One of my favorite activities at the festival was the open fire pits and free marshmallows. My housemate who graduated from McGill last year told us that this concert is a tradition for local university students.
Another fun excursion from this trip was touring McGill’s campus. Right after dropping our bags off at the hotel accommodation, my housemates and I decided to hike Mount Royal, the tallest point in Montreal at a mere 764 feet. The cross was gifted to the city by Maisonneuve, the first governor of Montreal, (a French-born man,) after the young colony survived a major flooding. The hike was a series of increasingly steep staircases, although the moonlight reflecting off the fresh layer of snow ended up illuminating far more than I expected. Near the summit of Mount Royal is a terrace that offers a panoramic viewpoint of Montreal—the financial skyscrapers, McGill’s campus, and the St. Lawrence River all included. It was also surprising to see a group of cross-country skiers make their way down the hill as we descended.
Anyone who knows me would not be surprised that my favorite part of the trip was the food. Montreal is undoubtedly a city of foodies, and arguably Canada’s most iconic dish, poutine, has its origins in Quebec. Fries, beef gravy and cheese curds are the essential elements of any poutine, but over the years local businesses have incorporated surprising and unconventional toppings into the dish. At La Banquise, one of the city’s famous diners, I tried a delicious poutine topped with relish, pickles and smoked meat. I also tried a Montreal-style bagel from the famous St-Viateur. Montreal bagels are smaller, denser, and most notably, sweeter than the typical New York bagel that we imagine.
