Montreal, QC

A trip into Montreal today.  My first stop was the Fort Chambly National Historic site where I took a tour of the fort.  It was interesting to learn of the history of the area and the fort.  Taken by English troops in 1760, the fort was invaded by American troops in 1776 during the American Revolution and again in 1812 during the war with the US.  The restored fort appears as it did in 1750.

The beautiful area and views from the fort property were equally (or better) nice.  It was very pleasant.

Next on the list was Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. What an impressive church.  I took a 30 minute guided tour and found the information about the start of Montreal and the reasons for the church very informative. For instance, Montreal was formed strictly for religious reasons and not for fur trading as were all the other cities of Quebec. The first church built wasn’t big enough, and people had to stand in the winter cold to hear mass, so the new church (the current one) was built in 1824.  Also interesting, the architect was James O’Donnell, an Irish protestant living in New York!  The beautifying of the building’s interior was started in 1866.  All the carving and painting and gold inlay is done by hand. 

The organ has 4 keyboards and 7,000 pipes!

What I found very disturbing was the lack of respect the visitors had for the church …. They arrived in short shorts, were eating in the church, letting their children put their feet on the carvings and pews ….  A gentleman in my tour group commented on the fact the men didn’t remove their hats and the guide told us that when they asked visitors to show more respect they became angry.  The Arch Diocese of Canada decided several years ago to remove the host from the altar, therefore changing it to more of a tourist attraction. 

They charge a $5 entrance fee to help support the church, since attendance is down from the original 20,000 to less than 200 most Sundays.

I had been warned about driving in Montreal, and it lived up the hype.  Not only is there construction everywhere, but the streets are narrow and there is parking on both sides.  I would have driven to Central Station and tried my hand at the underground, but the parking gods shined on me and there was a parking spot about a block away from Notre-Dame.  It’s a good thing I can parallel park pretty well because the traffic is not forgiving.  To show how bad the traffic is, after I left the Basilica, I drove a couple of miles before I was going fast enough (15mph) for my doors to automatically lock.

Then time for lunch.  The guide book said the smoked meat sandwich was not to be missed while in Montreal, so I stopped at a lunch place on the way back to my car.  Although they didn’t serve the sandwich, the cashier was nice enough to direct me to the best place and off I went.  Basically, it is a corned beef sandwich.  It was standing room only at Schwartz’s …. I ordered the sandwich, a pickle, and, of course, a Diet Coke.  You sat with people you didn’t know at long tables, or at the counter, if there was a spot.  The meat was piled on homemade Italian/sourdough-type bread with mustard.  You had your choice on how lean you wanted the meat; the waiter suggested “medium” and it was pretty lean.

Onto the Montreal Botanical Gardens …. A huge place. It is actually recognized as one of the largest in the world.  I walked around for a couple of hours and, of course, didn’t see all of it, and also didn’t get to the Insectarium.  It was too hot and I needed some shade and a cold drink, so back to the car.  They charge $12 to park in their lot but when I arrived a lady was leaving and gave me her parking ticket.  That was nice.

From the parking lot I could see the Olympic Park, host to the 1976 summer games; the major highlight is the 541-ft Montreal Tower.  An observatory at the top of the tower offers a 50 mile view of Montreal and is reached by a funicular. It was $20.25 and I was too worn out to drive over and check it out.  Maybe next time!

A couple of places I went today did not accept credit cards.  I didn’t get any Canadian money because the guide books I read said it wasn’t necessary and to use credit cards.  Well, I got a really bad rate of exchange on my money so I think I need to stop at a bank soon.  Also, every time I use my card, I have to sign the receipt regardless of the amount.  After inquiring, I was told that all US citizens (or other “foreign” countries) have to sign; Canadians do not sign.

Also it’s good to know …. Every McDonald’s I stopped at had large Diet Coke for $1.15 (but the iced tea had sugar and lemon – yuck). 

It’s odd how the price of things is seldom “on the dollar.”  For instance, I paid admission of $4.90 at the Fort …. And $28.80 at the zoo.  Just odd.  Most places have an Aine price …. Senior discount!  Score.  Later I found out that I could have gotten into the Fort free with my Canadian Park Pass.  Oops.

One thing I was warned was to keep to the speed limit in Canada.  The Canadians about run me off the road because apparently I’m going too slowly.  The cars behind you come right up to your bumper and tailgate; I mean there is no space (less than a car length is common).  It makes me nervous.

Also, the vehicles …. Cars, trucks and RVs on the road with Quebec license plates are all “American” made vehicles.   I understand from my police officer friend, that Canada doesn't produce any vehicles of its own.  They did have a GMC plant in Ontario, but it has since closed down.