Touring The Great North – Part 4 – Historic Montreal

According to Montreal tourist websites, fall is the best time to go, so we unknowingly hit Montreal at the best time. The fall foliage was gorgeous and so vibrant, in all shades of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. The day started off grey and rainy, but the weather cleared up for our tour.

Montreal is a very large city full of contrasts. It is over 400 years old. The old buildings are so beautiful and very French. Here are some other fun facts about Montreal I bet you didn’t know.

1. Montreal is an island; one of about 400 along the St. Lawrence River.
2. Montreal has an underground city. The Underground City is a maze of tunnels and shops that covers more than 18 miles. We explored parts of the underground city as part of our tour.
3. With the highest number of tango dancers and dance halls on the continent, Montréal is the tango capital of North America.

We took a tour of Old Montreal. Our tour guide, Stephanie, was a lot of fun and very passionate about being a Montrealer. She took us all over the old parts of town, as well as some of the new parts of town. She was so knowledgeable. The old buildings and all the Quebecquois history were just fascinating.

One of our first stops was the Marche Bonsecours, inaugurated in 1847. It used to be the main market place for Montrealers. Today, it is still a market place, just of a different kind. Today it is home to boutique shops and restaurants.

This very old cathedral faces the St. Lawrence River, and was considered to be the church that protected the sailors. As expected it was gorgeous, both inside and out. The Catholic religion is still the dominant religion of Montreal and Quebec and there are lots of beautiful Catholic churches all around.

Mother Mary is overlooking the St. Lawrence river to protect all the sailors.

The cathedral was so ornate. I took tons of pictures, but I won’t show them all. I have way too many to share. I highly recommend making this a must-see stop though if you are ever in Montreal. I love all the old churches, basilicas and cathedrals. I love all their attention to detail.

General sights of Montreal.

The Olympic Torch and stadium.

As you would expect, being French, Montreal loves good food. There are lots of good restaurants all over the city.

The four foods Montreal is known for are:

1. Bagels. Montreal has a very large Jewish population, as well as a very large Catholic population, and the Montreal bagels are said to rival the New York bagels. They are boiled in honey water and are not as light and fluffy as the New York bagels, but are more dense.
2. Maple syrup. About 85% of all the world’s maple syrup comes from the Montreal area of Quebec.
3. Smoked meats, usually pastrami.
4. Poutine, or as Montrealers call it, fromage squish squish. Poutine is made with crispy fries, squeaky cheese or cheese curds and rich gravy. It can be topped with all kinds of other things too.

Stephanie made this unofficial flag of the Montreal foods. Between the four us of, we tried them all.

Our tour took us all around old Montreal. We walked up and down the hills and streets of Old Montreal and ended up walking at least 5-6 miles, taking in all the sights everywhere we went.

There has always been a sort of rivalry between the English and the French in Montreal, and has even been depicted in their art and structures. This is the old bank, established by the English.

Facing the old bank is a statue of a French woman holding her poodle, turning up her nose at the English, and “their love of money”.

Across the way, there is an old cathedral and a statue of an English man, holding his pug, turning up his nose at the “French cathedral and the French piety”. It is all done in good fun though, and these two thoughts have become iconic in the culture of Montreal.

The Montreal flag, the Canadian flag and the Quebec flag, all proudly flying high.

These buildings all used to be separate buildings, until they were joined to make one big, beautiful city within a city.

A piece of the Berlin Wall after it was torn down.

Inside the tunnels of the Underground City.

The tunnels led us to the entrance of the Convention Center, and the “Lipstick Garden”. A percentage of the annual budget is earmarked to supporting local and contemporary art all throughout the city.

The outside of the Convention Center, or Centre.

And of course, there is traditional art everywhere you go too. Just look at all this filigree and attention to detail. I LOVE it!!!!!

After our tour, we drove around through some of the suburbs of Montreal and were treated to gorgeous views of the city from a distance.

Beautiful potted flowers were everywhere we went.

Montreal is a BIG, beautiful city filled with a rich, living history. We just barely scratched the surface. There is so much to see and do.

Restez a l’ecoute. J’en aurai beaucoup plus a vous proposer bientot. Stay tuned. I have a lot more coming your way soon.

Passez une bonne journee et faites en sorte que chaque jour soit formidable. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.