We spent two days at the stadium with our matinee tickets and saw all top 10 tennis players either compete or warm up on one of the side courts. Competitors included world number 1 Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and many more. Attending a tennis tournament mid week is great because you see so much action, both in the main stadium and on the side courts. Watching Marat Safin practice bare-chested and tossing one of his rackets against the fence was definitely one of the highlights of this excursion.

We also had a bit of time to explore the city and enjoyed a nice dinner on Prince Arthur Square on the first day. This cobblestoned pedestrian street holds a large collection of restaurants and is buzzing with people at night time. We even played some tennis ourselves at Parc Lafontaine, an expansive public park that features a large pond and a variety of recreational facilities.

On Friday morning we also spent some time in Old Montreal and the Montreal Port area, one of Montreals primary tourist draws. This historic district dates back to 1605 when French Explorer Samuel de Champlain set up a fur trading post in the area. Ville Marie, the first permanent settlement in the Montreal area is also located in Old Montreal.

The Port of Montreal was one of Canadas most important ports until it lost importance in the 20th century, particularly with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 which shifted much of the marine shipping business further west in Canada. Many of the formerly abandoned warehouses have been converted into loft condos in recent years and have made Old Montreal one of the citys most popular (and expensive) residential areas.

Finally, we also drove up to Mount Royal, the mountain which overlooks Montreals downtown area. At a height of 233 m above the city, it provides great views of the downtown core, particularly from the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a large semicircular plaza with a perfect view of the downtown business district, the St. Lawrence River and the surrounding countryside. The Belvedere is anchored by the Chalet, a building from the 1930s that used to house big band concerts and many other social events.

Mount Royal is a popular public park and contains many kilometers of walking and biking trails, a short ski slope, a sculpture garden, a pond called Beaver Lake and various monuments. In the winter it is popular with cross-country skiers.

Montreal is a great summer getaway because of its many interesting neighbourhoods, restaurant districts and the myriad of festivals that are hosted by the city, which include the world famous Montreal International Jazz Festival and the annual Just for Laughs comedy festival.

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