MONTREAL SITES

                                 A Great City for Walking

 We spent a good amount of time with a local English-speaking docent in the Notre Dame Basilica, the Jewel of Montreal. One of the largest and most beautiful churches in North America, designed with double balconies all around, it can seat 3800 people. This church was the start of the Catholic mission in the city. The first church was in the middle of what is now the street. This neo-gothic structure sits above the original 17^th century church.

      It houses a 7000-pipe organ. The church’s masterpiece is its interior. Forestry was big

Gorgeous Notre Dame Basilica

business and all the decoration is carved red pine and gilded. The marble-looking statures on the altar are carved of white pine. Only the name is the same as the church in Paris. This church has twin towers.

      The star-studded blue vaulted ceiling is unusual. The stain glass windows are by Limoges, and the church houses one of largest bells in North America.

     The pulpit is no longer used, as microphones came into use in 1960. The architect, O’Donnell, was Protestant, but made a death bed conversion to Catholicism, so he could be buried in the church.

 The 1929 Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has a lovely interior. Marble floors are topped with graceful arches. The ceiling is beautifully coffered in geometric designs. The Florentine –style on a grand scale-- is the landmark of Montreal’s gilded age. The top of the wall below the ceiling is decorated with the coat-of-arms of the eight provinces that made up Canada at that time. The 22-story tower is made of a pale yellow stone.

   

 Marche Bonsecours, the graceful silver-domed neo-classical building dominates the waterfront of Old Montreal. Built in 1847 of gray stone, it is a wonderful example of the neo-classical style of the times. The cast iron columns were brought from England. The imposing building was the city’s main agricultural marketplace for over a century. It has also housed a concert house, and In the 1960s it was converted into municipal offices.  Recent renovations have turned it once again into a bustling marketplace that features sidewalk cafés, shops, boutiques and exhibitions

      French architecture typically has solid stone wall construction. The roofs are steep with dormers. The windows are small and have many small panes in them. The glass panes were shipped in molasses from France to prevent breakage, and then assembled on arrival. The double small windows helped keep heat in the home during the winter. On the first floor the windows were what we know as French doors, and had heavy wooden shutters to cover them in winter.

    

  Cartier pedestrian walkway. Built in 1804 and restored in 1998, the square is on the site of an old chateau. Once used as a public market, the square is now surrounded by cafés, restaurants, museums, boutiques, and art galleries. The statue of Admiral Nelson, at the far end, was erected in 1809. Standing in the middle of the walkway affords one a superb view of the Old Port.

     Getting to Little Italy, north of the city, meant using the Metro and transferring. It is the largest ethnic area in the city.

     We made our way to the Madonna della Defesa Church, 1919, to see the extraordinary frescos. One fresco in the center ceiling had a strange configuration. The church was named after a miracle that took place in Italy in 1898. The white marble altar dates to 1950 and is backed with a white tile semicircular wall. The stain glass is in a rosette design with the stain glass being round. It appeared there was a head in center of each part of each rosette. This interesting church was quite different than those we had seen.

     In Petit Italy we followed the walking tour map seeing many lovely homes with picturesque, outside, winding, wrought-iron stair-cases. Each one seemed to be prettier than the previous one. Continuing on down Dante Street to St. Laurent we came into an area lined with cafés and trattorias—perfect for a late lunch!

      Montreal has a small Chinatown with some good restaurants. Other sites of interest include Mount Royal Park, Saint Joseph’s Oratory, Victoria Square, Olympic Park, Cathedral Christ Church, City Hall 

     Montreal has a fast, efficient, easy to use metro system as well as buses and cabs. We spent a day in Olympic Park which is only a short subway ride away.  Another day we hired a cab to see the sites in and spend the day in Mount Royal Park. There is much to see and do in Montreal and it is a delightful metropolitan city.

MONTREAL, CANADA

                                  A Delightful City

      Often referred to as the Paris of the North America, more French is spoken here than in any city outside of Paris. Montreal is the capitol of Quebec Province, all of which is predominately French-speaking. 

      A cosmopolitan atmosphere exists with a European flavor where old world charm is gracefully combined with modern sensibility. It is a bustling study in contrasts where Victorian brownstones nuzzle skyscrapers, and architectural marvels soar beside stately neo-gothic churches. The city blends the old and new with ease that presents a very comfortable feel. Crime is low and the city is safe to walk most anywhere at any time.

      In 1535 French explorer, Jacques Cartier, was looking for passage to India, and was the first white man to set foot on the island that became Montreal. At that time it was the site of a Hochelega and Iroquois village. In 1611 de Champlain fortified a settlement and trading center at the confluence of the St. Lawrence, Ottawa and Richelieu Rivers.

      The British conquered New France in 1759, but they confirmed the right of the French people to maintain their faith, language and legal code. For many decades the minority British ran the city’s economy. In 1867 the Articles of Confederation joined the provinces of Ottawa, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia into Canada, effectively ending British rule in Ottawa.

      OLD MONTREAL (Vieux Montreal) is southeast of down town, near the waterfront. The picturesque cobbled city is full of art and architecture. Electric Victorian street lamps softly illuminate the 18^th and 19^th century town houses that line the narrow lanes of Old Montreal. Near Rue St. Helene the 1870 gas lights burn twenty-four hours a day and are the only real functioning gas lights in the city.

      The city's port operations were crucial to the fascinating saga of Montréal's development. Because the Lachine Rapids blocked further upstream navigation on the St. Lawrence River, the city was born and flourished at this natural shipping breakpoint. The Lachine Canal opened in 1825 allowed ships to bypass the rapids. Rail transportation in 1893 made Montréal a bustling hub of commerce and trade between the North American continent and the rest of the world, and the pivotal point in an integrated transportation network.  A mile and a half esplanade runs along the waterfront, where the harbor is the pulse of the city.

      Sherbrooke St, running east to west, is the main artery through down town. Numbers run north from the river. Boulevard St-Laurent running north to south splits city east and west.

     F/E means both French and English is spoken, although we never saw such a sign. I don’t speak French, but we had no speech problem as nearly everyone speaks English also.  Montreal has a large gay community and is gay-friendly. From all appearances the city is race tolerant as ethnicities blend as well as the architecture.

      Place d’ Armes faces Notre Dame. In the center of the square is a monument to Montréal's founder, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve. On this site he and a few Frenchmen had a brief skirmish with some Iroquois Indians resulting in a French win. It is the heart of the city's historic centre and sums up its diverse heritage. The red brick New York Life building sits to the right of the square. Built in 1888, it is the city’s first skyscraper. Offices occupy the building now with an apartment in the clock tower. The domed Bank of Montréal, 1817, building sits behind the Place d’ Armes. It is the oldest banking institution in the country. The façade of the head office is inspiring evoking the power of Rome. Redesigned in 1905, the lavish interior echoes the success of the institution. After the English won the battle of the Plains of Abraham, 1759, Scots emigrated to Quebec and set up the banking industry.

      Montreal gets 9-feet of snow a year so all the big buildings have underground parking to keep cars off the street and plows able to function.

You might like to also check post: Olympic park 1-16-13

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