Bixi Bike Ride and Habitat '67

Major Europe cities are known for their bike share programs and thousands of commuters and tourists use them to navigate through the streets to get from point A to point B or to use as a leisure day peddle through the park. North America is coming around to the bike sharing movement and Montreal was the first in Canada with Bixi Bikes (a portmanteau of bike and taxi).

During our two day visit to Montreal after spending the first day walking and walking and walking, we figured getting off our feet for a bit sounded like a good idea.

We picked up our bikes by the Atwater Market and peddled along the Lachine Canal with Parc Jean-Drapeau as our end destination in mind.
A similar set up to London, the Bixi Bikes allow up to 30 minutes free riding (after a small registration fee and refunded deposit) if you can find a docking station within that time frame. Our particular route took us along areas where few stations were located and ended up just staying on them for the duration.

Along our route, I was super excited to happen upon the iconic Habitat '67. It's block-y silhouette, large against the skyline, seemed to appear out of no where. Like a Hollywood celebrity taking up residence in a quiet, leafy neighbourhood; Habitat is often recognized, but humbly trying to eke out a 'normal' life. If it was ever part of Doors Open, I would totally make the trip back to Montreal just to get a glimpse inside one of these private apartments. Seeing these Brutalist beauts has crossed number 5 off my bucket list.

It was cool to see the city from this side of the river. It was a challenging ride as we kept taking wrong turns as we tried to navigate our way around Parc Jean-Drapeau and still make it in time for our afternoon train to Ottawa.

Like London, there were Bixi stations located all over downtown Montreal for easy pick up and drop off. We did encounter several broken docking stations and machines which frustrated the situation as time was running close to our departure.

I don't think I'll ever become one to pick up one of these bikes to actually use as transportation in a major city like Montreal, London, or Toronto, because my nerves just couldn't take it, but a Sunday leisure ride I could be talked into once in a while.

What about you? Are you a fan of the bike shares? Do you use them for travel or pleasure?

To Market, To Market: Atwater Market

Located near the Lachine Canal, the Atwater Market was established in 1933 in a beautiful Art Deco building in the southwest of Montreal. There are a series of outdoor vendors that surround the building, selling fresh produce, flowers, and market foods. Inside the building are the long standing delicatessens, bakeries, cafes, and shops. 

We stopped here for lunch on our last day in Montreal before our Bixi bike ride along the canal. I loved that our market food was served on real plates with actual cutlery. Those French have such class. Don't expect to get any bargains here, my lunch was $11 plus a drink, but it definitely was enough food. 

Now for the photo essay:

Atwater Market

Monday to Wednesday 7-18h

Thursday 7-19h

Friday 7-20h

Saturday to Sunday 7-17h

24 hours in Montreal? Here's What I Would Do

When traveling to Montreal I did a bit of research about things to do in the city. I came across extensive lists of jampacked holidays over a 24, 26, 72 hour period. PHEW! I was tired after just reading them nevermind actually doing anything. 

We gave ourselves a pep talk, tied our shoes tight and went out to explore the city. Here's how I spent my

Arrive late on the day before, exhausted from your travels and glamourous train picnic and head straight to your accommodation. Maybe head to the nearest pub and just enjoy mixing with the locals/fellow tourists and worry about exploring your surroundings tomorrow.

11:00

Leisurely breakfast at a hole-in-the-wall diner called Moe's-Casse-Croute-du-Coin

12:00

Pass by the rich and wealthy homes of the Mount Royal neighbourhood as you make your way up the steep incline to St. Joseph's Oratory.

13:30

Head across the crest through Summit Woods to Mount Royal. There might have been an easier route to get there, but we were afraid of going too far down hill and bypassing it. Seriously, it was very steep and we just couldn't face the possibility of having to backtrack up it.

14:00

Enjoy the view from Mount Royal Chalet and do some people watching.

14:30

On your decent stop for a much needed ice lollie break, because if you're like me, you won't have any water with you and your feet will have started to blister from the heat of the day.

16:00

Walk along Boulevard St-Laurent for a bit, then take one of the small cross streets heading to Rue St-Denis. Good for window shopping and again people watching. You can stop at a cafe here.

We continued walking down Rue St-Denis to Chinatown and came across a few pedestrian streets and a festival. If walking isn't your thing, you can always jump on the Metro. I enjoy the walking though, you just never know what you're going to come across.

17:00

Old Montreal is my favourite bit on all of Montreal. It's oldie worldie feeling with cobbled streets, a main square where buskers perform and lots of patios in the summertime. Definitely a gathering place that very much reminded me of supper-ing and spending an evening out in squares in Europe. 

18:00

We walked along the shoreline checking out the happenings of the very active ports and marinas before heading back to the cobbled streets of Old Montreal for dinner.

19:00pm

After dinner, the evening was spent moving from every restaurant, pub,  and cafe that we liked the look of with a patio or rooftop bar.

We did a LOT of walking this day, but really didn't get up to much except observe the city and get a taste of its essence.  We made sure we got that essence all over ourselves, never to forget our short time in this lovely city.

Contrary Travel Link Up: Montreal's Mount Royal

One of my favouirte things to do when I'm traveling to a large bustling metropolis is immediately escape to reconnect to nature right in the middle of it all. Visiting parks, farms, conservation areas that around it are the tall skyscrapers and busy lives of business people, but you wouldn't know it with your surroundings.

I blogged about some of these kinds of visits while living in London with trips to Mudchute City Farm, Spitalfields City Farm, Richmond Park and Kew Gardens.

This time the "city escape within the city" was during my trip to Montreal when we walked up Mount Royal and followed the extensive nature trails down back to the very busy streets of Rue St. Dennis.

Sometimes it's nice to forget where you are and just listen to the birds singing and the wind rustling in the leaves above before returning to the car horns and miscellaneous street smells.

This post is part of the August Travel Link Up hosted by Emily, Kelly, Rebecca, and this month Zoe. Check them out and the others too!