The “Odyssey” left the driveway 5 minutes early on Monday morning. That thing is a beast… loads of room for people / bags and super comfy. More like plane travel than vehicle 😂. One particular to take care of this morning, as we were dropping the RAV4 off in Sackville with Mackay to streamline return travel. Always love a little skip through my alma mater as well… sentimental to see Chris and things like the Harper, Truman, & Football Field locations… great memories. We tee’d all that up and, after a quick pit stop, we were off to collect kms – destination Montréal!
I thought lots about how much New Brunswick infrastructure has changed since my first arrival from MtA days in the mid 80’s! One can easily see, with such an amazing Trans-Canada Highway route, why NB has garnered the “drive-through province” moniker. From what were once single lane routes to being completely divided from QC through to NS, the provincial/federal gov’ts have done great work to create safe, efficient transportation corridors. NB delivers an awesome tourism product, and is home to some of the finest people I know, so I’d strongly suggest if you “drive through” like we did today you are surely missing out 👍!
By noon we were hitting the NB/QC border and settled in for the second half of the day’s travel and Janie taking over driving duties from Brad. We opted, with the heat warning and desire to get to the city, to eat in vehicle and enjoyed sandwiches, veggies, drinks and snacks while on the move. Good call, we thought, as we were set up for 11 hrs of highway travel. Of note… lots of QC and Ont plates representing through the NB portion of the drive… perhaps more politically motivated vacation destinations being selected this summer. CBC posted this report / explanation in mid-July (Canada’s summer tourism is up as many take staycations)
We breached the outskirts of Montreal to a busy traffic situation, but Ms Lumsden navigated expertly and we landed at our downtown accommodation in good form. Remembering the so called good ol’ days, before GPS and iPhones, left me wondering how one did this stuff. We telemarked a landing at the doors of L’Appartement in the heart of the McGill University district. Great one night digs… early 80’s style accommodation where we landed two rooms for our group. After a quick reconcile with the surroundings, we hit the streets.
First stop, selfishly, was for Montreal Smoked Meat at Dunn’s Famous on Metcalfe! It was so close by that we really didn’t fuss with a trip out to Schwartz’s. We were seated immediately, and served within 10 minutes. After checking in with everyone, all were happy with the meal and it was absolutely enjoyed! Smoked Meat sandwiches, along with the taste, reminds me of one of Mom’s guilty pleasures. She used to sneak that home every once in a while and always enjoyed a sandwich laden with the rich, flavourful beef! Nom, nom, nom!!!
We hit the Metro with gusto, saving some steps and going underground to the Place D’Arms Station at the corner of Old Montreal (Note: Although indicated that Tap-&-Go was available, didn’t work for us). Although a very warm evening (I’d guess hovering around 30°C) it was bustling for a Monday and we completed a loop through the cobble streets and upscale shops / eateries. I remembered why Montreal had been a popular stop with friends and family. Then homeward to regroup and prepare for another travel day into Toronto. Nighty night! 😴