Retired Nomads - Part 2 : Montreal, Quebec - City Tour

July 15

We went downstairs to see where our included breakfast was being served. We were told it would be delivered to our room. They said it should have already been there, but the lady that checked us in last night checked the wrong box. They said they would send it right up. There was a hook on the wall by our front door and we wondered what it was for. They hang a basket on it that includes our breakfast box. They ordered our breakfast to be delivered for tomorrow morning to make sure it arrived this time.

Sounds weird, but it was a very good and way too much food. There were pancakes, syrup, sausage, yogurt, a tangerine, a muffin, and juice.

We went downstairs to meet for our tour. As luck would have it, we were to pick up 3 more people at the next hotel. Yep, the sisters and the nice single man. The man was in the lobby, but the sisters were nowhere to be found. The guide came out several times to report that he was still trying to track them down. The front desk called their room. Finally, they arrived at least 15 minutes late.

It would have been nice if they would have been nice ladies since we obviously were going to encounter each other across Canada. We never even exchanged names. We did find out one was from Scottsdale and the other from Puerto Vallarta. The one from Arizona (the “prissy one”) scoffed when we said we were from Florida as her heat was better than our heat. We started to tell her that we had lived in the Phoenix/Mesa area, but she didn’t care to listen.

me in the van waiting for the sisters

at least he has his Narcan

We started at Mont Royal, and our guide took us to Saint Joseph's Oratory which is a beautiful Roman Catholic minor basilica. We got out of the vehicle and the “prissy” sister ran as fast as she could to talk to our driver. Apparently, they wanted our seats and didn’t think it was fair we were taking photos and they weren’t. (there were windows in the seat behind us)

The driver told her we would switch at the halfway point. Seriously? When he got us alone he told us what had transpired. We said we weren’t surprised as they have been a pain on every tour we had been on. None-the-less we had to switch seats with them. (Later on in the tour she demanded the guide provide them with water. It wasn’t included in the tour, but willing to please he stopped somewhere and bought a bottle of water for each of them)

Anyway, back to the beautiful Roman Catholic Church. The Oratory is the highest building in Montreal, rising more than 30 meters above Mount Royal's summit. It is one of the few buildings that violates the height restriction under the municipal building code of Montreal, which limits the height of any building, including skyscrapers, from surpassing the height of Mount Royal. The dome was built to resemble the Duomo in Florence.

Saint Joseph's Oratory

the original chapel

views from the back steps

We started with the Gardens and Way of the Cross. (much like the stations of the cross depicted in statues) It was a lovely walk.

At the Oratory we started with the Shrine, which encompasses the nave, apse and transept, and the dome, which is the largest church dome in Canada and the third largest in the world.

Shrine & Duomo

We left that area and went outside to another viewpoint, passing by some other areas of the oratory.

The Votive Chapel is between the Crypt Church and the rock of Mount Royal. Statue of St. Joseph is featured.

St. Brother Andre’

Tomb of St. Brother Andre’

Finally, we visited the Crypt Church, located underneath the basilica. The church is called a "crypt" due to its flattened arches as well as its position embedded into the mountain underneath the basilica.

church is built into Mont Royal - marble statue of St Joseph

crutches & canes left behind when they were miraculously cured

Votive Chapel

Tomb of St. Brother Andre’

We stopped at a park for great views of the city.

We drove a short distance and stopped at one more viewpoint of the city. (Where we switched seats to please “the sisters”. They left piles of clothes in the back seat even though they were told this is where they would change seats. We had to get in first, so we just tossed their stuff on their seats. (you’re welcome…lol)

1976 Olympic Stadium

On our ride down the mountain, we caught a glimpse of a towering cross. Erected in 1924, the cross atop Mount Royal commemorates January 6, 1643, when Maisonneuve, Montréal's founder, kept his promise to carry a wooden cross to the summit of Mount Royal if the young colony survived flooding. Today, the cross stands 98 feet high and when lit, can be seen from miles away.

Next, we went on a walking tour of Old Montréal. The English Pug and the French Poodle aka The Two Snobs. Humorous statues depicting he cultural discords that used to prevail between the French and English Canadians. He stares with condescension at the Notre-Dame Basilica, a symbol of the religious dominance of the Catholic Church in Quebec while she stares with discontent at the head office of the Bank of Montreal, a symbol of the English power.

The French Poodle

The English Pug

Place d'Armes

Notre-Dame Basilica was our next stop. 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.

Notre-Dame Basilica

Place d'Armes

band playing in Place d'Armes

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel was out next stop. One of the oldest churches in Montreal, it was built in 1771 over the ruins of an earlier chapel. In the 19th century, the chapel came to be a pilgrimage site for the sailors who arrived in the Old Port of Montreal; they would make offerings to the Virgin in gratitude for her "good help" for safe sea voyages. It is now referred to as “the sailors church”. (we have seen similar churches around the world)

After that it was time for our scenic cruise on the beautiful St. Lawrence River. It was a lovely day, and we enjoyed the relaxing cruise taking in the sights.

Habitat 67

They offered lunch and we grabbed some food. Greg had a ham sandwich and I got pita bread with grilled vegetables and hummus. We passed La Ronde (6 Flags Amusement Park)

The most interesting sight is the Habitat 67 buildings. They are now apartments but originally were part of Expo 67. Your neighbor's roof is your garden, and it looks like a hodge-podge of buildings just dropped on each other. It was a great 90-minute cruise.

The guide met us and said we’d be driven to our hotels. Since we were staying in Old Town we said we’d just walk back from there. We went back to the gelato shop, and it was again some of the best berry flavors. (they didn’t have a lot of chocolate choices, but we were pleased with the fruit ones)

We walked around the area and a couple of the main touristy streets and went in search of dinner. The guide recommended a place with smoked meats and we found it and ate there. We were not disappointed. I had the Poutine Montreal which was really good. (how can you go wrong with gravy and fries with some cheese curds to top it off) The gravy was home-made and very tasty. Greg got the smoked meat club, and it was good as well.

La Baraque Du Vieux St. Vincent

our waiter in the doorway

smoked meat club sandwich

Poutine de Montreal

We had 8:00 reservations for the light show at Notre-Dame Basilica. No photos were allowed during the performance, but you could take them before and after the show. It was awesome music set to the incredible lightshow.