More French than France

Spent the past few days in Old Montreal, it is very European, narrow streets, rubbish piled in the street and the drains smell as bad as Venice in the summer and rebuilding (mostly restoration) and roadworks everywhere. However Vieux Montreal is quaint and picturesque, except the streets are so narrow you only get glimpses of historic buildings and vista.  I’m not the up close and in your face kind of street photographer. The one open area “Place de Jacques Cartier” is however a tourist trap, stalls to get you portrait (aka characture/cartoon) drawn and shops full of tourist trinkets with a number of street side cafes. My experience  here was the service was slow and almost non-existent and the food very ordinary. Go back a couple of streets, particularly along Rue St Paul and things are much for authentic and enjoyable.

 

Overall  Old Montreal was worth a visit. I found the photography more rewarding at dusk.