Montréal, Québec Part II

After our guided tour, we strolled back to visit the shops and galleries on Rue St. Paul. There were shops with locally crafted wares and galleries with intriguing (and sometimes irreverent) pop art. There was even a shop which sold only rubber ducks!

We had seen some intriguing paintings in a window during our walking tour, so we found our way back to the Galerie d'Art Place Royale, where we learned about the French Canadian painter Jacques Tremblay. His distinctive style is inspired by Cezanne and Van Gogh, but is uniquely his own. And his current body of work is painted on a black background, which makes the colors even more jewel-like. Our favorite was a small painting of the iconic Hotel Nelligan, just two blocks up the street from the gallery. We were delighted to learn that the figure in the painting is the artist himself!

We were also delighted to learn that the Hotel Nelligan has a rooftop café. What better place to have an afternoon snack? As we savored our spritzes, charcuteries, and cheeses at Terrasse Nelligan, it began to rain. We toasted our good luck and stayed high and dry.

It continued to drizzle on the short walk back to our hotel. But it didn't dampen our love for this beautiful city. This first visit was just a delicious taste, and we hope to go back to Montréal one day for more.

Fun facts:

Montréal is an island.

90% of its residents speak French fluently, making it the world's largest primarily French-speaking city after Paris.