Bienvenue à Montreal!

To only spend 36 hours in a city with so much flavor and history as Montreal is quite ridiculous. I knew this before pulling out my suitcase, but at the same time I wasn't going to say no to the opportunity to pack as much into those hours as possible. We left hot, windy El Paso in the early morning and arrived in cool, rainy Montreal in the late afternoon. By the time we arrived at our hotel we only wanted food and a good night's sleep.  Dinner did not disappoint - I had the most elegant and tasty striped sea bass. I don't remember what Keven ordered but he was pretty happy with his meal as well.
Early the next morning I set out to get a feel for the neighborhood. I ended up running alongside all the stylish people on their way to work underneath their (mostly black) umbrellas, past a myriad of cafés, fancy shops, and stone churches with soaring steeples.

 I could see a waterfront so I headed down a hill, made a turn, and there right in front of me across the water was Habitat 67, built for the 1967 World's Fair!

I remember seeing pictures of it being built way back then....

 It looks like something out of a Mad Max movie now, but it still is a high-demand neighborhood!

We had a delicious breakfast with wonderful breads and fruits, and then while Keven went off to his meetings I did some more exploring. First off, I needed to purchase an umbrella - how convenient that I could access the underground city directly from our hotel. Even though it's a pretty cool set-up - 19 miles of shopping - it just felt like a mall to me, albeit a mall with wonderful bakeries, corner flower shops and chocolate kiosks mixed in with all the usual franchise stores!

As quickly as possible I found a way back outside into the drizzle and headed up the hill for a great hike to the top of Mont Royale. What a beautiful wooded park with stairs for some of the steeper climbs, trails, and views of the city and surrounding areas. Near the top on the backside of the mountain there is a large cross built in a style like the Eiffel Tower (but on a smaller scale) which I imagine would be quite beautiful at night. There were moments of déjà vu - the area had a very similar feel to the small mountain behind Sven & Hyuna's home in Seoul 4 years ago.

I spent the next 4 hours walking and enjoying the magnificent architecture. I sat down once - when I went into the Mary Queen of the World Basilica, which is a half-scale model of the Vatican. It was located just kitty-corner from our hotel, but I didn't figure that out until I was leaving the church. There were beautiful frescos and a most amazing altar. I came in just at the beginning of a short mass (in French) which I was able to enjoy from the back pew. After, I wandered all through the building enjoying the wonderful statuary and art, some of which depicted the history of the area.  I also was able to see Montreal's Notre Dame Cathedral and St. Patrick's Basilica.

Every time I thought about getting something to eat I would tell myself, "Self, next time you see one of those little bakeries or cafés you have my permission to stop", but then I'd decide I wasn't hungry enough and wanted to save my appetite for dinner with Keven. Of course, now I regret that I don't have that memory!

When I met up with Keven later in the afternoon he was ready for ..... some walking!  But first we checked in with Brei and Kelly and learned that a new granddaughter had just joined the family! JILL PAIGE BUNKER was born about 1/2 hour earlier, hale and hearty at 9#3oz! No worries - pictures and stories will follow. 

After doing a celebratory jig I took Keven through the maze that led us to the underground and then to some of the areas I had enjoyed. We found a nice little restaurant for dinner, but the food wasn't as good as the first night's.

The next morning we had just a few hours to venture out some more before leaving for the airport. First stop was a crêpe restaurant for breakfast - yum! Unfortunately, due to blisters (Keven's feet, not mine) we ended our walk a little early.

My first visual impressions of Montreal were of a dark and drizzly city, grey buildings, and people dressed in black. It didn't take long for me to see Montreal as a bright, elegant and friendly city which I would like to visit again; hopefully long enough to take in museums and the Biosphere and Cirque de Soleil (which originated in Montreal), and the Olympic Park, and, well .... there are lots of 'ands'!

(Amazing pictures to be added after I replace the download cable that got eaten by my vacuum or figure out another way to transfer pictures from my camera to my computer)