Montreal, Quebec, Canada
This Friday our company was flying us out to Montreal for an annual meeting and late 'Christmas Party'. Normal with these business trips I stay over for the weekend at my own hotel. I also fly our from the Toronto Island Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) downtown.
Here is a video of the take off posted on youtube : https://youtu.be/QjhWHYDzkkU. It flew west to Hamilton then circled round so had I sat on the left I would have had better shots of downtown on the fly by.
Arriving on Montreal it circles around Montreal from the north before circling round to descend. We were too far north over Laval Island to get clear shots of downtown.
Arrival in Montreal was supposed to be colder at -15. Everything was white but no heavy snow.
On arrival we took a cab to our hotel in Brossard on the south side for $65. It was a nice hotel at the Alt hotel by the dix30 shopping centre. It was clear skies and from the top floor restaurant we could see back towards the Montreal skyline.
Saturday morning I was going to change to my own hotel in downtown Montreal. I went around the outlet mall before going to the bus stop. I saw the bus but didnt run in the ice expecting another one in 20 mins. Turns out on weekends the bus runs every hour so I had to go back and wait indoors till the next bus.
When the bus came rather then going downtown it said it terminated at the Panama bus terminal still in Brossard. I only had exact change for this bus expecting it to go all the way downtown as it does on weekdays.
At the Panama bus station I needed change so put a $10 in a vending machine to get a pop for $2.25. It only gave me .75 cent change. BLATANT THEFT!. Where was my other $7??!! I went into an asian supermarket who sold me a bus ticket to continue the journey.
The bus crossed the St Lawrence on the Champlain Bridge. I had biked along here in Jul 17 (see blog http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/londone7/38/1502562045)
In Montreal you had to pay another $3.25 to get into the metro for the two stops I needed to go. I wasnt going to pay again after two bus fares and $7 vending machine theft.
It was cold and I was looking for somewhere good to eat and warm up. I ended up at the hotel. I couldnt check in yet but left my bag and got some poutine to warm up.
The rest of the time I just stayed in the room. I had planned on going out for dinner and in the evening but it was just too cold. The hotel was quite nice for a budget one.
Sunday morning it seemed warmer as I was making my way for the airport bus. The winds had also died down.
On descent from Toronto normally it lands from the east (see blog entry http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/londone7/32/1456776288). I guess because of noise complaints from all the condos now it circles back from Hamilton and lands from the west. I was sitting on the wrong side to get any good pics.
It was much warmer back in Toronto even at -5.
2025-05-22