October 8, 2023. Montreal.

Lorna had the great idea yesterday to book us on a small group, full-day Montreal city tour for today.

We were instructed to meet our tour guide/driver at the nearby Embassy Suites at 9:30. It was a short walk from The David and we were a little early. Our guide texted me that he was there already and he met us at the front of the hotel.

We introduced ourselves and learned that his name is Mounir (later in the tour we also learned that he’s originally from Yemen, spent several years working in Dubai and wanting a change in the weather, moved to Montreal which he loves).

We boarded the white sprinter van; we were his first pick-up of the morning. Six other people joined us from a few other hotels in the area and then we were off!

Mounir laid out the plan for the day which included the “greatest hits” that the city had to offer. We saw a lot!

Mont-Royal is a major park in Montreal. At 700 feet elevation it’s not necessarily a “mountain” but is a beautiful spot for views and outdoor recreation. On its flanks are various – mostly expensive – neighborhoods.

Our first stop in the park was at Lac-Aux-Castors. The fall color here was sublime and folks were out walking, jogging and bike riding on this Sunday morning.

This is a display of the Mont-Royal parklands.

During winter, when there’s snow on the ground, cross-country skiers use these paths. We even saw a group in the parking lot practicing on roller-blade type “skis”.

Piling back in the van, we drove a short distance to an awesome city overlook.

Olympic Park stadium where the 1976 Olympics were held.

The St. Viateur Bagel shop is world-renowned for its Montreal bagels which are very different than the NY style that most people are familiar with. Fortunately, our guide didn’t have to wait in line to get the bagels for our group as apparently the tour company has a special relationship with the owner.

They used to be open 24 hours a day but since Covid, they’ve reduced them.

An interesting mural across the street from the bagel shop.

We next moved on to the “Little Italy” neighborhood and the popular Marche Jean-Talon market. This is a semi-open air market (covered) with many different food purveyors. It’s open every day of the week but being a Sunday, we think it was busier than usual. Lots of color!

We ate our bagels at a table at the market. Delicious and different than the typical NY-style most folks are familiar with.

Lots of produce!

Aubergines! (I just like saying that)

Yours truly and some peppers!

We drove through some other neighborhoods including Le Plateau du Mont Royal and Little Portugal en route to the much-photographed, Instagram-ready St. Louis Square – site of squirrels, pigeons and some colorfully-painted homes. It’s often used as a location in film and TV productions.

Fontaine du Square Saint-Louis

Kind of like Montreal’s answer to San Francisco’s “Painted Ladies” Victorians.

We traveled off the island of Montreal across this bridge for a city view stop at Parc Jean-Drapeau. This was the site of the 1967 International and Universal Exposition (aka World Expo). It is considered to be one of the most successful World’s Fairs of the 20th centurywith the most attendees to that date and 62 nations participating. It also set the single-day attendance record for a world’s fair, with 569,500 visitors on its third day.

The biosphere – a remnant from the 1967 World Expo.

We had a nice lunch at Venice. Named after the California town not the Italian city. Decor was SoCal surfer vibe.

Shrimp poke bowl

After lunch on our own, we met up again at the Place D’Armes plaza.

The stunning Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.

Over its history, Catholic French and Protestant Brits have had many conflicts in the Montreal area. This tongue-in-cheek statue shows a Protestant British guy holding his dog and mocking the Catholic Church.

This was the British bank that is directly opposite the basilica.

On this side is a statue of a French woman holding her dog and mocking the British bank. Touché!

This monument celebrates Paul de Chomedey, founder of Montreal. From Wikipedia: “Place d’Armes is the second oldest public site in Montreal. It was called Place de la Fabrique when it was first developed in 1693, at the request of the Sulpicians, then later renamed Place d’Armes in 1721 when it became the stage of various military events. From 1781 to 1813, it was used as a hay and wood market, then developed as a Victorian garden after it was acquired by the city in 1836.^[1]”

Mounir leading the walking tour through Old Montreal. He took us into a nearby cafe where we got to taste Quebec maple syrup and got a gelato.

There’s a significance to this sculpture but I just don’t remember what it is!

Lots of people on the streets.

A small alley way with bright red roses trained on arbors.

Here’s the Sprinter van we were in for the day. Mounir led us down to Underground Montreal which includes the regional subway system but also an underground mall and walkway that connects various parts of the city. It’s beloved by local residents especially during cold and snowy winter days.

This subway train was pretty packed – despite it being a Sunday afternoon. Public transit here is widely used by residents.

These special tires are used on the trains to reduce noise.

The church owns the rights to the underground area directly below its footprint so it collects rent from those businesses in Underground Montreal.

We then drove through another community of ultra-expensive homes on the flanks of Mont-Royal that were designed to look really old but we’re actually somewhat newly-constructed. Everything old is new again?

Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal is a spectacular place and is a shrine to Saint Joseph. It’s a National Historic Site and Canada’s largest church.

The Oratory is the product of numerous architects and thousands of workers in a process spanning six decades. With its monumental scale, Renaissance Revival facade and contrasting Art Deco interior, the Oratory is recognizable not just in Montreal but around the world, attracting more than 2 million visitors and pilgrims to its steps each year.

It also celebrates the first Canadian who was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church who took Saint Joseph as his patron Saint.

Saint André Bessette, born in 1845 in Quebec, Canada, overcame a challenging early life marked by poverty and illness to become a beloved figure in the Catholic Church. As a humble religious brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross, he is renowned for his unwavering faith and dedication to helping the sick and afflicted. Saint André is particularly known for his remarkable healing abilities, often attributed to his strong devotion to Saint Joseph, to whom he constructed a shrine in Montreal. His simple acts of kindness and compassion touched the lives of countless individuals, earning him the nickname “Miracle Man of Montreal.” He passed away in 1937, and in 2010, he was canonized as Saint André Bessette, a testament to his extraordinary life of faith and service.

Mounir explaining the future plans for the site which includes a long pilgrimage pathway leading uphill to the church.

Inside was amazing. The church was built in the 1960s

The altar.

The view from above.

Father André Bessette before he was canonized.

Spectacular hall of candles.

Many who have made the pilgrimage here to alleviate or eliminate various infirmaries have felt well enough after the experience to leave their crutches behind.

Angry clouds on the horizon!

After visiting the L’Oratoire, now almost 5:30, we were now at the end of this excellent tour of Montreal’s “Greatest Hits”. Mounir took us all back to our respective hotels but we asked him to drop us off at Place D’Armes which was actually closer to The David than the Embassy Suites where he first met us earlier in the morning.

We were glad he did as the conditions were perfect for a late afternoon rainbow over Notre-Dame!