Montreal

Montreal--clock tower on left, Yacht-Club Montreal center

Wednesday, June 27^th, we entered Montreal.  The last few miles of the channel leading to Yacht-Club Montreal where we stayed is through a very swift 5-6 mph opposing current which ends as soon as the boat enters the marina basin.  Boat handling was a challenge, and Tom did a great job of safely maneuvering Raydiance to her space.   We docked across from Carried Away and met them later that night for dinner.  We were by the old port area and only a few blocks from Old Montreal with Notre Dame, numerous restaurants, beautiful architecture and statues.  The old clock tower, built as a war memorial honoring WWI and later WWII soldiers lost in battle, was the landmark at the entrance to our marina. The sand sculptures by the tower were a temporary exhibit.    

Montreal is the home of Cirque de Soleil

Linda by sand sculpture

Raydiance in harbor of Yacht Club
Montreal

Beautiful old church
that could be seen from our harbor

Clock Tower

Entering Montreal under
Jacques-Cartier Bridge

Roller coasters that had Tom drooling and
he could get no one to go with him!

Sand sculpture that won my vote

Third sand sculpture

Linda and Jerry Roberts joined us on Thursday afternoon having flown in from St. Louis.   After catching up on the Farmington news and giving them time to catch a breath, we headed to Old Montreal to do some sightseeing and enjoy one of the outdoor restaurants on Place Jacques-Cartier.  This street is a pedestrian mall lined with shops and restaurants and full of street performers.  Very entertaining.  After dinner Tom and Jerry went on a mission to restock the liquor supply while Linda and I opted to attend the light and sound show in Notre Dame Basilica.  At first I was a bit disappointed as it was basically a movie about the building of the cathedral shown on a large screen that covered the front and draped sheets along the sides.  But little by little the sheets were drawn away and when the screen was retracted, the incredibly beautiful altar area was lit.  The original stained glass had been removed years ago because of the glare and was replaced by amazing sculptures.  I wish the pictures did it justice.

Maisonneuve statue in square outside
Notre Dame

Notre Dame in very strange light!

Place Jacques-Cartier

Altar of Notre Dame

Beautiful old building

gardens in front of beautiful old building

wood carvings at base of spiral staircase leading to pulpit
in Notre Dame

street performers

Linda Roberts by side street art display and gardens.

Friday we took a bus tour of the city and I believe we saw all of it!  The highlight was the view from atop Mount Royal—so named by Jacques-Cartier (discoverer of Canada) in 1535 and from which the name Montreal is derived.  The combination of French  and English influence makes Montreal delightful.  Although French is most commonly spoken,  almost everyone also speaks English.  Then there’s your truly who tried to tell an old woman that I did not speak French, and instead I think I told her she did not speak French.  She gave me quite a startled look!

Biosphere built for Expo 67--now an environmental museum

Linda and Jerry atop Mount Royal

Montreal is home to McGill University.
This one's for you, Steve!

1 % of all new construction must be devoted to art
which leads to many eye-catching pieces.

St. Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal
Linda and Jerry in foreground.
We did not climb to the top on our knees.

Tom and Linda at Mount Royal lookout.

Celebration of a bike-a-thon for cancer research
700km in 5 days

Honest--this is called Gay Town.

We left the tour in the downtown area and took the subway and then walked to the Jean-Talon Market—a large open air market where we tasted samples as we stocked up on raspberries, blueberries, fresh veggies, pate and delicious breads.  Since we were loaded down on the return trip, we were tuckered out by the time we reached the harbor.  But after a refreshing drink and a few hours of feet-up time, we revived and ventured back to Vieux (Old) Montreal for an excellent meal at a steakhouse with a lovely patio setting.  

Relaxing after a long, but interesting and fun day.