As much as we'd like to sleep in, the excitement of the trip gets us up bright an early. Today we are skipping Practices 1 and 2, and going shopping. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day.
After breakfast, we head out to the Metro. On our way, we again pass by the St. James. There has been a bugatti parked outside the hotel since we got here. Every time we pass by, there are scores of men stopping to take pictures. The hotel doormen hover nearby to shoo away anyone who gets too close.
Thanks to YouTube. I found the Bugatti.
What is the point of having a fancy race car if you can't even get down the street for the crowds?
We were heading to Le Centre Eaton and enjoying looking at the scenery along the way. We came across an old church that was completely surrounded by modern buildings. We didn't go in the church, but we later found Les Promenades de la Cathedrale, which is a mall under the church in the Underground City.
We finally found Eaton Centre. Not much in a shopping mood, but we just wander around and find ourselves back in the Underground City. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so I didn't want to spend the day wandering around 20 miles of tunnels.
Eaton Centre
Also, the stores we saw seemed to cater to the youthful and I wanted to see where we old people shopped. We headed for Les Cours Mont-Royal on rue Peel. Just as we turned the corner, another street festival appeared. This time Lamborghinis.
Sue's New Car
Since Practices 1 and 2 were happening, there weren't many people at this festival. We never made it back at night to see how it changed. After looking at all the cars we head inside Les Cours Mont-Royal, which was very upscale and gorgeous.
Les Cours Mont-Royal
Enough shopping. Let's eat. Frank wants to head over the Chinatown and look around. You can see the pagoda-style roofs as you walk around. Chinatown is just a few blocks, but you really enter another world as soon as you turn the corner.
Lots of restaurants to choose from and I have no research on which to rely, so we just go through a door. We end up at the Mongolian Hot Pot, which I later find out is a chain with shops in California. Basically, you pick out vegetables from a buffet and cook them in boiling broth along with the meat they bring to your table. It was fun, but a little messy.
Mongolian Hot Pot
My foot was completely trashed from walking in wet shoes the previous day, so we head back to the hotel to rest up for the evening. When we get back to the room, we could hear the cars in Practice 2. Our hotel is a good 2 or 3 miles from the track.
We had received an invitation to meet up with other Austin F1 fans at the W Hotel at 5 pm. We arrived a little early and waited in the lobby for a bit before wandering into the bar. (If you have ever been in a W Hotel, you know how hard it is to find things in the maze of hallways.) We had a great time talking to other F1 fans from all over the world. We were the only ones that were actually from Austin. We talke to a Brit who said, other than Monaco, the Montreal experience is the best. I hope Austin is up to the challenge, because I know we can do it.
W Hotel Bar
We were able to sneak out for dinner after a respectable time. Once again Frank had made me cancel our dinner reservations and we picked a place we'd passed on our morning walk, Beaver Hall. We get a table by the window and watch people stroll by. It's a very comfortable restaurant. I start with Salmon tartare, beet root carpaccio and aspergus salad, and Frank gets the foie gras of the day. This time he can actually taste the foie gras. I have struggled this whole trip with resisting the fabulous bread that is placed before us in each restaurant. For our entrees, I get Grilled flank steak with shallots, french fries and mesclun, and Frank gets Warm duck salad, leg, gizzards confit, smoked duck breast filet and poached egg. My steak is very chewy once again, so we finally decide that Canadians must like it this way. Frank wins the competition this night as his plate is gorgeous. Looking around the room, I see a lot of people getting the Mussels " À la marinière", with french fries, which I wish I would have ordered. A lot of other people are geting the Beef Tartare ( 200g, Mixted salad and french fries). For dessert, we share a chocolate mousse.
Our bellies are full and we head out for a walk around town. Frank read there was a French music festival around the Place des Arts. I am envisioning a guy with an accordian or some French folk music, so I'm not too enthusiastic. We start to see people streaming up the road and hear music in the distance. The music gets louder and louder the closer we get. Finally, the stage comes into view.
There were so many people and all the girls were screaming. I think we were watching the Canadian Katy Perry. Later we learned we were at the Les FrancoFolies de Montreal, which is the largest French music festival in the world and the singer was Marie-Mai, who is a major star.
We watched for a while and then walked around. We found a few other stages, one which had a French Rap group. Very interesting.
A Tie to the Race
I can't The Place des Artes is also where they have the Montreal Jazz Festival, which now I would like to attend. One building was lit up with photos of musicians, which must be a tie to the Jazz Festival.
Time to call it a day. We are off to the races tomorrow and we need our rest.
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