June 17, Montreal

Although Montreal is more than 100 miles away by boat from Chambly it is only a 20 minute drive by car.  We rented a car and took off to explore Old Town.  Brent had set up a walking tour and we enjoyed the history of Old Montreal.  These cobblestone streets have witnessed the passage of time for more than three and a half centuries.   Today, art galleries, Artisan’s boutiques, terraces and cafes conduct business within the walls of these 18^th and 19^th Century buildings.

We had lunch at the Montreal Science Centre which sides the Old Port where we met our guide.   The tour included the “underground city” which provides a vast network of pedestrian walkways below the city.  There are about 20 miles of connecting passageways beneath downtown, the metro (subway), commuter trains and buses converging here.  Approximately 500,000people circulate daily on the network, where some 1,700 shops, 200 restaurants, 7 major hotels, museums, theaters, banks and universities can be found.  The concept began in 1962 with the lower level shopping mall in Place Ville Marie.  With the coming of Expo 67, Montreal’s dream of a metro finally became reality.

The highlight of the tour was Notre-Dame Basilica which is a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture and was built between 1824 and 1829.  The magnificent interior in wood and the boldly modern design of the Chapel is captivating.  Paintings, sculptures and stained –glass windows illustrate biblical passages a well as 350 years of parish history.

Montreal is named after Mount Royal, the mountain that towers above the city. Later that day we drove up to Mount Royal Park which provided a striking view of the city and Saint Lawrence River.   Inaugurated in 1876, the Mount Royal Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer behind New York’s Central Park and many other major parks in the U. S. space

We all enjoyed Montreal!  Thank goodness we had pleasant weather…just a few rain drops during the tour.