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.

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MONTREAL, CANADA

                                          City Highlights

 Getting from the airport into the city entails getting the hotel shuttle, going to the Greyhound terminal and then taking a smaller shuttle to your hotel. This process took me two and a half hours and my friend from L A three hours. Once in the city it is very walkable and easy to get around. With a low crime rate it is safe to walk anywhere anytime.

     Montreal, often referred to as the Paris of North America, is the capitol of Quebec Province where French is the predominant language. However, nearly everyone also speaks English.

The city 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.

In 1535 French explorer, Jacques Cartier, looking for passage to India, was the first white man to set foot on the island that became Montreal. 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 which effectively ended British rule in Ottawa.

            Our first morning we headed to Notre Dame Basilica to pick up an English-speaking walking tour of the city.  The jewel of Montreal, it is one of the largest and most beautiful churches in North America. Designed with double balconies all around, it can seat 3800 people. This neo-gothic church, the start of the Catholic mission in the city, sits above the original 17^th century church. The first church was in the middle of what is now the street.

The organ has 7000 pipes. When forestry was big business, all the inside decoration was carved of red pine that now has been gilded. The marble-looking statues are carved white pine. 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.

            Our guide added, “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 is buried here in the church.”

            We spent a lot of time inside the church and in fact returned again another day to admire its lovely interior.

In lovely old Montreal the antique gas lights have been converted to electricity, but there is still one street where the old gas lights remain fueled by gas and are left on 24-hours a day. The cobbled old city is near the waterfront.

The monument to Montréal's founder, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, in the square marks the city’s historic center. It also marks the site where he and a few Frenchmen had a brief skirmish with some Iroquois Indians resulting in a French win. The red brick New York Life building, built in 1888 and the city’s first skyscraper, sits to the right of the square.. Many old warehouses have been converted into apartments and condominiums, and many of the old 18^th century banks have been converted into hotels.

Marche Bonsecours with its graceful silver-domed and neo-classical architecture is hard to miss, as it dominates the waterfront of Old Montreal. Built in 1847 of gray stone, the cast iron columns were brought from England. The imposing building, with its silver dome, was the city’s main agricultural marketplace for over a century and is now full of small boutiques.

Montreal’s French architecture typically has solid stone wall construction. The roofs are steep with dormers. The windows are small with 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 help 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.

 Other city highlights are noted elsewhere in greater length and detail. Montreal is a wonderful city where we had a most enjoyable and interesting time.