Today was another warm and clear day in Montreal, great for getting around and seeing more of the city.
We started out today by going together to Parma Café and all having some tea or coffee and some yummy pastries. Parma offers quite a range of other food as well, from artisan pizzas to eggplant parmesan – we may have to come by for a bigger meal sometime!
We headed back to the subway and were happy to find that our 24h passes were still good until noon. We rode to Station Place d’Armes and after emerging back into the daylight we found the corresponding historical park, being watched over by a statue of Paul de Chomedey who is credited with founding the city. The two most notable buildings surrounding it are the original Bank of Montreal building (and headquarters) and the Notre Dame Basilica.
The Basilica was one of the main wonders we’d wanted to see upon coming to Montreal and it did not disappoint. A brief wait to get in just caught us up to an English speaking tour group being seated in the pews to hear some of the building and the city’s history. The interior is darker than Mary, Queen of the World’s but even more overwhelming with its detailed and ornate carved wood, bright and intricate stained glass, many statues, multiple levels of seating, and rich, deep colours.
Our tour lasted about twenty minutes and gave us a good understanding of how a church like this could be made and the status of the city around it in those times. The history of the church in Montreal and its early colonists is the subject of the stained glass windows. We then walked on our own through the wings and behind the sanctuary to discover a second, smaller chapel where a mass was being held. It was also beautiful, much brighter and much more modern.
We came back out into the sunlight and considered where to go next, intending eventually to get to the archeology museum. Mimi took over at this point as this was a part of the old city she remembered from her stay last year. She led us down many of the small side streets between here and the water and we admired the old buildings and peeked into the windows of several of the tourist shops,
In complete contrast to the old Montreal that we were experiencing we were attracted to the novelty of the Aloha Espresso Bar where we each got some shave ice instead of a drink.
We were down to Rue de la Commune by this point, so we headed west and quickly found the Pointe-à-Callière Museum. This is a fascinating archeology museum that gives a history of Montreal from pre-settler 1300s CE to the present day. It’s focus was largely on the colonial history but some first nations acknowledgements were made, though usually in the context of their impact on settlers. The building itself is situated on the site of several significant historical structures, including Fort Ville-Marie, St. Anne’s Market, the customs building, and the William sewer.
The museum takes advantage of many of these remains and builds its exhibits around, through and over them (viewable through clear floors). There are also many novel interactions and engagements with museum patrons such as a multimedia opening presentation Montréal, Tales of a City, brightly lit faux artifacts to draw your attention, and some interactive instruments and toys to bring you into the time periods being represented.
We stayed for the better part of our remaining afternoon here and quite enjoyed the experience. Apparently there was also a solar eclipse, but we can watch that on youtube :-).
From the museum we walked back toward the Vieux Montreal cafés and shops and Mimi expertly directed us toward Crêperie Chez Suzette for reasons which were immediately clear: a cheese fondue constitutes an excellent late lunch! Here we shared a fondue with various breads, fruits, and vegetables and it was sooo good. Then, despite common sense, we also ordered a sweet crêpe to share, covered with strawberries, ice cream and Nutella. Enough said!
After eating we continued along Rue Saint Paul Est, poked around for a little while in L’empreinte Coopérative and saw some wonderful hand made art and craft items from shirts and bags to wooden tools and toys. Apparently it was a favourite hang out for Mimi. We continued down the road until we got to the market at Marché Bonsecours where we went inside and looked through some of the boutiquey stores at the novelty items.
Then we were down to the river at Vieux-Port and the many little kitchy and touristy booths along the water. A giant observation wheel is also being constructed here but it won’t be open until later this year. We strolled along the waterfront and took it all in, with Mimi recounting some stories about how she had taken the train down from Rosemére with her friends after work last year.
We sat at a picnic table and looked through some of the ideas we had jotted down at Véro’s on Saturday and realized that Jardin Nelson was very close by and had been recommended to us by Vincent for its great atmosphere and live jazz. Two blocks north on Rue Jacques-Cartier we found it and were quickly whisked inside to a table.
This restaurant is a wonderful indoor/outdoor combination in that a stone “front” is given away by lack of a ceiling, and aside from enormous inverted umbrellas we were essentially on a huge patio. Gilbert Joanis “et ses musicians” played two sets while we were there, mostly of popular covers of familiar lounge jazz from Henry Mancini to Chuck Mangioni with a few standards and Beatles medleys thrown in – it was pleasant and they were having fun with it.
We weren’t hugely hungry at this point so we ordered three appetizer plates – a cheese plate, a giant crab cake, and bruschetta and they were all delicious! I also had a chance to try a couple more Québec beers and apparently the mixed drinks are also very good. But mostly the atmosphere on a cooling off night in the city, listening to a band and the low chatter of other folks around also having a nice time, and reflecting on our day all felt like a nice way to finish off our evening.
It was dark by the time we left Jardin Nelson and the lit city glows at night. Before heading home we decided to go for another walk around Quais, watch the zipliners fly by overhead, spot the eccentric, fleeting movie projections upon various distant buildings, and think about what we’d like to do tomorrow. We slowly backtracked our way through the old city, ending at the lit basilica where we’d stared out, but appreciating how different it all looked at night.
At last we got back on the Metro and returned to our station and headed back to our room. We spent a little while looking at where some of our next destinations might lie on a map, made some plans, then read and tweaked photos for awhile.
A very pleasant day,
