K & L's Travel Blog

We wake up early, finish final chores and drag our bags up the hill to the train station. It’s a doable walk and I was glad we’d taken the time yesterday to find the best route. I realize I’m used to European 19^th century behemoth train stations, and Montreal station has a relatively modest profile. We’d walked just half a block from it before and not even seen it. We had allowed enough time for breakfast at the station. They had an accommodation area for those (like us) who weren’t up for carrying our bags down and up flights of stairs to the train. It was a relatively small area with access to an escalator. Kitty chatted with a couple while we waited to board. 

The three-hour train ride went quite easily. Our seats were comfortable, though we were facing backwards with limited view due to the cut of the window. We did pass forested areas of hemlocks & streams and small towns with well-kept churches. It only stopped 2-3 times. 

Our walk to our apartment was through some (literally) rough streets, so again dragging our bags was a hassle, though doable as we were only a few blocks away. The apartment demands a numerical code which creates high anxiety. We go to drop off our bags and I tell K the wrong door #. A grumpy man answers and snarls at her and it shakes her up. The code works just fine once we find the right door. 

We go across the street and split a gyro at a Palestinian restaurant. After lunch, we wander up St. Joseph Street and then through a big park (Jean-Paul-L’Allier Garden) to an escalator that takes us up to where the views are vertiginous. 

We still have a street to climb, but there are colorful houses and lots of fun photos along the way. We arrive at Rue D’Aiguillon and Kitty sits in a church yard while I explore and take photos. 

We wander back to the apartment and stop at an epicurean grocery store that is just around the corner. Kitty buys Fregola pasta and pickled asparagus and dried French garlic. 

The next day we spent exploring our neighborhood a bit more. We ate at Poutineville, where I managed to avoid the poutine but Kitty succumbed. We were delighted with the large grocery store only a few blocks away.  

I actually managed to get a haircut at a place just behind our apartment. There was a fancy salon on the main street, but this place, UK Cuts, was quite affordable (35CAD). UK is a black barber who usually did black men’s hair, but he agreed to fit me in for a cut. I’d never had a cut with a barber before: he was super quick with the clippers and scissors. The cut is very short, but I’m happy with it. He was jealous of our travels as he and his wife had just had his first child. He’s from Paris and his salon had cool vibe with a pool table and area where young black guys hung out. 

San Roch neighborhood is clearly in the process of gentrification, but also has its share of homelessness and opioid addictions. We’ve seen lots of older people and people in electric wheelchairs, so it’s reassuring to know people can get around easily, and least in this specific area. Tomorrow we’ll head out to the Old Town.