Day 61 Montreal Thursday 18th June 2015
By Mel
Are we in Canada or Europe? A completely different experience here, to anywhere we have been in Canada thus far.
Delightful surprises of the day:
One
– queing to pay admission to Notre Dame Basilica the man in front of us says “Is there an 11 O’clock tour?” “No” says the ticket person “There is an organ recital at 11am instead”.
I turn to Chris “What time is it?” “4 minutes to 11”. I don’t quite believe it I had already looked on the website and no performances were listed.
In short a magnificent cathedral and a beautiful organ recital with some classic pieces demonstrating the diversity of both the organ and the organist. The organ was built in 1891 and currently has about 7,000 pipes!
As part of the recital he happens to play Chris’s favourite piece of organ music-Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor-wonderful! I also wonder whether the group of people sitting near the organist at the alter are with Road Scholar? Chris confirms that he saw the group outside the church and that they were indeed with Road Scholar.
Two
– the Seaman’s church – more Frenchly and romantically known as Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum. A more understated than the Basilica with beautiful pews that were simply etched at the end. A light honey wood – maybe birch wood. Chandeliers hanging interspersed with boat shaped lamp holders suspended around the church. And again a gentle organ playing throughout our visit.
This was my favourite.
Three
– when I asked the young woman in the Tourist information where we could get good coffee she suggest Café Veritas close by and beside Mc Donalds – snobbishly walked passed on the way because no good coffee can come within the vicinity of McDonalds. Coffee and lunch were good in this café even though it did not fit my idea of a little French patisserie.
Four
– a BIG four! I had randomly emailed Alaina with a Hello. Alaina was a friend of Josh and Kristen (Moose Factory). An immediate response and suggestion we meet. Tonight was the night and what a night. Deep conversation – Alaina is studying Theology and told us of having a pedicure while writing up a dissertation on Kierkegaard.
She also told us about the French Language Office that is the bureacracy that protects the use of French in Quebec.They apparently enforce rules that state that if french and english appear together the French must come first and be in larger font than the English.Also for recorded messages the French must come first and be completed before the English version is presented.Apparently they can fine perpertrators that break these rules!!!.
Alaina drives us to many areas of Montreal and takes us to places we just would not have normally got to without local knowledge.Some highlights
Hot freshly cooked Bagels at St Viateur Bagels – making bagels 24 hours a day and we were given one each fresh from the wood-fired oven!
Orange Julep a delicious creamy fresh orange juice from the Giant Orange
Rainy night lights from the Mount Royal lookout
Dinner at Chalet BBQ going since 1944! Amazing roast chicken from a long standing chicken BBQ restaurant where most of the waitresses are longstanding.
Tour through some of the many districts of Montreal
Seeing busloads of young woman dressed up for Prom night having photos and champagne at a lookout over Montreal.
Sometime on our walk through Montreal during the morning we had came across a cute bronze statue. It made me think of my brekky friends back home:
