Montreal - Day Four - Amaluna

Today we started the day with some Montreal-style bagels from a local bagel shop.  They differ from the traditional NY-style bagels in that they are lighter and have a bit less flavor (due to less salt).  We had a sesame seed, which is one of the traditional flavors, and a cinnamon raisin.  Having tried both, I prefer NY-style but that might be because it's what I am used to.

We then took the Metro downtown and climbed to the top of Mont Royal.  We got off at the University of Montreal stop and walked through the Notre Dame des Nieges cemetery.  The walk was a lot longer than I expected, but it was worth it.  The cemetery is beautiful, and had flowers everywhere.  We made the choice to not take any pictures there.  

After getting through the cemetery, the climb to the top of Mont Royal was taxing.  It's a long way up, but the views once we got there were spectacular.

It reminded us of the Piazalle Michaelangelo in Florence, though the setting is obviously not quite the same.

We walked down the front of Mont Royal to McGill University to look for some swag to bring home.  The campus is set into Mont Royal and is a great setting for a university.  While in the university gift shop we learned that McGill has a quidditch team.  I asked the girl how they got past the whole "not being able to fly on brooms" thing.  She said they sort of run around on the ground.  I found this video of a match on YouTube.  I am not quite sure what to say.

For dinner, we found a place here on the Plateau that serves speciality grilled cheese sandwiches called Emporte Piece.  I had a delicious sandwich that had salami and pickles (cornichon) on it.  Shelley had a grilled cheese and applesauce sandwich.  Both came with a really fresh salad of arugula and strawberries.  While they were quite tasty, I thought the prices were a bit high for a grilled cheese sandwich.  Very unique flavors, however.

After dinner it was on to le grand chapiteau for the Cirque Du Soleil show.

Having seen Ka in Las Vegas, I knew it would be amazing.  However, I must say that seeing it at the Old Port in Montreal under the big tent gave it a special something that you don't get in Vegas.  The show was Amaluna, which is brand new.  It was simply breathtaking.  There are no words to describe it, so I won't even try here.  You are not allowed to take pictures of the show, either.

We left the show completely exhausted from a long day.  Tomorrow we are going to take it easy, take in a bit more of some of the great food here, and be on our way home Friday.