We were really excited for Friday, because we had plans to go down to Old Montreal. It's like going to Europe, only with a much cheaper, two-hour flight! We bought a Frommer's guidebook before we left, and it had some great walking tours in it. So unlike our Thursday odyssey, we knew exactly where we were going and exactly how long it would take to get there. :)
On Dort's recommendation, we took the metro to the Place d'Armes station and walked up a couple of blocks to the actual Place d'Armes.
We stood in the middle of the square and read through each of the building descriptions in the guidebook.
New York Life Building
Montreal's first "skyscraper" at a towering 8 stories
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Aldred Building
Art deco style modeled after the Empire State Building
Saint Sulpice Seminary
Built in 1684
But the "main attraction" of Place d'Armes is the Notre Dame Basilica. This was something we were really excited to see! (Fun Fact: In addition to its historical and religious significance, it is also where Celine Dion got married in her seven pound tiara.)
There was a picture of the inside in our guidebook, but it was hard to imagine what it would be like to see it in person. We paid our $5 entry fee, and lo and behold...it doesn't even look real in person! Amazing! I think the pictures speak for themselves.
(There were so many people inside that it was hard to get a good floor-to-ceiling shot without having anyone in it. But the little blue person in the middle of that last picture belongs to me!)
Behind the main basilica, there is also a smaller chapel called Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart). It burned once, but it was rebuilt and is done almost entirely in amazingly-carved wood.
It was an unbelievably impressive first stop on our walking tour! Sorry, other churches -- sort of hard to top this one. :)
We headed back out of the church and walked down Rue Notre Dame passing several other landmarks along the way. Of particular interest to the Legal Eagle were several court buildings, new and old.
Old Courthouse
City Hall
Chateau Ramezay
Built in 1705
Then the tour took us down a little side street to the cobblestoned Rue St. Paul. We passed another of the oldest buildings in the city (a private home built in 1725) and a little restaurant in which there is apparently a display of parrots!
At the end of the side street, we got to the Bon Secours Chapel. Since this is next to the old port, this was the sailors' church. Interesting choice of lighting -- crystal chandeliers and little wooden boats carrying candles!
Side note: In the Notre Dame Basilica, it had been very clear from the sign outside (and the multitude of camera flashes inside) that photography was a-okay. But I held off in this one until I could find something that said it was or wasn't. Not only do they allow you to take pictures...
...they want you to upload them on Facebook! We got a good laugh out of that and the guy working in the gift shop who was in full period costume and managing their Facebook page. Bon Secours is hip, yall!
We left the chapel and kept walking up Rue St. Paul, where there are lots of little shops and hotels. We also passed the Bonsecours Market, although we didn't go in.
About halfway down the street, we arrived at our lunch destination -- the gardens at the Hotel Nelson!
We got a great table under a tree in the courtyard (watch out for bird "business", though -- sorry Andrew!), and the place was full of people and live music. We enjoyed renditions of "Hey Jude" and "Tequila" among a random selection of others. :)
For lunch, we both had crepes, which were described on the menu as "incomparable". We don't eat too many crepes, so I guess that was true for us at least! Mine was a tomato batter with chicken, pesto, and cheeses, and Andrew's was a sweet batter with pork, tzatziki, and veggies.
We may also have split a pitcher of delicious white wine sangria. Thanks to our waiter for the picture and for his very conversational English!
After lunch, we continued down the street to scope out a Christmas ornament souvenir and ended up with a beaver dressed as a Royal Canadian Mountie. :)
One of the guidebook stops was the old Customs House, but there was a movie (or something) filming out front that prevented us from even crossing the street, much less going up to it.
A policeman breaking out the window of an Xterra with his baton to retrieve a set of keys...sure to be a real blockbuster!
Next, we turned to head down to the riverfront area, which is the Old Port of Montreal. Again, we passed plenty of history along the way.
Hospital of the Grey Nuns
We sat for a minute by the water and just enjoyed the breeze! By that time, it was getting close to 4 (discovery: the camera tells time!), so we decided to walk along the river and head back to the metro.
Bota Bota Spa on the Water
(Their mani/pedi salon is also a cocktail lounge!)
Modular Housing from Expo, the 1967 World's Fair
Thanks to the guidebook, we got to see so many things in Old Montreal -- but in a much more manageable area/distance than the previous day. We learned a lot too, but it was at our own pace and interest level. It was a great way to spend a day, and the walking tour was probably worth the price of the whole book!
We went back to Dort's house to clean up a little and go out for dinner. She wanted to take us to a place she had been to with her friends, but after several trips around a Wal-Mart ("Big Ben, House of Parliament"), we just couldn't find it. When we were approaching the deserted Hippodrome (horse track), we knew we were not quite in the right place.
It turns out that the restaurant had been where she thought it was, but it had recently closed. The sign was covered up by its replacement's banner. So instead, we went to the nearby Baton Rouge restaurant and enjoyed dinner and drinks. Great day!
