For my colleague Frank Andreoli Montreal was a city which he used to talk about all the time and he would always tell me that I had to go and visit. I must be honest, I put it off for some time, after all everyone likes to mention a great place to visit, and you can’t do them all. This time last year however, I saw some low cost flights for Montreal and given what Frank had told me abut the place I thought I’d give it a go. The only regret that I have had since that trip, was that I didn’t take Frank’s advice earlier.
Montreal is such a cool city and this is exactly why.
Two Cultures
I always knew that there were some Canadians who spoke French but I was naive to the fact that there are entire cultures here, and there are many who actually don’t speak English. Montreal is very much at the heart of this and it is a city where these two cultures don’t collide, but coincide. There are influences of both cultures here and that is truly something great to experience.
Liberal
I have to be honest, I d often have a problem with countries or with cities which are too liberal, and that is not something which I could say about Montreal, on the contrary in fact. There is a very cool and liberal approach to life here and you can feel it when you are wandering through the city.
Safety
Being able to wander around a city at 2am, safe in the knowledge that you are not in any risk at all, that is something which not too many cities could say, yet Montreal certainly can. Not only are crime rates low here, there is always a good police presence, police who are friendly I might add.
Foodie Heaven
There are a lot of cities around the world which describe themselves as being foodie places, yet it is important to remember that a range of food doesn’t mean that it all tastes great. During the two weeks which I had up in Montreal, I tried about 14 restaurants, with food from all over the planet, and I don’t think that I had a single bad meal. The city is renowned for its high quality and diverse food choices.
Cool
I appreciate that it sounds a bit lame, but this is a very cool city. There are cool people here and cool neighborhoods, cool places to eat, sit and entertain yourself. The people are super friendly and I think they all recognize the fact that they are living in a really cool and diverse city.
Not too many cities are able to grab me in the way that Montreal has, and I have no doubt that I will be going back again just as soon as I am able to.
Have you been before? What did you make of it?
