Montreal is an island city (I never knew that) and consists of many different neighbourhoods, each with their own distinct flavour. Among these is Old Montreal which has a European flair, Downtown feels very North American and the Plateau I would say is a mix between the two (very Montrealian in fact). And everything is in French (don't worry most of it is in English too) which took a bit of getting used to seeing that we were in a predominantly English speaking country. I liked it though, and feel that it gives Montreal a uniqueness that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world.
Aside from attractions such as the Olympic Stadium, the Notre-Dame Basilica and Mayssam's cats I would have to say the food markets were the highlight, particularly Jean-Talon. I saw things there I had never seen before: purple peppers, white peppers, yellow cauliflower, purple cauliflower and white aubergines! And the produce was ultra-fresh, with peaches so full of flavour they sent me right back to when as a child I used to eat them straight from the tree. The sheer size of the market was pretty overwhelming, as was the selection of goodies, a true foodie and photographers heaven.
Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the begging raccoons as we saw them at night on Mont-Royal harassing people coming to enjoy the view. Below however are a few of the pictures I did manage to take during our stay (and yes there is one of Moody there too).
Notre-Dame Basilica
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 1000
Aperture: f/4
Shutter Speed: 1/5
The Aldred building on Place d'Armes
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter Speed: 1/250
The dome of Marché Bonsecours
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter Speed: 1/640
Artichokes at Marché Atwater
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 200
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/50
Reds and greens at Marché Jean-Talon
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/60
Marché Bonsecours at twlight
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/11
Shutter Speed: 30 s
Graffiti
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/125
Watchdog
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/80
Getting ready for winter
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/60
Moody the model
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 500
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/40
Stade Olympique at twilight
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/13.0
Shutter Speed: 30 s
The magic of lanterns at the Jardin botanique de Montréal
Canon EOS7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 100
Aperture: f/10.0
Shutter Speed: 5 s
