A Love Affair With History

Okay, I admit that, at one level at least, my love affair with history describes my entire life.

But this is a travel blog, and so this post describes my weekend jaunt to the second-largest city in Canada, and the largest French-speaking city in the world outside of France: Montreal.

Montreal is a bustling, diverse, modern metropolis with all the usual appurtenances which that description implies. I've been here so many times I've lost count. The limo driver who brought me in from the airport asked when I first visited. I told him (it was 1967) and he whistled and said, "That's before my parents were born." Now I feel old!

Over the years, I've spent a lot of time in the more modern parts of the city but really, all in all, I would rather be right down in the waterfront area known as Vieux-Montreal, a historic district where old rubs shoulders with new, still in the vibrant mainstream of the city's life. A recreated outdoor museum this old town area is not!

For me, the biggest attraction of Vieux-Montreal is the way that this area lends itself to walking around. The next-biggest attraction is the incredible diversity of restaurants found there. I've been to (among others) old French, nouvelle cuisine, old and modern Quebecois, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Polish (see below), wine bars, brew pubs, cafés, breakfast places, crepe restaurants -- and that only covers the ones I've actually tried! The only reason I don't gain 10 kilos on every visit is the amount of walking I do while I'm here.

The area has many hotels, apartments, guest houses, and Air BnBs at just about any price point other than the absolutely dirt-cheap. Major chain luxury high-rise hotels line the edge of the district, along Rue St-Antoine. Inside the historic area, heights of buildings are strictly controlled and so the hotels are smaller -- although some are still modern.

My own favourite is the Springhill Suites by Marriott, which is right smack in the centre of Vieux-Montreal -- a couple of minutes walk one way to the Metro and downtown, or the other way to the river. The suites are modern and comfortable, with big windows which give plenty of natural light, and which can actually be opened (bonus)! A generous breakfast buffet is included in all room rates. More than anything, it's the location that makes this hotel such a winner.

So, off I went this morning, just a few steps down the hill, and around the corner onto Rue St. Paul.  This long narrow street is the beating heart of Vieux-Montreal, lined with block after block of boutiques and restaurants to suit every taste.

Like this one. If anyone's brave enough to sample this place's products, I want to know if the after-effects are as drastic as the sign suggests.

A few more blocks down the street brings you to the Place Jacques-Cartier.  In summer, this open plaza is alive with activity, with outdoor café terraces packed, all under the dignified supervision of Montreal's City Hall at the crest of the hill.

Right by the top end of this square is the Chateau Ramezay, formerly the home of colonial governors, and now a museum.

Not far beyond Place Jacques Cartier, you come to the old Bonsecours Market, a long-time hub of commercial activity.

Just beyond the market is the historic chapel of Notre-Dame de Bonsecours. It's known as the "sailor's chapel" because of its proximity to the old port of Montreal, and the number of carved ship models (given as thank-offerings by sailors) which hang in the ornate interior of the church.

Just one more block down the hill brings you to the old port area. Although active docks and significant port facilities are still found both up and down the riverbank from here, this portion adjacent to Vieux-Montreal has been developed as an amusement-entertainment complex, with restaurants, visitor attractions, walking areas, and summer-shopping kiosks.

The newest attraction is the Grand Roue de Montreal (the Great Wheel).

I've always been attracted to heights and views so I paid my $28.50, and enjoyed a 30-minute ride (3 complete circuits) with wonderful views of the port, the city and the river islands, even if it was cloudy.

In this picture, the red-brick building indicated by the arrow is the Springhill Suites where I'm staying -- which lets you see how it is completely in scale with its surroundings.

This picture of the islands shows several of the surviving buildings constructed just over half a century ago for the celebrated world's fair, Expo '67.  In fact, about 3/4 of the land mass of these islands was also constructed for the fair, using the excavation material from the construction of the Montreal Metro subway system and other projects.

After leaving the wheel, I headed down along the waterfront, and then cut back into the historic area to the long, narrow open space called Place d'Youville.

One of the features here is this famous upscale steak and seafood restaurant, Gibby's, located in the historic old Youville Stables. That's why I thought it appropriate that a horse-drawn calèche should roll along just as I was ready to take this picture.

From the Place d'Youville, I headed back onto Rue St Paul and up a few blocks to the corner where the Stash Café is located. This is one of my must-go places whenever I'm in Montreal. Polish beer, and a platter of ground pork schnitzels (actually more like burgers) with mushroom sauce, red cabbage salad, and potatoes made for a good rib-sticking feast. Warning: Stash Café is not only authentic in its recipes, but also authentic in the quantities of food -- in a word, generous. And very delicious too. Equally authentic are the old rough-stone walls, the hewn ceiling beams, and the bench seats which are actually pews taken from an old church!

A couple of blocks from Stash, and up on the crest of the ridge of Vieux-Montreal, is the old city's jewel in the crown -- the magnificent Notre-Dame Basilica. Even with the whole width of Place d'Armes directly in front of the church to help you, it's something of a challenge to fit the entire height of the building into a single photograph.

This imposing church was constructed in the period from 1824 to 1830, with the towers being completed by 1843. Although architect James O'Donnell gave an obvious nod to the famous cathedral of Paris in his design of the front with its two tall square towers, there are more differences than similarities -- the most notable being that the Montreal towers and the three great arches of the entrance are slimmer than their Parisian counterparts.  This makes them appear far taller even though the proportions (but not the height) of the façade as a whole remain virtually the same.

The interior is an eye-popping confection of brilliantly-painted and gilded woodwork and carving. (This picture was taken some years ago, with the choir preparing to rehearse for an annual Good Friday performance of Mozart's Requiem.)

And from there, I made my way the two short blocks back to my hotel.

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To close, a few helpful hints about Montreal.

Directions: In a word, confusing. The city's "baseline" is the riverfront, and streets which run parallel to the river are described as going east and west. Streets that run straight away from the river are described as north-south. Now look at a map.  Yup. That's right, folks. When you're heading "East" in Montreal you're actually going close to due north, and when you're heading "South" you're actually going east. And so on. Sorry, you just have to deal with it.

Language: Everywhere you go, you will be greeted in French. If you don't speak or understand French, no need to panic -- and there's certainly no need to avoid Montreal on that account. In tourist-heavy areas like downtown, Vieux-Montreal, Sherbrooke St., or the Gay Village, pretty much anyone who serves the public is fluent in both languages. Simply respond in English, with a smile, and conversation will continue in English.  Having said that, a smile and a simple "Merci" at the end of a transaction goes a long way, too.

Transit: The Montreal Metro and associated bus network is a great way to get around in a city where traffic can be a real penance. Study the website before you go (Societe de transport de Montreal), and you'll see a whole range of unlimited-ride or multi-ride pass tickets, any of which can be bought from vending machines at any Metro station. You'll receive a sturdy cardboard ticket, which you simply place onto the sensor on top of the turnstile to enter the Metro. Signs and directions are clear and easy to follow in all stations.

Driving: In a word -- don't. The streets of Vieux-Montreal are narrow, often paved with rugged bricks or cobblestones, and parking is at a premium in both space and dollars. So almost everyone walks here, and you should too. To put it bluntly, if you drive down into Vieux-Montreal to visit, you're either crazy or a total masochist IMHO. If you're staying elsewhere, there are two stations of the Montreal Metro convenient to the historic area -- Place d'Armes and Champ de Mars.