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We arrived in Montreal just after 11 PM on a Monday evening in December, four hours later than our estimated time of arrival due to the delays caused by customs and the snow blizzard that had occurred earlier that day. When I saw the snow that morning, I honestly did not know if we would make it to the train station. I left a lot of extra time to navigate the snowy roads and arrived at the station in plenty of time for our train. The long wait in the Albany train station allowed me the opportunity to catch up on e-mails, eat some lunch, and mail a late Christmas present to my tenant in England.

After a long yet comfortable train ride across the Canadian border, we found ourselves in a strange country where foreign currency was used and a language other than English was spoken. Fortunately, I speak French and a few helpful people helped us to navigate the metro system to our hotel, which was located in the downtown area of Montreal, near the bus station, at the Beri-UQAM stop on the Orange line.

My son Julian’s fourteenth birthday began while we were still at the bus terminal, trying to find a door where we could exit. It took a while to find our way out, but finally we managed to “Sortie” and walked along the slippery parking lot to our hotel, located at the far end of the lot.

The next morning, on December 28th, we wanted to get an early start so as not to miss any precious time during Julian’s birthday. So, after a breakfast at the hotel, we walked back to the bus terminal and hopped on the green metro line. When we exited at Pie-1X, all we saw before us was the Olympic Stadium. We finally found our way to the Biodome, where we spent most of the day enjoying the penguins in the artic zone, the monkeys and macaws in the rain forest, the sliding otter in the Maple Forest, and the starfish in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence exhibit. We spent several fascinating hours there watching our animal friends (including the largest species of rodent in the world and four varieties of penguins) and also ate out lunch there. The museum pass, which we purchased, also enabled us to visit the Insectarium, where we saw many varieties of beetles and tarantulas, and also the Jardin Botanique, where we saw beautiful selections of purple orchids and several types of cacti, some of which were dressed up as people pretending to sing “Rudolf the Red nosed reindeer” in French.

After a short respite back at the hotel, we ventured out to Rue St. Dennis, to find somewhere to eat Julian’s birthday dinner. We chose a Vietnamese restaurant for our main course and a patisserie called “Juliette and Chocolate” for Julian’s birthday desert, which consisted of a caramel chocolate mouse topped with scoops of vanilla and hazelnut ice cream.

Wednesday morning, we woke up a little later and then headed to Parc La Fontaine for ice- skating. The man-made “river” that runs through the park is shaped like an S, so it is great fun skating along from one end to the other. There are also plenty of benches surrounded by evergreen trees when one needs a rest. I especially enjoyed skating as it began to snow!

After about an hour and a half of skating, we walked through the park where we encountered several squirrels, each a different color, begging for food that we did not have. We walked two blocks to Mont-Royal Street where we immediately saw a welcoming restaurant called “La Grande Mere Poule”. Brightly decorated with decor resembling hens and also baskets of dried flowers, the food also proved to be equally inviting. The menu consisted entirely of creative and delectable breakfast items. While Julian ate chocolate pancakes, I opted for a brie and mushroom omelet and a delicious scrambled potato dish that included asparagus.

We walked past many interesting shops before reaching the metro station en route to our hotel. After a short rest, we ventured out again-this time to Viex (Old) Montreal, via the metro’s orange line. When we arrived, we were delightfully surprised to find the streets paved with cobblestones and lights of different colors elegantly strung across doorways of shops and restaurants. We waved to a horse and buggy riding past us as we walked towards the old port where we watched more ice skaters glide to a French rendition of “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” and Jean Sibelius’s orchestral tone poem, “Finlandia”.

It was a little bit of a challenge finding a casual dining place, but we finally found “Serafim”, located on the corner. A very friendly waitress named Ava brought out the menu, from which we selected carrot-pumpkin soup for me and fruit-filled crepes and a banana milkshake for Julian. We finished off the meal with a slice of lemon cheesecake, which we shared.

We got an early start for the train station on Thursday morning. We admired the red bows and lights as we waited on queue. It was not too long before we were headed on the train out of the island of Montreal, back on to Canada’s mainland, and then over the border to New York State, where we rode along the shoreline of Lake Champlain for a large portion of our journey.

We are already planning our next trip to Montreal! Here are some tips if you plan on going.

If you are going to Montreal in the wintertime….

There are lots of places to go ice- skating in Montreal. Our pick was the outdoor rink at Parc La Fontaine, located two blocks from the Mont-Royal metro stop on the orange line. Ice- skating is free and rentals are available for eight dollars a pair.

If you love animals, The Biodome offers great entertainment in an indoor setting. Tickets are available for entrance to all three “natural” museums located near the Olympic Stadium. Take the green line to the Viau stop.

For a great breakfast or lunch, visit the “Grande Mere Poule” on Mont-Royal Street, one of the liveliest streets in Montreal. The eatery is open from 6 am to 3 PM.

For a more affordable dinner in Old Montreal, try the Serafim Café Bistro, located at 393 SP-Paul Est at Bonsecours Street.

Things you will want to pack…

A French-English dictionary can come in handy, as Montreal is primarily a French-speaking country.

You will want to bring your own ice skates if you want to save money on ice skating rental.

Canada uses different currency from the United States, so you will want to go to a currency exchange bureau ahead of time or plan to visit one at the beginning of your trip.

You will want to have a good map of the Metro system to help you navigate around town. Some guidebooks include metro maps as well as street maps.

Of course, you will want your camera!

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