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Published: October 11th 2013
Stone cottages on the way to MontrealWell here we are in Montreal - the city of beautiful people and where everyone speaks French!
And then there's us - two independent Aussies (well 1 Aussie and 1 kiwi) who can't speak a word of the spoken language.
We drove the 80 km into Montreal no problem - even though all the road signs were in French. The first 40 km of the drive were through beautiful countryside - dairy farms and local crops being grown in the region. All of a sudden the scenery changes and the highway becomes a mass of vehicles and the scenery is that of a big city.
Tonight we are staying at a KOA in South Montreal - the closest RV park to the city - 22 km drive to downtown. We got directions to the Metro station so headed out to explore Old Montreal. Once we arrived at the Metro Station we were a bit taken back...we had assumed that folks in Quebec would speak fluent English as well as French. Well, we thought very wrong - we stood in front of the ticket machine not knowing what to do as the directions were all in French. Ok we
Country Quebecthought - no problem we will just go and ask for some help....not that easy - staff at the station didn't speak English.
We managed to find a lady who spoke limited English - enough for us to be able to find out how to buy a metro ticket downtown anyway! It's hard to believe that we are in Eastern Canada - not that far away from the USA border - it certainly is very different in this province of Canada.
The metro system in Montreal is very efficient with trains arriving every 5 minutes or so all day until 1am.
Once downtown we set out to find an information centre to get some local maps of the area. Managed to find that no problem and the staff spoke enough English tot understand what we needed. Then we set off on our walking tour of Old Montreal - and yes it is very lovely here.
The streets in Old Montreal are cobble stone and the footpaths are very narrow. Nobody seemed to be in a rush - everyone just cruising along. We stopped at a church along the way - Chapelle Notre Dame de Bon Secours
QuebecChapel which was built in 1771. We went inside and had a look around and I lit a candle in memory of my father who passed away 2 years ago. Under the candle were words that I found inspiring. They go like this:
Lighting a candle is a prayer:
When we have gone it stays alight, kindling in the hearts and minds of others - the prayers we have already offered for them and others, for the sad, the sick, and the suffering - and prayers for thankfulness too.
Lighting a candle is a parable - burning itself out, it gives light to others. Christ gave himself to others. He calls us to give ourselves.
Lighting a candle is a symbol: of love and hope, of light and warmth. Our world needs them all.
In the evening we went to the "sound and light" show at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. The show presents the founding of Montreal and the Basilica - tickets $10 each. The show was a 45 minute captivating story - so glad we went. The Basilica was built between 1824 and 1829 and showcases a magnificent interior in wood with sculptures,
Fountain next to the old courthousepaintings and stained glass windows illustrating the 350 years of parish history.
Right in the heart of the historic district is Place d' Armes which gives an overview of all the periods in the history of Montreal. Place Jacques-Cartier is the home to a monument of Admiral Nelson - this area is full of street performers, artists, restaurants and outdoor cafes.
Geoff cooked up another great meal using up bits and pieces before cleaning out the fridge and cupboards.
Tomorrow we will be taking our RV back to Cruise Canada and picking up a rental car for the rest of our Canada visit. We are sad to be moving on but the RV has become quite a hindrance in the cities. We have hotel accommodation booked for the rest of our holiday so a new phase begins.
After 28 days in the RV we have managed to clock up 8178 kms...travelling through 5 Canadian Provinces and 10 USA states. A feat that many North Americans would not dare to tackle so we are pleased with our efforts..the RV made it in one piece and so did we.
We haven't had to much shopping here on
Old courthousethe east coast of Canada but we can see that the prices are not as high as the west coast - still glad we did our shopping in the USA though.
😊
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