A Glimpse of Europe in North America

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We left as early as 4am that Saturday to start a grueling 5-hour drive to Montreal. They say that being in Montreal is like being in Europe. I got excited because I have never been to Europe. So after hours of driving, we arrived in Montreal at around 9am and we were able to check in to a nearby hotel where we will be staying for the night. It was not as fancy as Sandalwood but it would do for a good night's rest after gallivanting within the vicinity. It's called the Hotel Viger, along Rue Hubert or Hubert Street. Approx 60 bucks a night. Not bad for a tourist spot as popular as Montreal.

A fellow guest in Sandalwood warned us about Montreal, since it will all be our first time there. He said all road signs are in French and we have to learn to get by with it. He was right. Good thing we plotted our destination before going there. Thanks to the vast information in the internet. Thanks also to Val who was our mainstay Toronto tour guide. She must send an invoice to our company soon. Hee hee! She's such a great girl. So fun to be with too.

We had our first taste of Montreal with our first stop: Notre-Dame Basilica (Basilique Notre-Dame) located on Place d'Armes. Montreal's oldest Catholic church, built in 1656. We walked the many streets of Montreal and I almost slipped one time. Atleast it did not rain. It was just slippery due to the snow. It was so cold though. Sooo cold we had to get back in the car a few times to "thaw" like red meat! But it was funny while we were exerting effort to brave the snow especially in the St. Lawrence Pier, we saw one guy jogging. It was -21.1 °C !!! I don't think I can do that.

We stopped by the gift shops and I felt like walking in Intramuros, only bigger... and with tall French-Speaking Caucasians walking around. Still, the place was diverse. There were people from various ethnicity roaming around. Streets were made of cobblestones and horse carriage were all around... in dainty decors.

We drove to St. Joseph's Oratory (Oratoire Saint-Joseph), which sits on top of a hill overlooking the whole Montreal! It was built to honor St. Joseph, Canada's patron saint. It has a vast garden that is now all white. I wonder how it looks like in Spring or in the Summer. We also drove to the world's tallest inclined structure, the Olympic Stadium. It was already drizzling when we got there and it was hard to look for parking. We went inside to smell the chlorine in the olympic size pool. We requested one man to take a picture of all of us but it brought tragedy to him. He lost his son! He pretty much had an adventurous young kid who loves to run around. We felt guilty and helped him look for the boy. Turns out the boy ran outside and played with the snow. The man was furious, I bet he wished he did not give in to our request. Awww!

That night, we were looking for a place to have dinner. Accidentally, we found a street party they call the Montreal Street Light Winter Fest. The place was happy despite the weather. There were people in costumes and there was a big dome with colorful lights in it. It was snowing already yet there were people dancing on stage. Some were skating along the colorfully-lit skating rink. Some people were having roasted marshmallows. We tried it as well. My favorite part was this "warmer". I don't know what they call it but it's like a giant bird cage with lots of red and violet lights. People flocked inside it to get warm. It was sooooo cold. I hated the feeling of leaving my cage. Haha...

The festivity was happening in front of a mall. So we went in to find dinner. And right here in Montreal, I had my first taste of BAKLAVA. Thus my enlightenment with Greek food!!!

View my Photo Album here: Montreal and Ottawa Photo Album

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Photos

Stained glass in Basilique Notre-Dame
This stained glass caught my attention. It shows Jacques Cartier evangelizing native Indians into Christianity.

Oratoire Saint-Joseph
St. Joseph's Oratory built to honor St. Joseph, Canada's patron saint.

Notre Dame Streetlight
They are quite more bulky and built lower that what I used to see in Toronto

The Montreal Olympic Stadium
The Montreal Olympic Stadium was built for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games.

Montreal Street Light Winter Fest
We had fire-roasted marshmallows while it was snowing in the streets of Montreal.

Comments

[halefg]

Nice pic
A wonderful shot of the Basilique Notre Dame altar! Keep up the good work.