It was a big drive between Toronto and Montreal, 542 kms, and about 5 hours. Add in our stops, and taking the 'scenic' route out of Toronto, as we only have maps for the USA on our GPS, and it took us most of the day. The boys have done really well, with the travelling so far, so hopefully it continues!
Montreal was really different to Toronto. We were aware that it was very French, but not aware of HOW French it would be. All the signs were in French, and while most people spoke English, apparently it is only the first language of 18% of the population. It was interesting though, and probably as close to Europe as we will get for some time! We enjoyed trying out the French cuisine, particularly the pastries, which were readily available.
Our first day in Montreal was cloudy, and rainy. While I don't like to dwell on the weather too much, it has a pretty big bearing on your time in a city, when most of the sight seeing is outdoors, and sitting at home is not much of an option. On our first day in Montreal, we had a bit of a walk around the city. It was Father's Day here, so Phil had gotten breakfast in bed from the boys, and his presents. We went for a walk to the old town, before it started to rain, and then we took cover in a restaurant for lunch.
We were right by a Metro stop, so on our next day we headed out to the stadium in which the 1976 Montreal Olympics were held.
Some of the buildings have been re-purposed, and one of these that we went into was the Biodome. I think Phil and I enjoyed it more than the boys, as it was lots of ecosystems, like the tropics and the arctic, simulated, and then the native animals put in. They were fascinated with parts of it, but I don't think it was one of the highlights of their trip!
The following day we went to the Old Town, and Harbour District, and went to the The Museum of Archeology and History. It was interesting, as Montreal is a really old city, dating back to the 1600's, so I learnt a lot! Apart from all of the usual stuff, they had a Beatles exhibition which was lots of fun - particularly trying to explain to the boys that is was the first time people really played rock and roll,what a record was, and what a phenomenon the Beatles were. They had a lot of stuff, including guitars that they had owned, a Rolls Royce which John Lennon had painted psychedelic, and karaoke of their songs, which Phil and the boys got into.
We had a really nice day, had lunch down at the harbour, and wandered around the cobblestone streets. Luke found this Guard, and wanted a photo taken with him.
We came to the Basilica Notre Dame, in the old town square. It is an amazing church, which was founded in 1642. Apparently it costs about $10,000 to get married there, and Celine Dion was married here in 1994. It seats about 2,700 people, so you would have to know a few people to fill it! It also has a pipe organ comprised of 7000 pipes, so I am sure that could make quite some noise.
Out in the square there was a 'busker', who was entertaining the kids by making massive bubbles, with two sticks and some wool, which you can see in the corner of the picture below. The boys could have stayed here for ages chasing and popping the bubbles, and I am sure that was far more entertaining to them, than touring through the church!
There were a lot of historical buildings throughout Montreal, which have been preserved, and with their heritage, they have a real European feel. This is a little glimpse below, of some of the architecture. In the old town, they also have some of the old cobblestone streets, which were fun.
On our last full day in Montreal, we took the train across to Ile Saint Helene, which is an island on the Saint Lawrence river, off the coast of Montreal. It was where expo '67 was held, and also the rowing events for the '76 Olympics. The Grand Prix is held here, and it had been on the weekend before we got there, so they were still removing a lot of the scaffolding and barricades which they had erected. It was a beautiful day, and when we got there we found a little spot which had three hammocks, hung between trees, so we chilled out there for a little while. It was very relaxing just hanging around! We looked into hiring bikes to cycle, but they didn't have any which were suitable for the boys, so we walked. The island has a casino on it, which we went past, and St Helene's beach, which we went to. It is very different to our beaches - it was really a lake, but it had sand, and we could go for a swim, so we weren't complaining! The boys spent the afternoon swimming and building sandcastles, and Phil and I relaxed, so it was a great afternoon. We also hired pedal boats below, which were lots of fun.
Our last morning in Montreal, we headed up to Mount Royal, which is a planned park, and has great views over the city. Apparently it was designed by the same architect who designed Central Park in New York City. There are a lot of trails, and people walking, running and biking around, and it is very green.
Hi Tanya..have just arrived at our accommodation in the outskirts of Chicago...have 3 nights - 2 days here, so have been rereading your blog..thanks for going there first and giving us ideas! Your trip sounds amazing! Safe travels, Jen xx
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