I see that we’re still not allowed to visit Canuckistan until June, but that’s okay. Montreal is only worth visiting for the three weeks of summer in July anyway.
Here’s a recent pic of same:
I am going to be taking New Wife up there soon. She’s never been to Canada, and I love Montreal — other than the fact that it’s in Canuckistan, I could live there quite easily.
If I may digress for a moment — and I believe I can — there are quite a few places in the world similar to Montreal, where I could easily live but for the fact that the countries in which they’re located are completely fucked up.
The first example is Wiltshire, England, home to Mr. Free Market, The Englishman and a couple of other Bad Influences:
Of course, there’s meine schönes Wien:
…and Paris — the Paris I knew back in the early 2000s, not the refugee-infested shithole it’s since become:
Ditto London:
All these places, and so many others, captivated me utterly when I was there and I remember thinking at the time, “I could live here.”
Then I’d come back home, and realize that I loved my freedom more.
And our TV is better.
Don’t get me started on guns…
…none of which I’d be allowed to own in any of the above European cities.
So Montreal can wait.
Well , if and when you make it back up north to visit Canada, why not try Quebec City? Maybe make it to the Maritimes as well. Quebec City seems more like Europe, more French certainly than the more cosmopolitan Montreal. But, if you speak French, and I believe you do, good luck understanding my neighbors to the north. English is streng verboten in Quebec City, even though most people you meet will be able to speak it. Montreal is more laid back.
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are very beautiful places and very welcoming to tourists.
Come on up and stop by Maine while you are at it. If Maine’s horrible governor will let you in. Put Janet Mills on your list of women governors in your other post while you are at it.
I second that emotion. We stayed here: Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
last time. Before you go be sure you get a good deal on cell phone data usage. We rang up a $120 bill on three phones before we could turn data off.
Yes, but that phone bill must have been the cheapest part of staying at the Frontenac!
If one tries hard to communicate in French with the Quebecois, they are kind and helpful, even if one’s French is quite horrible, as is mine. I grew up in Canada, was forced to study French for years, but it mostly leaked out of my head. It was Quebecois French too, or so I am told by every one in France who hears my attempts to speak French there.
And Quebec City really is a beautiful and charming place.
https://cdn.theculturetrip.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/31264842805_3bee661233_h.jpg
That looks like the Lower City, very quaint. I will have to get back there sometime when we can get back to normal. I can drive there from home. And I was amazed my first time in France that they all spoke like my French teacher! I had a French class in college with a native French speaker professor and there was a Canadian student whose French was always being corrected by her.
The wife and I spent about a week exploring Quebec province back in the summer of 1976. We enjoyed Montreal and visited the old Expo site which still had some exhibits going from the fair back in the 60s. I was more impressed by Quebec City as I felt it was as close to an old European fortified city that you could find in North America. The food was great and the people for the most part were friendly. I was working my way through a copy of “The Bicentennial Atlas of the American Revolution” and I wanted to find the places where Richard Montgomery was killed and Benedict Arnold wounded.
We were on the highway between Quebec and Montreal and pulled into a rest stop. I had of course New Jersey tags on my car. A guy with British Columbia plates pulled in next to me and the driver ran over to us and said “I’ve been waiting all day to find somebody who speaks English…” To have some fun with the guy I answered him in my high school German,then switched over to what passed for English in northern New Jersey.
Like you I’ve visited lots of places that seemed attractive at first glance but like a beautiful but crazy woman there’s way too much baggage to drag along. I love the California wine country and the Monterey peninsula but it’s still California. Seattle and the whole Puget Sound area is beautiful but Washington State liberals. Back in the day we spent lots of time in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. Beautiful country but the state is run by the moonbats in NYC. Why do the lunatic liberals take over so many of the pretty places?
I visited Montreal last year (2019AD), and as far as I was concerned it was like America…but worse. Not bad at all just not as good. I stand before you ready to be convinced to visit again. What did I miss?
Respectfully,
bfhogues
Montreal ex-pat here; I escaped from the regime in 1978. It’s a stunning city, and I visit every so often, but there is not a chance in hell that I’d ever move back. Not just because of the firearms issue, but more because of the language police. Yes, there is such a thing. There are strict rules for non-French signage, rules that force companies to parlez-vous-le-ding-dong at work, and non-Francophones are basically second class citizens with the force of law, at a very strong disadvantage in any legal proceeding–basically guilty if charged, and so on.
Government officials up there are power-mad when it comes to language issues, and quite frankly it’s the closest I will ever come to experiencing what blacks in Alabama or Mississippi face in dealing with cops down there.
On the upside, there’s Montreal smoked meat (Schwartz’s on the Main, please), and bagels (Fairmount or St. Viateur only) that are simply to die for, and the attitudes toward alcohol are vastly looser than in the U.S. Up there, the legal drinking age is only a suggestion. And (from my ill-spent yoot)…the strip clubs. Calis de tabarnac de ciboire du sacarament mon ‘oestie. So it’s not all bad.
tl;dr – Québec summed up in 1 minute and 42 seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TncdhLGjFTE
I liked that video — there is a lot of truth to everything he said. No wonder I cannot understand the French spoken there. I knew a little about the cursing, but I have a lot to learn, I guess. Lots of French Canadians here in New Hampshire and Maine, if we still had phone books, I would say French names would account for 30-40 per cent as a guess. Manchester NH must have a much higher percentage. Go to Old Orchard Beach in Maine in the summer and you will hear French spoken a lot. The hotels all have signage “Ici on parle Francais”.
I haven’t been to Canada for a few years now, but I have always enjoyed my time there.
English Canada is becoming (has become?) America North. Cities and towns are virtually indistinguishable from their cousins south of the 49th parallel. Distinctly-Canadian businesses are now few and far between and main streets are full of U.S. chains and name brands. Walmart has taken over from Zellers, and so on.
The country is just awash in stunning natural beauty, though, from the Maritimes to BC. Traveling the nation, learning its history and experiencing what it has to offer is a rewarding experience. Not quite the same vibe as Europe, though, since it’s a much younger nation.
I find it a shame that they lack a true national identity that goes beyond the maple syrup and mounties symbolism. Ask 100 Canadians what it means to *be* Canadian and I’ll bet 75% or more will start off by some example how they’re not like the United States in some respect or another. There’s an innate sense of inferiority to their big southern neighbo(u)r, and it always bothered me when I lived up there. Also there’s the CRTC, which mandates Canadian content on TV and radio. Stations there MUST, by law, play a prescribed percentage of their songs/shows/etc from Canadian artists or production houses.
Well, the CRTC gave us Bob and Doug McKenzie on SCTV, so they got that going for them….
I was in France last year…Toulouse, Saumur, and Paris. Took a week’s vacation while on a business trip. Paris I like, but will admit there are some nasty parts. The rest of France I love. Nice people, many speak English…especially if you speak some French. Which I do.
Vienna…ah, Wien. Paris, run with Teutonic efficiency. Or something approaching it. Lovely city.
I would not be displeased to pick up a one-year posting to Europe…IF I had enough diplomatic clout to get the appropriate paperwork to bring at least the black powder guns. The Europeans take their BP shooting seriously.
If you have time and are near Hamilton I would highly recommend a visit to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Lots of neat planes there and they have a flying Lancaster…