East Coast Road Trip: From Clemson to Montreal

Yesterday, Lorna found an interesting guided walking tour called “Old Montreal: Off the Beaten Path” and signed up for it today.

Before we left the hotel for the walk to the meeting point, I emptied our garbage down this chute which was to the left of our elevator. I think that was a first for us.

Then after we left the hotel, we saw this entrance filled with black balloons with no one around. A Goth Ball? Early Halloween celebration?

After a short walk, we met at the luxurious William Gray Hotel at 9:30.

The interesting thing about this hotel is it’s attached to William Gray’s historical home next door, blending the modern with the past which is commonly seen throughout this city. This blending is essentially required if a historical property is modernized as local laws necessitate that at least the visible historical exteriors be retained. This is what happened with our hotel, The David, when it was rehabbed in 2021 (opened 2022).

Our tour guide, Martin, had lived in Montreal since he was 14. We learned that folks in our group (12 including us) were from Boston, London, San Francisco and Paris, France.

Today was Canada’s Thanksgiving Day. It is celebrated on the second Monday in October, is a national holiday dedicated to giving thanks for the bountiful harvest and blessings of the past year. Its origins can be traced back to an explorer named Martin Frobisher, who held a thanksgiving feast in 1578 to express gratitude for surviving a perilous voyage. However, the modern-day Canadian Thanksgiving was officially established in 1957.

Martin mentioned that it’s a day off work for some but that it’s traditionally not celebrated like Americans do with elaborate family dinners and the like.

My comments on the tour below are in order of the places we visited so it might seem a little disjointed as each location usually had a completely different story.

From the William Gray Hotel, we ventured out to Vaquelin Place next to the Montreal City Hall where we stopped to overlook some of the city’s business district.

Martin mentioned that the greater Montreal metropolitan area is comprised of 23 different islands with Montreal being its own. There are about 4 million people who reside in this metro area.

He said that two streets in the city are the main arteries that bisect each other:

– St Catherine Street – Is the Main Street like Broadway in New York City

– St Laurent bisects St Catherine – Established in 1723. It’s the soul of Montreal. Many immigrants to the city have resided along it.

We moved on to Chateau Ramezay nearby. Château Ramezay, located in Old Montreal, is a historic museum and one of Canada’s oldest private homes. Built in 1705 as the residence of Claude de Ramezay, the then Governor of Montreal, it has since served various roles, including as a governor’s residence, a military headquarters, and a nunnery. Today, the Château is a captivating museum showcasing Montreal’s rich history, offering visitors a glimpse into the city’s past through an impressive collection of artifacts, exhibitions, and beautifully restored period rooms. Its well-maintained gardens and architecture make it a cherished landmark, preserving the heritage of Montreal for generations to come.

We didn’t go inside the Chateau, but Martin spoke outside. He referred to Montreal’s history as being of 4 different 100-year periods:

– 1660-1760 The French Colony era

– 1760-1860 The British Empire era

– 1860-1967 The Canada era

– 1967 onward – The Social era – the 1967 World Expo catapulted Montreal into the modern era creating a truly international city.

In the 1650s, the first church in Montreal was established – Notre Dame de Bon Secours… we went inside.

A traditional home across from the church in the early French style.

A cafe Martin recommends…the small space is down steep stairs below ground level.

The historic Marche Bonsecours building which now houses a cafe and art installations.

This part of Old Town resembled the photo until the 1970s. The building on the left in the photo still stands where the red awnings are.

This is a photo of the 1920s City Hall.

The flower alley we saw from the other side yesterday…

French Quebecians “swear” words that are derived mainly from religious expressions!

We walked down Rue St Paul…

Here we crossed Boulevard Saint-Laurent – one of the two major thoroughfares …

We then toured Place D’Armes again (we went through there at least 4 other times today). I won’t say anything more about it here as I covered it in previous days blog posts.

We accessed Underground Montreal through the Intercontinental Hotel…

Walking towards Old Town, the group passed The David and the Rue Saint-Pierre pub that we like.

Our final destination of the tour was a panoramic view looking down at the river and the multi-use Old Port: traditional cargo ships, amusements such as the Ferris wheel, and docks for several cruise ships. It was a nice way to end the walk.

This was our completed route for the walking tour:

Since it was a cool, somewhat windy and occasionally drippy day, it was now 12:30 and we were hungry. Earlier, we’d passed a place that served crepes and fondue. Fondue sounded really good so we headed there which was a short walk away.

Returning to The David, we had some stuff to do (like calling Avis as they’d incorrectly overcharged us when we’d returned the car here in Montreal and we were told by the local rep that we needed to call the Atlanta office where we’d rented it originally). It was also a good time for a nap. 😀

Dinner here…

Tomorrow’s our last full day in Montreal.