Old Montreal will always hold a special place in our hearts; it’s a city borough that seems to exude charm and wraps you in a warm glow. Not to mention the ever-changing city decor that you encounter as you wander the cobblestone streets.
It seems sacrilegious that it took us 6 months to bring ourselves back to this magical little corner of the world, but we won’t dwell on this.
So on a sunny Sunday afternoon, we packed up the car and hit the road to our city of doves.
After a minor struggle with street parking pay machines, we were off on foot with no particular plan in mind. There’s something very therapeutic about vagabonding around, camera in hand, capturing moments as they come.
As we started off on our street adventure, we quickly realized that we were far too sober considering we were on a self-proclaimed mini-vacation. We decided that the first cozy looking wine bar would be our watering hole of choice. The winner ended up being Modavie Wine Bar on Saint-Paul Ouest. We were greeted by a delightfully charming middle aged Italian man (who we presume is the owner) who insisted we sit down and take a load off.
We sat at the bar (is there really any other place to sit?) and ordered our poisons: a tall glass of red for myself and a pint for Dave. The one thing I always appreciate about any outing is the people watching. This particular experience was a little different, as we ended up being more interested in the food-watching than the people. As dishes kept flying past us from the kitchen to their destination on someone’s table, we couldn’t help but drool over a particular large serving of moules et frites (mussels and fries for my anglophone friends). Naturally, we ordered them.
After eating and drinking our fill, we headed back into the streets. We successfully snapped a few clean shots down some side streets providing some very sexy lines, and then headed down to the waterfront from some golden hour magic.
Sunday evenings are magical, mainly because most people are at home preparing for the week ahead, and we were pretty much left to ourselves as we toured the Jacques-Cartier Pier.
Hunger returned, and we asked Google to lead us to the nearest spot we could enjoy a more sit-down kind of culinary experience. Technology delivered and we found ourselves wandering into Caspar Tavern.
The tavern touts itself as offering comfort food in a historic setting, and this is certainly not false advertising. As we made our way into the restaurant, we were immediately struck by the cool, relaxed vibes and hipster-chic decor which make this the perfect place for couples wanting an intimate dinner together, or friends looking to knock back a few at the bar. We sinned hard here, but the gluttonous pigs inside us deserve to be catered to every now and then. Treat yo self. We will spare you the details, but would highly recommend you stop in and spend some time here if you’re craving an elevated comfort food experience (and make sure you leave room for dessert!).
Once we rolled ourselves out of the Caspar Tavern, we strolled back into the streets and made a few shopping stops in the lovely local shops scattered through the Old Port. Souvenirs and a few early christmas presents in hand, we made our way back to the car.
And there it is, our day-trip to Montreal. It was short and sweet, but we fall more and more in love with this city and each other every time we visit.
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