We started the day with a 2.5 hour drive to Montreal. The drive is easy and beautiful, passing many nice green lush areas. We were warned many times about drivers in this side of Canada, but holy moly, they drive bad over here. Aggressive, without patience, some super slow, and others thinking they are on a F1 race. Anyways, we decided to get a parking spot for the 3 days and use the metro instead, as Montreal is one of the best cities to use public transport.

The problem was that we couldn’t leave our bags at Airbnb just yet as the check-in was at 4:00 pm. Eitan was not happy about parking the car and having the luggage visible. We know a few people that had their car broken into when traveling (not in Canada).

We tried to find a luggage storage facility without success. The website showed the location, but nothing was there, no phone number or address or anything.

We then went with plan B, which was to go to places where parking could be safer, so we went to Saint Joseph’s Oratory. A Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located in the Mount Royal Park.

We needed to take a shuttle bus to the top of the mount, where the Oratory entrance was located. Ariela was very excited about the bus.

It is a National Historic Site of Canada and is Canada’s largest church, with one of the largest church domes in the world. Founded in 1904 by Saint André Bessette in honor of his patron saint, Saint Joseph, the Oratory is the product of numerous architects and thousands of workers in a process spanning six decades.

With its monumental scale, Renaissance Revival facade and contrasting Art Deco interior, the Oratory is recognizable not just in Montreal but around the world, attracting more than 2 million visitors and pilgrims to its steps each year.

It was around 45° F, but that means it’s negative 150 Sarah Degrees.

Of course, Ariela again loved it because it was another princess’ castle. 

The Oratory is the highest building in Montreal, rising more than 30 meters above Mount Royal’s summit, allowing it to be seen from many kilometers away. It is one of the few buildings that violates the height restriction under the municipal building code of Montreal, which limits the height of any building, including skyscrapers, from surpassing the height of Mount Royal.

There are some catacumbs on the lower levels.

People seem to be leaving their crutches and other orthopedic devices here after they are healed. They seem to think God was their healers instead of the doctors.

There are very nice gardens next to the Oratoty full of religious sculptures. We walked the whole grounds.

On the drive back down to the city, we stopped at the viewpoint to see the view. Pretty unexciting view overall, but you can see the ex-Olympic Park which was home to many of the venues from the 1976 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Tower is the tallest inclined structure in the world at 165-metre (541 ft), and the tenth tallest structure in Montreal. It was designed by architect Roger Taillibert and leans at an angle of 45°, much larger than that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa (less than 4°).

We then went to St Laurent St. area to eat at the world-famous Schwartz deli. This place is iconic here as all the famous people, including Anthony Bourdain, have stopped here to eat during their food shows.

They are known for their smoked beef sandwich, which is technically pastrami (not sure why they don’t call it like this). We ordered other sides like pickles, coleslaw, red peppers in vinegar, etc.. Everything was delicious.

They have takeout/fast food line and a sit-down restaurant line, and because of some communication error, we ended up in the fast food line with some uncomfortable seats, but we made it work and we saved some time.

We walked around the area and got a nice Ripple ice cream. Guava-grapefruit and chai tea. This ice cream place was apparently very famous, but the ice-cream was forgettable.

We then had to do check-in and bring the bags into the Airbnb, but the parking in Montreal is an absolute pain in the ass. After dropping off the bags, Eitan drove a few minutes to the pre-rented parking spot for the next 3 days.

Airbnb was great. A little small, but right in the middle of all the restaurants and shops.

We walked around the Le Plateau neighborhood to see all the nice shops and restaurants. Brought some fruit and chocolate and headed back to the hotel.

Eitan wanted to try a new fruit called Quince, which is a large pear-like yellow fruit. Unfortunately for him, he did not research that the fruit had to be cooked prior to consumption or it will taste like ass. The first (and last) bite of that fruit was nasty and almost sent Eitan to a shock.

We left our bags there and went across the street to a tapas restaurant. 

The restaurant was mediocre, and Ariela was very tired as it was 10 Pm already. We got a couple tapas, and we went back to sleep as we were all exhausted!

Bonus Pic Of the Day:

Canadians might have free healthcare, but they also have to pay 2 taxes when buying most things and varies by province. In Quebec, the PST tax of 10% + the GST tax of 5%. So a total of 15% added to whatever you buy!!!