[Montreal Travel Part3] ISU World 2024 Gala + Half-day City Tour + Finest Omakase Sushi
We went to Montreal to watch the Figure Skating World Championships held from March 22. In this video, we will show you a half-day city tour in Montreal, the ISU World Championships 2024 Exhibition Gala, and dinner at a Japanese restaurant with full reservations. We asked Takenoko Tours for a half-day sightseeing tour in the morning. You can efficiently take a tour of the city’s attractions by car from your hotel. After a 20-minute drive, the first stop was Saint Joseph’s Oratory. They say it’s one of the three major pilgrimage sites in North America. It is a Catholic chapel that towers over the Mont-Royal and is visited by more than 2 million people from all over the world every year. Located on a hill overlooking the city, it stands out for its huge green dome, one of the largest in the world. Chapel of Brother André on the way to the Saint Joseph’s Oratory parking lot Friar Andre is known as a miracle worker who prayed and enabled people who could not walk to walk. Statue of Father and Son Joseph holding Jesus in the middle of the altar This building is said to be the chapel where Friar Andre lived in his last years. Many stone slabs of gratitude are engraved and dedicated. The chapel is 44 meters high and six stories high, making it the largest church in Canada. Enter the 5th floor entrance from the side of the parking lot Take the escalator to the chapel on the 6th floor. It is a very gorgeous chapel, with a modern structure unique to North American Catholic churches. Don’t miss the beautiful stained glass windows! A splendid pipe organ designed and built by Rodolph van Beckerath of Germany. The Italian Renaissance style chapel was completed in 1967 after many years of work. Saint-Andre Bessette Chapel Here is another chapel of André Friars. This time, due to time constraints, we visited only the chapel on the 6th floor, but it is a very large church and it would take about 3 hours to visit all of it. Bronze statue of Friar Andre Next stop was Camillien-Houde Lookout. If the weather is good, you can see the best view of Montreal, but unfortunately the visibility was not very good due to the bad weather. We were taken to Fairmount Bagel, the birthplace of the Montreal-style bagel. It is a very popular restaurant and the small interior is always crowded with people. The illustration on the bagel bag seems to have been drawn by a Japanese artist living in Montreal. Next we moved on to Old Montreal. Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel Although it is a small church, it has a quaint atmosphere with beautiful stained glass, murals, and tile borders. It is said to be a sailor’s church, so there were ship models hanging in several places. Mysterious and solemn temple. The domed ceiling is also decorated with frescoes. Monument to founder Saint Marguerite Bourgeois Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Montreal, but we were unable to visit it because a state funeral was being held there. VIPs from various countries were visiting the site to pay their respects, so the surrounding roads were strictly closed and no one was allowed to approach the site. Next we walked towards the Montreal Clock Tower. Notre Dame de Bonsecours Church seen from the back Jacques Cartier Bridge can be seen in the distance. On this day, it was snowing all around. The vast St. Lawrence River, leading to the United States Notre Dame Island on the opposite shore hosts the Formula 1 Grand Prix every year. Montreal Clock Tower can be seen in the distance. Bonsecours Market It used to be a central fruit and vegetable market from 1847 to 1963. Today, it is a popular upscale shopping mall that sells a wide variety of quality handmade goods. Place Jacques Cartier covered with snow Admiral Nelson’s monument can be seen in the center. At the top of the hill is the Montreal City Hall. Next stop was the site of Montreal’s first hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal. Founded by Jeanne Mance in 1645. After being enlarged and expanded, it was burned down in 1695. Old Molson Bank Building Former Molson Bank Headquarters Building The bank was founded by the son of the founder of Molson, Canadian Beer. Crew Collective & Cafe The café is in the building of the former Royal Bank of Canada and has been a tourist attraction. Here we ended our half-day tour and said goodbye to our guide. Then we decided to have a drink at a place called Pub Saint Pierre. In addition to the drink menu, there was an extensive food menu. It is a popular restaurant with high online reviews and was fully seated. After tasting, we both ordered one different IPA. Ricotta Baba Ganoush & Roasted Chickpea Salad We took a video of the extra large burger ordered by the person sitting next to us. Seems to be a popular menu item. The atmosphere and service were great, and the delicious food seemed to be the main selling point, so it was no wonder it was so popular. We waited for an Uber in front of the pub and went to the Bell Center. We watched the ISU World Championships 2024 Exhibition Gala. Women’s Single 4th Place Loena Hendrickx, Belgian Ice Dance 4th place Fear and Gibson, Great Britain Men’s Single 2nd Place Yuma Kagiyama, Japan Women’s Single 5th Kimmy Repond, Switzerland Men’s Single 4th Place Shoma Uno, Japan He performed a wonderful performance to the music of "Come Together" and won the Excellence Award for the exhibition. After this event, Uno announced his retirement, and this was his last skate as a competitive athlete. We have supported Uno for several years, and feel sad that we will not be able to see his performance at competitions. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors and will continue to support him in the future. Ice Dance 2nd place Guignard and Fabbri, Italy Men’s Single 2nd Place Adam Siao Him Fa, France A very dynamic performance earned him the Grand Prize for the exhibition. Men’s Single 5th Place Jason Brown, U.S.A. Ice Dance 2nd place Gilles and Poirier, Canada Women’s Single 2nd Place Isabeau Levito, U.S.A. Women’s Single 1st Place Kaori Sakamoto, Japan Ice Dance 1st Place Chock and Bates, U.S.A. Men’s Single 1st Place Ilia Malinin, U.S.A. We thought that was the end of the performance… Continued. The final contestant was Pair 1st place Stellarto-Dudek and Deschamps, Canada. The finale was a performance by all the exhibition contestants. Exciting performances such as backflips, which are not seen in competitions, were performed. Malinin’s Triple Axel It’s not a Quad Axel, is it? Looked like a Quad… At the end, all the contestants skated around the rink while waving to the audience. We were able to get to the front row, and high-five some of the skaters. Canadian skaters Messing and Baldé showed us backflips. It was a great exhibition with all the contestants giving their best performances. For dinner, we went to Okeya Kyujiro, a Japanese Omakase restaurant located 5 minutes away from the Bell Center, which is completely by reservation only. Sushi and other Omakase dishes are served only at the counter around the kitchen. When we were shown to our seats, there were dark gray curtains hanging between the counter and the kitchen. They serve delicate and elegant Japanese tableware, including this lacquer tray. The restaurant was opened by a Japanese owner-chef and was awarded a Michelin star last year (2023). A toast with Veuve Clicquot champagne. The curtain, which had been hanging in a mysterious atmosphere, rises with a clapper. It is like a Kabuki performance. Rice cooked in an earthenware pot with charcoal Sushi rice is transferred to a sushi bucket and vinegar is added to make sushi rice. The chef cools the rice with a fan. Asahi Kanjuro Beni-Haruka sweet potatoes produced in Ibaraki Prefecture Cut into dice. We will have it served with rice with Ikura Don (a Salmon Roe Bowl) later. Katsuo (Bonito) is seared on straw and covered with a glass lid for aroma. Nanohana Ohitashi (Soaked Rape Blossoms Leaves in soy sauce) Sprinkle with Yuzu Large Shima Aji (Striped Horse Mackerel) caught in Ehime Prefecture Shima Aji (Striped Horse Mackerel) is handled and fileted in front of our eyes. Chawanmushi (Steamed Egg Custard) was brought to the table. A big filet of Kinmedai (Red Bream) with starch sauce Katsuo (Bonito) that has just been seared is cut into pieces with a knife that looks like a sharp Japanese sword. Seared Katsuo (Bonito) with sauce The first Nigiri was Maguro Akami (Bluefin Tuna). Next up: Hokkaido Hairy Crab Gunkan. He puts crab miso on it. Ojisan Fish Tempura (deep-fry) Sweet Shrimp Nigiri Hokkaido Bafun Uni (Sea Urchin) Gunkan Gindara Saikyo-Yaki (Broiled Miso-marinated Black Cod) Shima Aji (Striped Horse Mackerel) Nigiri Kinmedai (Red Bream) is seared with a burner. Lobster Tempura Aji Bo Sushi (Mackerel Pressed Stick Sushi) Cucumbers are cut into decorative pieces. Kinmedai (Red Bream) Nigiri Sushi Robata Grilled Scallop Ishidai (Stone Sea Bream) He made it Shabu-shabu. Shabu-shabu of Ishidai (Stone Sea Bream) with miso sauce Kanjuro sweet potato rice cooked in an earthenware pot Small bowl of Hotaru Ika (Firefly Squid) Hirame (Flounder) Kobu-jime Nigiri Sushi Sea Urchin and a small piece of Seared Hirame-engawa (Flounder Fin) on top. Otoro Filet (Fatty Bluefin Tuna) He’s cutting the streaks with a fine knife. Otoro (Fatty Bluefin Tuna) Nigiri Wagyu Steak Chef started to cut bamboo leaves with a knife. Amazing technique! Bamboo leaves were cut into Fuji and a crane by Japanese traditional Sasakiri Technique. Cucumber cut into decorative pieces with Moromi miso and black soybeans Bowl of Kanjuro sweet potato rice topped with Ikura (Salmon Roe) and other seafood Making Anago (Conger Eel) Sushi Roast sesame seeds Sprinkle sesame seeds on Anago (Conger Eel) Nigiri Conger Eel Nigiri Homemade sponge cake-like egg omelet Cutting with a well-maintained knife like a Japanese sword. Kasutera TamagoYaki (Sponge cake-like egg omelet) Ramen noodles in chicken broth Konbu (Kelp) cut into a fan shape with the word "Kotobuki" (longevity) Top quality Shizuoka-grown Crown Melon Dessert: Green Tea Cake and Muskmelon A female staff member dressed in a kimono made matcha (powdered green tea) for us. A beautifully frothy matcha tea. Finally, the chef and his staff line up to greet the guests. It was a wonderful restaurant with authentic sushi and Japanese dishes, service and performance that left a lasting impression. The fresh and selective seafoods flown in from Canada and Japan were used to create a wonderful dining experience, and the exceptional chef prepared the dishes live in front of our eyes. After dinner, we stayed at the Marriott Hotel at the airport. The next morning, we left Montreal, where we had a great time. Thank you for watching to the end. This channel provides videos on travel, accommodations, sightseeing, dining, and more. We will deliver videos that will be of interest to everyone, so please support us by subscribing to our channel and clicking the LIKE button. We’d be glad to get your comments as well.
We went to Montreal, Canada to watch the World Figure Skating Championships 2024 held from March 22.
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec in Eastern Canada and is also known as the “Paris of North America,” with a multicultural mix in a city where French culture is deeply rooted.
The buildings and streets have a European atmosphere, and the city is famous for its gastronomy, including French cuisine.
On this trip, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at a luxury hotel and delicious meals as well as watching figure skating.
Day 5 in Montreal included a half day of sightseeing, the final day of the ISU World Championships Exhibition Gala, and dinner at Sushi Okeya Kyujiro, where we enjoyed the finest omakase sushi.
During the half-day tour, our Japanese guide took us to Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mont-Royal, a hill with a beautiful view of Montreal, a church in the old town, and various tourist attractions.
It snowed the day before, so it was a snowy scene, but Montreal is really a beautiful city when you visit during the good weather season.
We went to the Bell Centre to watch the exhibition on the last day of the ISU World Championships 2024. We were able to fully enjoy the wonderful exhibition with all the skaters giving their best performances.
For dinner, we went to Sushi Okeya Kyujiro, a reservation-only omakase restaurant near the Bell Centre, where we enjoyed an authentic, top-quality sushi course.
Using the freshest and choicest fish flown in from Canada and Japan, our outstanding chef prepared a very tasty meal in front of our eyes with an emphasis on live performance. The theatrical performance made for a memorable dining experience.
We have already distributed two videos of this trip to Montreal, “Part 1” and “Part 2,” so please take a look at them as well.
Please look forward to our next video, in which we will deliver the video of our visit to Japan again.
We will continue to upload videos of the hotels, inns, and restaurants where we stayed, so please keep watching this channel, YouBoston Travel.
Please refer to the related website for this video below.
Takenoko Tours website:
https://www.takenokotour.com/
Website for the Figure Skating World Championships 2024:
Okeya Kyujiro’s web site:
[Montreal Travel Part 1] World Skating Championships and Luxury Hotel Stay + Fine Cuisine:
[Montreal Travel Part 2] World Skating Championships and Ritz Carlton Montreal Stay + French Cuisine:
Playlist Hotels, Inns, Restaurants, Sightseeing in Japan Hotels, Inns, Restaurants, and Sightseeing in Japan
Playlist Hotels, Restaurants, and Tourism in the U.S. :
#Montreal #OkeyaKyujiro #Omakase #Sushi #japaneserestaurant #figureskating #worldchampionships #Gala #Exhibition #ISU #SaintJoseph’sOratory #Canada #FigureSkate #Dinner #Luxury #Travel #vlog
0:00 Opening
1:33 Half-day City Tour
7:24 ISU World Exhibition
15:07 Dinner at Okeya Kyujiro