a deux m
ontreal can be cold in
February – -15C cold – but undeterred, my partner and I fly out on Valentine’s Day. The city has been hit by 40cm of snow the day before. The Montreal Gazette informs readers: “Forecasters expect more snow in the coming days. But Saturday is shaping up to be a nice day.” The airport is in a remarkable state of ‘business as usual’. Driving into the city, we see cars buried to the point where the mounds merely suggest vehicles lining the streets. Yet traffic on the main roads is moving. To a Londoner, this seems wondrous.
GOLDEN MOMENTS We arrive at our hotel, Le Mount Stephen, in Montreal’s Golden Square Mile, where we struggle across the street and clamber over the heaped snow at the roadside. We're greeted by a doorman in a huge overcoat with upturned collar, cap and earmuffs, and step inside a curtained entrance to a sumptuous but cosy lobby. I suggest he does too. The reception staff are
great and the bed large and comfortable, but the touchpad for
travelweekly.co.uk
DESTINATIONS MONTREAL | CANADA
the lights appears to synchronise lamps and window blinds. It proves impossible to switch a light on or off without raising or lowering a blind. Claire is amused by my swearing until she has a go. We leave the blind raised – it’s dark anyway. The hotel has a historic feel – it was built in the 1880s and later declared a historic monument – and five-star features, but some unnecessary technology. The loo seat is heated and self- raising. It lifts whenever one of us passes the bathroom to access the wardrobe or the door to the room. This is funny for a time. The doorman is still outside when we go out to eat. But first we fancy a drink in the gorgeous hotel bar. We may be residents, but this proves impossible. We can’t buy a drink without booking a table – and there are none. No matter. We opt instead for the concierge’s recommendation, the Dominion Square Taverne – a 10-minute slip and slide away. I check a map – no phone GPS for me – deftly manipulating it while putting gloves on and off, slithering across streets, holding on to Claire and checking street signs. Think Mr Bean on ice.
² 10 OCTOBER 2019 45
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