Montreal

Yesterday, I left Toronto and drove to Montreal. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about this portion of the trip; I'd heard that Montreal is not friendly, especially to those who don't speak French. But I arrived safely and in one piece, and the folks at the hotel were extremely friendly and helpful. I was tired last night, and so I had dinner nearby and worked on this blog some and read a book.

Today I decided to check out the town. I decided against a bus tour like I'd done in Toronto. Instead, there were two particular sites I decided to see: Old Montreal and the Botanical Gardens. I decided to go to Old Montreal first, and decided to take the subway to get there. I love the subway -- I have ever since I lived in NYC. But this subway was much more confusing than the subway in New York. Mostly, the signs are pretty nonexistent. So I'd find the station, which was clearly labled, take the stairs underground, and then suddenly, the only way to go was via another staircase back up to street level! Confused, I'd ask someone where the train was, and every time, it turned out I was going the right way, I just had to go up and down some more until I finally reached the actual station. Very strange.

Anyway, I made it to Old Montreal. It is beautiful, very European looking. I started out at the Basilica of Notre Dame. I love going to cathedrals -- they always amaze me with their beauty. And this one did not disappoint. The entire altar is carved, and is backlit with blue lighting, so it looks like it glows. The original name for Montreal was Ville Marie, or City of Mary -- and so there's a depiction of Mary at the very top of the altar, which I liked. In fact, the entire basilica intertwined typical Catholic iconography with historical depictions of the founding of Montreal. The basilica is also painted in 23 karat gold leaf, which adds to the glowing phenomenon. Apparently, the interior designer decided to do this because it lasts longer than paint (!), up to 80 years before needing maintenance. And a factoid: apparently one ounce of gold leaf will cover one square meter of space. Anyway, it was gorgeous. There's also a pipe organ at the back of the basilica which is quite impressive, too: it has 6992 individual pipes in it. It was originally water-powered by the St. Lawrence River, because it required more power than the traditional bellows could provide.

After touring the basilica, I was taken to the wedding chapel in the back. It was surprising, too: it's all wooden, and much, much less ornate than the basilica. It started out ornate, but much smaller and more intimate -- until 1978, when a fire burned half of it. The back of the chapel now remains ornately carved wood, but the front and ceiling is now contemporary light-colored, simple wooden paneling. Its simplicity is really nice actually, and goes well with the ornately carved back. But the most impressive part of this chapel is the bronze wall carving behind the altar. It's called "The March of Humanity", and is also very contemporary-looking. It depicts humans marching through three difficult periods of life, each represented by an arch: childhood, adulthood, and death. At the top, above the death-arch, is the Holy Trinity, depicted by the face of Jesus, the sun, and a dove. Were it not for the face of Jesus, it would have looked right at home in any modern synagogue!

Anyway, I left the Basilica and went walking. I saw the Montreal City Hall, several courthouses, and the Marche Bonsecours. I also walked along the harbor and looked over the water. Finally, I took myself to a nice, luxurious lunch on the plaza Jacques-Cartier. I had a cocktail, then had a crepe and an espresso.

When I left, I wandered over to another subway stop, got completely confused again trying to find the actual train, and then went uptown to the botanical gardens. I'd heard about these before, and was excited to see them. But first, I walked right past the Montreal Olympic Stadium from the 1976 Summer Games and snapped a few photos.

When I got to the gardens, I went first to the rose garden, then to the aquatic gardens, which I thought were very pretty -- basically, they were a set of partitioned fountains, each of which contained a different water plant. It was nice, and I loved listening to all of the fountains and waterfalls. But I couldn't stay too long, because I had a mission -- to see the Chinese and Japanese gardens.

I got to the Chinese gardens first. These gardens were ASSEMBLED IN CHINA, then disassembled and shipped to Montreal, and then reassembled onsite. Chinese workers came over to do the actual assembly. Pretty crazy. There were pavilions all over the place, stones assembled into a 9 meter-high mountain, a lake with a small island, and colorful statues depicting animals and people from the Ming Dynasty. It was very colorful, but a bit much for me, actually. I found it distracting.

After I left there, I walked through the First Nations gardens, which are typical of the forests and areas where the Canadian natives lived. It was very natural, basically a forest, and a nice change from the gaudy Chinese gardens, I thought. Once again, I was reminded how respectful the natives were, and are, of the natural land around them; instead of sculpting, they allow the land to just be. I also learned that they'd plant corn, squash, and beans together, and that all three plants grow better when they are grown together.

Finally, I made it to the Japanese garden. Like the Chinese garden, it was landscaped, and used stone and water in the hardscape. But this garden, designed by a Japanese landscape architect, was as simple and elegant as the Chinese garden was big and bold. Basically, it consisted of a few simple pavilions, surrounding a large koi pond. A waterfall was off to one side of the pond, and a lantern was on another side. The pond was curved, and all around it was landscaping of different heights and textures. Every single place I stood or sat provided an amazing view. It was simple and lovely, and very relaxing. I sat there for an hour and a half before I finally tore myself away. The only thing I didn't get to do was the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, which they hold in one of the pavilions; apparently, I need a reservation for that. Next time....

Anyway, I'm back in my hotel room now, safe and sound. I had a really nice day in Montreal. Like Toronto, it's a beautiful, vibrant city. And despite my fears, I found the people here to be very helpful and friendly. Yet another place for me to make a return visit someday.