Time is Short in Montreal

It should come as no surprise that two days in Montreal is far too short to truly enjoy this city. We barely scratched the surface of Viuex Montreal, haven't had a chance to go up to Mont Royal, didn't eat outdoors on Crescent Street (though we may fix that today) and didn't get a chance to head over towards the Montreal Jazz Festival. That may get resolved, too, but all of it will be a teeny taste of "the real thing". Such is life - it just spurs us to come back another time.

This morning, we grabbed breakfast at Vasco da Gama, a little Portuguese cafe' recommended by the concierge at the Sofitel Montreal. Located at 1472 Peel Street, inside you'll find a nice assortment of pastries, sandwiches, omelettes and other light fare. Be sure to include a Pastel de Nata, a custar-based pastry, with your meal for only $2.00 CAN. You can pull up a chair by the front or out on the sidewalk.

Typical Pastel de Nata - only $2.00 at Vasco da Gama

Afterwards, we wandered along Rue Sainte Catherine where there are scores upon scores of shops - you'll find plenty of Canadian and International brands. For some nice Canadian souvenirs, stop by the Roots store 1025 Rue Ste-Catherine Ouest. Roots is a nature-themed Gap-like store with branches all over Canada and four stores in the U.S. We made it down to a central square, across from a Hudson's Bay store but then headed back as we had to check out.

This afternoon? We'll see... if anything, we'll be heading back to Cardinal later today and then probably dinner in Brocksville.