounded off our December trip nicely.
