Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, with an estimated metropolitan area population of nearly 3.9 million.
French is the city's official language and is also the language spoken at home by 59.9% of the population, followed by English at 19.4%.
Today there are also many historic buildings in Old Montreal still in their original form: Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Bonsecours Market, and the impressive 19th century headquarters of all major Canadian banks.
Apartment blocks in Montreal tend to have outside staircases. This is to save space indoors - it looks very quaint, but is not very practical in winter, when there is a lot of snow!
The mountain is the site of Mount Royal Park (French: Parc du Mont-Royal), one of Montreal's largest greenspaces. The park, most of which is wooded, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York's Central Park, and was inaugurated in 1876.
The park contains two belvederes, the more prominent of which is the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a chalet, overlooking downtown Montreal. Other features of the park are Beaver Lake, a small man-made lake; a short ski slope; a sculpture garden; Smith House, an interpretive centre; and a well-known monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier. The park hosts athletic, tourist, and cultural activities.
First stop was Mount Royal Park. Very beautiful, a fantastic view over the city. Lots of people excercising and walking their dogs. An oasis in the city!
This thingy was soooo tiny and cute.... a little baby looking for its mummy.....
Next stop, the other side of the mountain (to us its more like a hill....) was Saint Joseph Du Mont Royal.
Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine on the west slope of Mount Royal. The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph,, to whom Brother André credited all his reported miracles. These were mostly related to some kind of healing power, and many pilgrims (handicapped, blind, ill, etc.) poured into his Basilica, including numerous Protestants. On display in the basilica is a wall covered with thousands of crutches from those who came to the basilica and were allegedly healed. Pope John Paul II deemed the miracles to be authentic and beatified Brother André in 1982. In October 2010 Pope Benedict XVI canonized the saint.
Still today, devoted believers climb the stairs (middle ones) to the basilica on their knees all the way up to the altar.
Next stop: Old Montreal (French: Vieux-Montréal) is the oldest area in the city dating back to1642. It also includes the Old Port of Montreal. Most of Old Montreal was declared an historic district in 1964 by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec.
You really feel like you are in France, the whole atmosphere, the people, the cobble stoned little alleys, the street entertainers, the cafes and restaurants.... very quaint...very French!
Montreal, nicknamed the "City of Saints" or the ville aux cent clochers (city of a hundred bell towers), is famous for its many beautiful churches. There are four basilicas located in the city, as well as six cathedrals of various denominations.
André took us to Notre Dame! We stepped into the cathedral and we were all awstruck by its beauty. I have never seen anything so amazing and beautiful as this Notre Dame! (and I've seen quite a few churches in my time!!! being European and all....)
Notre-Dame Basilica (French: Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal) is a basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal. The church's Gothic Revival architecture is among the most dramatic in the world; its interior is grand and colourful, its ceiling is coloured deep blue and decorated with golden stars, and the rest of the sanctuary is a polychrome of blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues. Unusual for a church, the stained glass windows along the walls of the sanctuary do not depict biblical scenes, but rather scenes from the religious history of Montreal. It also has a Casavant Frères pipe organ, which comprises four keyboards, 97 stops, over 9000 individual pipes and a pedal board.
The guide was quick to point out, that this is NOT a replica of Notre Dame de Paris, but rather a unique Notre Dame de Montreal (Notre Dame meaning Our Lady - as in Virgin Mary).
.....continued in part 2 of jour 2...
S & D
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