Day 2 - Seeing Montreal

A full day of visiting Montreal (and it’s only 17:30). Breakfast at the hotel – it is a Hampton, after all. Walked over to the Basilica Notre Dame de Montreal in Old Montreal – a ten-minute jaunt – past the statue of Montreal’s founder, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonnueve, in Place de Arms (and through a full marathon just starting off). The guidebook says “Few churches in North America are as wow-inducing as Notre Dame” and it definitely is! This Gothic-revival edifice boasts two square 228-foot towers out front, a 12-ton bell (largest in NA), a 7,000-pipe organ, a ceiling studded with thousands of 24-carat gold stars, ornate carved wooden walls and magnificent sculptures throughout – but especially in the altarpiece. The service (in French) had just started and we sat through it, marveling at the interior and enjoying the organ music. The acoustics and sound system are excellent and I was able to understand a good deal of the gospel lesson and some of the homily. Afterwards, we wandered around gawking at the artisan and artwork. The intricately carved wood pulpit is especially noteworthy. The sides are pierced by stained glass windows added in 1929 that were made in Limoges, France, and tell the story of Montreal’s founding. The singer Celine Dion was married in 1994 in the chapel behind the altar.

Montreal was founded in 1642 and grew quickly. The Sulpician order of monks came across with the settlers and established a church on Notre Dame Street that soon became too small but it took until 1823 for the church fathers to approve building the present edifice. Starting in 1824 under the direction of a protestant architect, it was completed in 1829. The two towers were added in 1841 and 1843. It is recognized as a national historic site.

We walked a few blocks down to the Old Port. We thought to go through the archeological museum but we were too early for that. Instead, we strolled and sat along the riverfront park, taking it the promenade, the giant Ferris wheel (largest in NA), the white clock tower and the view of the Jaques Cartier Bridge that leads to St. Helene Island, which has an amusement park and an aquarium.

We boarded the Hop-on, Hop-off city tour bus to see more of the city. This tour took us through many of the neighborhoods that make up the city. There are many murals on the walls – it’s a “thing” in Montreal. The bus took us through the commercial center and up the “mountain” past the Oratory of St Joseph (no pic but has the largest dome in NA) and onto Mont Royal Park. This huge (500+ acres) park (a 760-foot-high basalt outcropping) is surrounded by the city and has commanding views to the southeast and southwest and also holds two enormous cemeteries – one for the Catholics, one for the Protestants. We hopped off at one overlook to catch the views and walk a bit of the many trails that web the park. We grabbed the next bus and went back down into the city, through McGill University (one of four in the city). Passed more sights in the commercial center, including the huge circle over one street. Back to the Old Port, where we jumped off.

We searched out a restaurant Marie had identified and found Jardin Jacques Nelson along Place Jacques Cartier. Billed as the best terrace restaurant in Montreal, this pleasant place is a gem! We ate in the courtyard garden (Jardin), under tent-like umbrellas among trees and flower planters. A jazz trio entertained as we ordered and ate. The food was fabulous! Marie had a salmon poke bowl, Gail the baked walleye, while Bruce had clam chowder and ceviche. Gail and Bruce topped the meal off with great desserts. We all agreed the meals were excellent. We strolled through Place Cartier past the City Hall back to the hotel for a rest period.

After a break and discussions about our route and schedule for tomorrow, Marie and Bruce went out for some nightlife while Gail stayed at the hotel. We tried to change our large bill ($100 C) into smaller ones but the currency exchange was closed. Took Levesque to Denis (many street names have Saint before them, but not Levesque) and tuned left. Walked up Denis a few blocks, looking for Bistro a Jo Jo, a blues bar with fairly continuous live music, according to the hotel desk person and the reviews on their website. A couple blocks up from Levesque, at a major cross street, we happened on a street musician playing guitar. Bruce asked if he could play (music) with the guitarist. The guitarist started into Hoochee Coochee Man and Bruce was right in the grove. He followed with a bluesy something (of his own, perhaps) that was more difficult to play with. We continued up Denis to the Bistro at 1627. There was a guy playing guitar when we arrived. We sat down with beers (after getting change for the $100s). we talked about Marie's plans. After listening to the guy for several songs, Bruce asked if he could play with the guitarist. He said yes and Bruce played two songs with him. We listened to several more songs, including a soulful rendition of Summertime. We left and walked back via Laurent. Marie commented on what a beautiful night it was. Back about 22:00.Read more