The View From My Beer
A glass of Molson at John Michael’s Pub, overlooking Nelson’s Column. It seems both London and Montreal have a Nelson’s Column. Molson started brewing beer here in 1786, two years before my ancestors arrived in Australia!
Montreal
With a population of 4.4 million, Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in the world outside of Paris. It is known as the ‘City of festivals’ The city itself is built on an island in the middle of the St Lawrence Seaway – Ile de Montreal. Montreal has an underground city (RÉSO) comprising a 33km network of underground pedestrian walkways connects shopping centers, metro stations., and is famous for its festivals, often earning it the nickname “City of Festivals”, hosting over 100 festivals each year. It is the birthplace of Cirque du Soleil and the site where John Lennon recorded “Give Peace a Chance” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
My Walk
When I found out Montreal was a mere two-hour drive from my next planned stop in Vermont, I decided to adjust my plans to fit in a day-trip to Canada. I did some quick research to ensure it was doable. The only thing I was going to need was proof of insurance. I normally don’t buy the expensive car insurance offered by rental car companies, but on this ocassion I did, so I would have the documentation necessary to prove I had insurance. People I had spoken to suggested I could get pulled over at any time in Canada, and if I didn’t have insurance I could get into trouble.
The Drive
The crossing into Canada was remarkably simple. There was just one car in front of me. I had to explain I was just on a day trip to Montreal, I showed him my passport card and that was it. The scenery quickly changed. In Vermont it was largely just trees and more trees. In Quebec, I was once again driving with the metric system. The signs were in French, which often meant the signs filled up multiple lines to spell out destinations. It was also interesting to find much of the countryside was devoted to growing crops such as Corn. Canada only has a small slice of land in the South that has a warm enough climate for agricultural crops, so the need to make the most of that if they don’t want to have to rely on their hostile neighbor to the South.
Montreal Old Port
I had decided I would head to the old port area of Montreal and park my car there before exploring downtown Montreal. My first walk qas spectacular. From the port, there was a nice pthway along the edge of the St Lawrence River passing La Grande Roue de Montreal (The Big Wheel) and leading towards the Montreal Clock Tower. On the other side of the river were additional parks and the Bisphere.
Old Montreal
Today was to be one of those days when my photography addiction would get the better of me. I have an unwritten rule that no place I visit is worth more than 100 photographs. If I can’t cull the number of photos I’ve taken below that number, then I am “waffling”. The first layer of defense is to take care when taking photos. Is this something I am going to keep? If not, don’t click. Next, I start culling photos during the day as I review the shots taken so far and get rid of duplicates, all those shots accidentally taken of my feet when i am walking, and those that just don’t work. Then, at the end of the day, I try cut down even more keeping just the better ones before I post a subset to a FaceBook post. After that, I keep reviewing them as time passes and get rid of some of the shots that are similar to other places I have visited or ones I can finally bear to delete. Three months after my visit, I still have well over 100 photos. It is just one of those places that has so much to be seen.
Mount Royal
After my walk around Old Montreal, I hopoed back into my car and headed to Mount Royal Park, where my research suggested I would get some spectacular views of the city. The views were spectacular and I would suggest this is something you need to see for yourself, as the photos do not do justice.
The Drive Home
On the way back I stopped to get a couple of photos of the Pont Victoria that crosses the St Lawrence River. Before crossing the border back into the US, I stopped at a shopping mall to bpick up a few goodies such as Cadbury chocolate. I had a lot of travel ahead of me and needed a few treats to enjoy on those long flights. The croosing into the US was also pretty uneventful. Again, there was only one car in front of me, which I foudn pretty amazing after having to endure 3+ hour waits to return to teh USA from Mexico.
