I’m Canadian and I lived all my life or most of my life when I was not traveling in Canada. I am I come from a small town near Montreal, 30 minutes outside Montreal. I was in Montreal every week of my life until I moved to Montreal in my 30s or end of 20s and I’ve been living there, I still have an apartment there since then. In this video, I will try to answer “What is Canada known for?”
What do people ask themselves about Montreal? We’re back in Canada during COVID. I moved and I bought a hotel in Charlevoix in the northern part of Quebec but It’s four hours drive from Montreal. It’s not that far and I’ve been spending my time between Montreal and Charlevoix since I bought the hotel and other destination like Brazil.
We made a whole video about Brazil. You can see it here or go ahead on our Youtube channel to watch it there.
What’s the oldest city in Canada?
Quebec is the oldest city in Canada and it was founded back in the 1600s.
Who founded Quebec?
Many European countries had this like- Let’s go on an adventure like Spanish started doing that and they are with Christopher Colombus, they went to Dominican Republic, the English started that too and they went like parts of America. The Dutch went to New York which was called New Amsterdam and their friends were like we’ll go too then they went more north. Jacques Cartier was the first one to arrive in Quebec. Arrived in Gaspésie and then he went through the Saint-Laurent, the big river there in Quebec, and he went through on this second trip then went all the way to Quebec. That’s how he discovered Quebec, at that point the river goes like creates a very narrow corridor, and then it’s only goes up to the Great Lakes.
Quebec was a for sure a native village that was there. Made friends with them, stay there, read this Bible or whatever. They were like drinking, smoking weed, everything was cool and he was like- I’ll go back to France we’ll spend one more month there. It’s big boat was parked in the small river in Quebec and November arrived, the water froze. In November, it can get pretty cold pretty and pretty fast over there, they all got stuck and they spent all winter which was not like their initial idea. Many of them died, they didn’t know they weren’t eating right food and everything. Then he went back that was 1536 or something but for many years after nobody came back it was hard to get the money but then Champlain who’s the real founder of the colony, he was like- let’s go there, let’s take his note, let’s take Jacques Cartier notes and let’s see what we can go.
He started to do a trip, convince a bunch of people to follow him and when he arrived in Quebec, the same spot. He was like- okay, that’s the spot where we can do a colony where will we be able to put a fort, cannons and defend that city. There as been people living in Quebec since 1608 even though in 1602 or 1603, there was people spending all summer there and then they were going back to Europe but that’s to answer like what’s the oldest city in Canada by white people because to be honest there’s been native living there for 12,000 years. We often ignore but there have been people living in Quebec native people living in Quebec for probably 12,000 years but in terms of the colony which is probably what people are asking. That’s the main.
What is Montreal known for?
Further up the river, there is Montreal. Montreal is where you can go still with a big boat, all the way to Montreal those big old wooden sailboat from the European times. You can go all the way to Montreal then it starts to go up to the Great Lake and you can’t continue with your big old wooden sailboat. Montreal started to develop after that and Quebec and Montreal develop together, but then Montreal became the the biggest city. Quebec city is still the capital of Quebec but Montreal is the metropolis, the biggest city where there’s more people like half the people in Quebec. Most of the people are there and that’s where I grew up.
What to do in Montreal?
Montreal is a city and big cities have all have the same feature that what to do there is just walk around. Eat the food, the food is incredible. I think we have the most restaurant per capita in the world or something. It’s just crazy. There’s so many restaurants or in America, probably. There’s so many restaurants and I operated the Cafe there for a while, and it’s really hard to operate a Cafe because there’s so much competition but It’s so cool to walk around. Chill, go there, eat some food and continue.
There is a giant park, my favorite park in the world is the Le Parc du Mont-Royal, which is a mountain right in the middle of the city, all the neighborhoods surrounding it have access to it but Le Plateau Mont-Royal is the one that I live and the one that has access to the entrance of the park. When you walk Le Mont-Royal at the end, you see the big park and then when you go up you have all these trails that go up. It’s including a trail that’s been designed to be not too steep and cars can take it but it’s just for like police and emergencies. It’s only bikes and people walk. It’s great park with big trees and It’s right in the middle of the city.
What I usually do my routine in Montreal is I wake up, I work and in the end of afternoon I always go to that park and I take five to ten kilometer walk. You’re right in the middle of the forest, you kind of forget that you’re in the city and then gravity makes me go all the way back down then It’s restaurant heaven. It’s like on the Plateau Mont-Royal and my land, they’re all like close neighborhood but you can go further to Rosemont. All that region is very nice. I would highly recommend going on this routine, walk and stuff. I’m going back there on December 21st. We live Brazil to Montreal and I’ll be spending like a week with my friend and family over there. For sure, I’ll be doing this routine of walking the forest and it’s even walkable during the winter. I have these my boots and I put crampons and then I just like walk on the forest. Usually, since I do my walk at the end of the afternoon and it’s dark by that time I’ll just do it in the night but it’s super safe and It’s great.
How far is Toronto from Montreal?
From Quebec City to Montreal, It’s three hours. Then from Montreal to Toronto, It’s five hours and a half or six hours.
Where to stay in Toronto? I do not know Toronto that well, but if you wonder where to stay in Toronto I would recommend near Kensington Market. It’s it’s great location and It’s the most walkable food-restaurant thingy they have there.
Where to stay in Montreal? I would recommend Le Plateau especially my land. That’s my my neighborhood now and It’s great. This is the legendary, that’s where the bagel was invented.
How to get to Charlevoix Quebec?
Charlevoix is four hours from Montreal and it’s an hour and a half from Quebec City. You go all the way up the river, the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal to Charlevoix that’s four hours when you arrive there, It’s the mountains Charlevoix region was a crater and that’s why It’s weird that has these walls of rock but it’s all mountains and river.
What is the big body of water next to Charlevoix? It is the Saint-Laurent. The whole region was founded around that body of water, the boats were arriving and then they were founding cities all the way next to the Saint Lawrence River
What time do the Tam Tams starts in Montreal?
For people who don’t know, the Tam Tam is a legend in Montreal It’s just started in the 90s that people were going to have Tam Tam on Le Parc du Mont-Royal, my favorite park in the world. Down next to the statue that is there, It was just like playing Tam Tam on Sundays and Around 10,11, and 12.
It’s a typical Montreal thing to do on Sunday to just go out for a brunch and then go chill on the park. At noon, there’s like 500 Tam Tams just out playing together to create this noise and this vibe. There’s girls dancing and people smoking weed then you have all the people coming to the park to do their walk like me. I have maybe 10,000 picture and my phone of the Tam Tam because you arrive there just like- Oh my God, that’s a crazy ambiance. That’s something to see in your life.
There’s a hidden gem near the the Tam Tam where you have these guys that are behind the Tam Tam that you have to go in the park and go see behind. They play like it was the medieval time, they have swords but plastic swords like helmets, shields and stuff. They fight like it was a two kings against each other and then when you touch them on the leg, they fall. You have these modern Knights playing every time there’s a Tam Tam on all the Sundays, you have these guys that are there and those are the most interesting guy.
I also did a blog post about Mexico and Brazil if you guys are interested
