Musée in Montreal

It's kind of a commonly-made joke that the best part about living in Ottawa is the proximity to Montreal :P Not going to comment on whether or not I agree, but I will admit that it makes weekend trips much more convenient compared to Toronto.  It was an artsy-fartsy trip and I'm pretty excited to be sharing some photos from my visit last weekend to see my best friend Eliza.

We started off the day with a slight detour over the Victoria Bridge across the St Lawrence:

Bridge in fog

...but eventually made it to our intended destination, Premiere Moisson Bakery.

They had the most adorable looking desserts and pastries that looked too good to be food. I was particularly enamoured with this one:

strawberry rhubarb tart

For breakfast though, I prefer savoury over sweet, and so I decided on a warm drink and a "bon matin" (lit. "good morning"), which was a quiche with an egg on top:

first bite! 

surprisingly filling!

After food, we circled back to where there was bunch of shipping containers that we passed on our detour.  I was pretty excited when I first spotted it.  There's a track from the OST from the movie "Hanna" that plays during a chase sequence that takes place in a very similar backdrop.  The track is called "Container Park" by the Chemical Brothers and it's my go-to track when I pretend I'm Tom Cruise running.

Container Park

Didn't get to stay for more than 5 minutes admiring all the different colours when one of those lift-y machines drove up to us...

"Sorry, this is private property."

...and so we sheepishly left.  He did say we could walk around the outside if we wanted photos and so that's just what we did.

Love the grunge feel

We continued the artsyness over at the main attraction of the day: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.  I love museums and art galleries and this one's free for everyone under 30 (probably trying to encourage youth to appreciate art).  We didn't even make it to an exhibit when I got distracted by the stairs:

gorgeous architectural design

symmetry

The first exhibit we went into had a lot of Picasso, which was really cool for me since I haven't seen any of his work in person before.

This chess set in particular caught my attention.  Picasso modeled gold and silver pieces after his wife's fingers, and the king and queen pieces each had a molar for a crown.  It was definitely a little creepy, and after standing there for the longest time trying to get the exact photo I wanted, I had goosebumps up and down my arms.

creepy but captivating

In another room, there was this really cool grenade piece with drawers that I thought I was allowed to pull out.  I was not and got reprimanded by the security guard -- oops!  In my defense, there's an interactive piece at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa and I thought it was the same idea! (why make something with drawers if it wasn't meant to be pulled out??)

mercenaries pictured in the background

In the same exhibit were a couple of pieces based on the Holocaust.  It was very chilling and we left feeling sombre.

pictures of children from the Holocaust

It must've been an intentional design that upon exiting the previous area, we entered the Pavilion of Peace.

enjoying the natural light

It was beautifully tranquil and serene with the floor to ceiling windows that let in an abundance of natural light.  Hanging from the ceiling was the only piece in the pavilion, these giant metal beads of magnificent fiery colours.

We stayed here for quite some time, taking photos and just basking in the natural light, feeling the previous heaviness lift off of us.

We then transitioned to see some more "modern" art.  A couple of more pieces from here that I'm not sure I entirely understand...

there's social commentary hidden in here somewhere

definitely here too. probably inside the hair

birds covered in wax

no frame needed! string directly on wall

I stared for a bit and then hurried away
too creeped out by the possibility of him suddenly turning around

The last area we went into was called the "Design Lab", where fun, modern designs meet functional pieces.

vases on walls

I would love this bookcase! 

fun leather "book" sofa that lets you flip the pages to adjust your seat
also, not intended to be interactive - oops #2! 

interesting x-ray inspired stained glass style piece

metal floral chandelier - loving this close up!

Had a great low-key weekend and can't wait to go back again!  Montreal is so full of culture and I'm really glad I got to see something new this time.

Hope you enjoyed these photos! Thanks for reading :)