Canada - Montreal

After one  night in Ottawa, we headed for Montreal. On the way we stopped for coffee at Tim Hortons which is a Canadian coffee and donut chain and supposedly Canada's favourite coffee shop. However I wasn't very keen on any of the coffee I had in Canada!

WCH is World Cup of Hockey, hockey is an important game in Canada.

Many of the buildings in Canada are being renovated / spruced up in preparation for Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017. Canada only became a country in 1867. Its history started with Aboriginal people thousands of years ago, then European settlers in the 1500s, fighting between France and Britain in the 1700s. In 1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia united in an agreement that formed the Dominion of Canada. It is this confederation and the birth of a nation that will be celebrated in 2017.

Montreal city is on an island. We went into old Montreal, first building we saw was City Hall, built in the 1870s and is the seat of local government in Montreal -

Near City Hall, at the top of Place Jacques-Cartier, is Nelson's column. Erected in 1809, it is older than the one in London (1843).

Place Jacques-Cartier is a square and an entrance to the Old Port of Montreal. Pedestrian street -

After lunch we set off on a city tour. Chihuly glass sculpture, The Sun, outside the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, it has to be dismantled before the winter and re-created each spring -

Impressive mansions of the old settlers, in the downtown area -

and some nice houses on the hill up to Mont Royal

Mount Royal is a large hill immediately west of downtown Montreal, and gave the city its name. There is a large cemetery and park. The highest peak is 233 m. Unfortunately when we got to the view point the view was obscured by clouds

We went down the hill and drove towards Chinatown, passing some nice buildings. This restaurant sells poutine which is a Canadian dish of chips covered with cheese and gravy

In Montreal many of the houses have external metal stairs. Some are straight, others are curved and twisty. They may have  been built to provide a larger space within the building. But in the winter they become icy. (See the link for some good photos)

Our next stop was the Notre Dame Basilica. Located in the historic district of Old Montreal, it faces this square

It doesn't look much from the outside but inside it is stunningly beautiful. It is huge, built in the Gothic Revival style. The Catholic basilica dates to the 19th century. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues. Unusual for a church, the stained glass windows do not depict biblical scenes, instead there are scenes from the religious history of Montreal. There is an impressive organ and someone was playing non religious music when we entered. There is an ornate spiral staircase to the pulpit and 2 upper levels looking into the main church.

The original glass windows behind the altar were a problem as they faced east which meant the morning sun poured in, so they were removed and it was painted blue to represent the sky-

There is a small separate chapel used for weddings. The altar piece is 8 m high, formed of 32 bronze panels and weighs 20 tons. It was cast in London. 

Then we went to the Hotel Faubourg and found we all had suites.