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We climbed into the car around 11 -- early for us -- and drove South, back into Montreal, armed with some basic parking information we had obtained from our campground owners. We listened to the radio during the drive, enjoying the sound of the the French-speaking DJ. One of the first things we learned about Montreal was that it was pronounced "mon ray all" by the locals, as in Mount Regal. Unfortunately, I did not pay close enough attention to Jody's driving directions, and we nearly ended up back in Quebec. Just in the nick of time, Jody got me off the freeway, and she guided us through city streets to our intended parking lot. The drive across town was wonderful -- right through one of the University sections of town, so the neighborhoods had a very lively, intriguing feel to them -- so much so that we walked back there later that day, from "Old Montreal" where we parked. Fabulous architecture.
This is a shot of the "H�tel de Ville" -- City Hall for you non-French speakers. This was a grand, imposing building, with the French architectural influences very apparent.
By the time we had all gotten parked and walked about a bit, it was lunch time. We found an interesting Mexican restaurant with a menu that appealed to all of us. Here we are, eating outside. The weather in Canada had been marvelous, mostly in the 70s to 80s, with very little rain.
After lunch, we walked through some of Old Montreal, towards the Notre Dame Basilica there. Here is a shot of it as we approached. Note the high-rise office tower just visible in the background.
We got to the church at about 2:15 PM. At 2:30 there was a combination tour and concert that we wanted to catch, so we hung out on the steps and waited.
The interior of the church was ridiculously ornate; almost disturbingly so, but nonetheless beautiful in its way.
There was a gigantic pipe organ installed with 7,500 pipes which ranged in size from 1/4 inch to 32 feet. You can see some of the larger ones in this shot. For scale, note the chairs at the bottom of the picture.
We sat in those chairs for a short lecture on the history of the church, given by a charming native with a pleasant French accent. He injected quite a bit of humor into his spiel, which he did not just rattle off, but rather told us in a conversational manner. After the tour, we proceeded to the Vestry, where a quintet sang medieval music accompanied by a small pump organ. Pope John Paul visited this church in the 80s -- you can see his photograph in the background below.
After the church, we left the old section of the city and walked into the collegiate neighborhood we had seen earlier -- called "The Latin Quarter" for reasons unknown to us. At various times throughout the day, we saw very oddly dressed young people doing very odd things, as if they were all on some kind of gigantic, University-wide scavenger hunt. Below is one such group. They rendering a spirited version of The Village People's "YMCA" in French. We never did find out what they were all doing.
Another architecture shot.
That evening near sunset, we walked back to Old Montreal, where a topiary exhibit of humongous proportions was taking place called "Le Jardin des Magiciens". These were probably not 'true' topiaries, since the plants were growing on metal structures. Think of more like a living, stationary Rose Parade.
Here are some highlights from our 2 hour stroll.
These ducks were a favorite.
This was a representation of the Aboriginal "rock people" sculptures -- Inukshuk-- that still dot the wilder Northern landscapes. These rock people act as markers to guide travelers, and to help heard caribou, among other purposes.
Photo by Joya.
The girls enjoying the pseudo-pictogram.
And last but far from least: we had seen lots of people zooming by the waterfront on small electric scooters. Jordan has wanted to ride one of these things for months -- maybe even years. We found the place that rented them, and after a 30 minute wait, the girls set off to explore. They had an absolute blast, zooming along at 30 or so miles per hour. When they slowed down enough, we caught these images of them.
A really grand day in a grand city. |
