Mile-end walking tour

Mile-end, the artsy northern part of the Plateau Mt-Royal, is an eclectic mix of residential living, Anglophones and Francophones, art galleries, cafés and bakeries. For more info on Mile-end, Wikipedia can always help.

First stop on the tour: ST-VIATEUR BAGELS (263 St-Viateur West)

This famous bagel shop, located on rue St-Viateur ouest, offers a variety of mouth-watering bagels at wallet-friendly prices. This is a staple stop on many late nights in Montreal as it is open 24 hours. The all-dressed bagel is full of flavour, but the sesame seed bagel has to be my favourite.

Second stop: CHESKIES BAKERY (359 Bernard West)

Ok, so Cheskies is technically in Outremont, but it was a just a little derive from our Mile-end tour. On rue Bernard, just West of avenue du Parc, this kosher pastry shop is to die for. One word: Babka.

Moving on to stop no. 3: CROISSANTERIE FIGARO (5200 Hutchison Street)

It is like walking off the street in Montreal (located on Hutchison near Fairmount) into a Parisian café. With an extensive menu of coffees, hot chocolates, teas, wines, fresh juices and pastries, this is a nice place to sit down and spend a quiet Sunday afternoon with friends, although a little pricey.

A special thanks to Allison, the local Mile-end guru.

Oot and Aboot AT HOME: Montréal in the summer

This Canadian globe-trotter and couchsurfer has been back home in the city of Montreal for nearly a year now. A student in the city, she has only seldom ventured beyond the campus environment into the city itself. This summer, for the first time in several years, she has decided to enjoy her native city and discover the excitement of a Montreal summer. Instead of hopping from couch to couch in foreign lands, she will settled down and host some surfers of her own, attend local festivals, discover local eats, bars, and local hidden secrets. From the cafés of Mile-end, to the fruit stands of Jean-Talon, and the countless parks, she will share her experiences here.

Follow throughout the summer to discover what Montreal has to offer.

Favourite... Mint tea in Paris

La Grande Mosquée de Paris - in Paris 5e, a 2-minute walk from my apartment.

The Grande Mosquée is a mosque, but also has a restaurant that serves Moroccan pastries and meals and mint tea for 2.50 euro. You can get a meal for under 15 euros. Don't forget to try an amazing pastry before you leave.

Favourite... Falafel in Paris

L'as du falafel, on rue des Rosiers in le Marais (Métro St-Paul).

Order a Falafel at the window and it is 5 euros. Take it to go and walk over to Places Vosges where you can enjoy your falafel in the sun.

Favourite... Run in Paris

Last night I ran from La Grande Mosquée de Paris to the Jardin des Plantes, and along la Seine to Notre-Dame. The weather was beautiful and the shores of la Seine were lined with people on picnics, drinking wine, and enjoying conversation. In the buzz of laughter and the opening of bottles of wine, lovers still found some privacy, a spot of their own from which to enjoy the allure of the night.

I kept running on the shores of la Seine, into le Marais, and to le Bastille. Both quartiers were alive with music and people. Friends were sitting together outside of pubs and bars, and the streets were awash with Parisians enjoying the evening.

This is my new favourite way to enjoy Paris. "What a city!" I thought as I ran down the street beside la Seine, mesmerized by the countless bridges and old buildings lite up in the night.