So, why did we get eaten alive by bed bugs, already? Oh, right. To visit Montreal.

Well, our first evening in the city had started off pretty well. After checking in at the “hotel from hell” (which, at that point, was just a regular bed bugs-free hotel as far as we knew), we decided to make the most of the remaining daylight. We headed to Mont Royal, the hill west of downtown Montreal, to which it gave its name.

The weather was gorgeous, a real Indian Summer weather complete with some fall colours, a light warm breeze and above-average temperatures.

We usually drive to the same old belvedere to catch a glimpse of Montreal’s skyline, but this time we decided to “hike” to the Chalet du Mont Royal and the Kondiaronk scenic lookout in front of the chalet.

On the way, we met a large group of Chinese tourists, most of them elderly women, each carrying huge Nikon cameras with fancy and expensive zoom lenses. It was strangely amusing to see these women taking snapshot with semi-pro gear and I felt completely out of my league with my “small” 55-200 mm zoom lens! “Maybe they all work at the Nikon factory?” I wondered.

From the lookout, the view on the downtown area and the St. Lawrence River was amazing. I wish I could go back during the winter, it must be great as well with a snowy landscape!

The Chalet itself felt a bit empty if spacious. The walls are decorated with pictures tracing the history of Montreal, but little is said about the purpose of the Chalet.

Parc du Mont Royal
Parc du Mont Royal
Parc du Mont Royal
Parc du Mont Royal
Montreal's Skyline
Montreal’s Skyline
Montreal's Skyline
Montreal’s Skyline
Montreal's Skyline
Montreal’s Skyline
Montreal's Skyline
Montreal’s Skyline
Montreal's Skyline
Montreal’s Skyline
Montreal's Skyline
Montreal’s Skyline
Water Fountain
Water Fountain
Candid at the Top
Candid at the Top
Chalet du Mont Royal
Chalet du Mont Royal
Chalet du Mont Royal
Chalet du Mont Royal
Mark is Escaping
Mark is Escaping
Parental Shadows
Parental Shadows

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12 Comments

  1. Colleen Brynn October 5, 2013 at 3:33 pm

    I love the candid photo!

    Reply
    1. Zhu October 5, 2013 at 4:54 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Holly Nelson October 5, 2013 at 9:16 pm

    That last pic is awesome! The parental shadows! So cool and so much meaning! I love the Montreal skyline, I definitely need to go there!

    Reply
    1. Zhu October 5, 2013 at 9:35 pm

      The last pic was kind of accidental to be honest 😉

      Reply
  3. shionge October 6, 2013 at 8:22 pm

    Hey what a great day and great shots 😀 We missed out Montreal during our last visit then but would love to visit this place someday soon.

    Reply
    1. Zhu October 6, 2013 at 8:53 pm

      Montreal is a must-see… but you traveled so much, I’m not worried about you, I’m sure you’ll get to go one day!

      Reply
  4. La Madame October 7, 2013 at 1:35 am

    Oui l’intérieur du chalet en lui-même n’a rien d’exceptionnel, c’est plutôt pour la vue qu’on va là 🙂

    En hiver ça doit être cool aussi avec le lac aux castors 🙂

    Reply
    1. Zhu October 7, 2013 at 10:25 am

      Je veux revenir en hiver! Ma première fois à Montréal c’était en février et ça avait une toute autre allure… magnifique aussi, même si froid!

      Reply
  5. Christiane October 8, 2013 at 10:51 am

    Love the parc ! It reminds me almost of Central Park in NYC.

    Reply
    1. Zhu October 8, 2013 at 12:02 pm

      Oh, I loved Central Park… amazing place.

      Reply
  6. Abby Ang October 8, 2013 at 7:50 pm

    Hello there!

    Thank you very much for sharing this post. I love the picture “Mark is escaping”. You kid is really cute 🙂

    -Abby

    Reply
    1. Zhu October 8, 2013 at 9:25 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply

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