Day 2 – Monday
Total cost: $143.28
The location of our Airbnb was great (a block and a half from a metro station, a five minute walk to Old Montreal), and it was clean, but there were some odd oversights. The bedside shelves were tilted downward, so our phones kept falling onto the concrete floor. The bathroom lacked shower gel, hooks or bar to hang towels, a trash can or a hairdryer. The middle support of the bed was broken, so the mattress was sagging and we kept sliding towards the middle, comfortable but not really conducive to a good night's sleep. We briefly discussed upgrading to a hotel, but that was out of our budget, so we decided to make do.
Luckily the day got better from there, starting with breakfast in a The Love of Breada nearby bakery where I bought a pear-chocolate pastry and a cappuccino for CA$11.90 ($8.70). It was raining and most of the museums on our route were closed on Mondays, so we took the metro to Biodome and I bought an entrance ticket for CA$23.25 ($17.01). The Biodôme is both a zoo and a conservatory with exhibitions that recreate different ecosystems. I preferred the rainforest section because I love sloths and capybaras, and the penguins in the subantarctic section were so fun to watch. Do I need the capybara earrings at the gift shop? No, but I bought them anyway ($13.80 CAD, or $10.09).
The Biodôme café looked dull so we walked to the nearest one Maisonneuve Market for lunch, and I bought a piece of focaccia topped with olives, vegetables and goat cheese from a bakery for CA$7.48 ($5.47). The rain had cleared up by then, so we walked to the Botanical garden and purchased entry for CA$20.75 ($15.18). The sprawling Chinese garden was the highlight: a tranquil pond surrounded by elegant buildings, a waterfall and carefully tended miniature trees.
After the botanical garden, we returned to our Airbnb via the subway, with a stop at a convenience store to buy soap, lotion, foundation (I forgot to pack a few things), and a bag of chips CA all garnished. $38.01 ($27.85). For dinner we walked to Pub Saint-Pierrewhich combines the ambiance of a historic pub, hockey bar and craft cocktail venue. We ordered a few cocktails, gyoza and truffle fries and split the tab for CA$71.75 ($52.47) each. For dessert, we walked to the Old Port so I could get a delicious ice cream sandwich from the Felix and Norton food truck spotted the day before (CA$8.89, or $6.51).
