Magnificent Montreal

We enjoyed Montreal immensely.  Passing the Montreal Heritage Clock as we approached the marina, we felt excitement for our return. 

Montreal Heritage Clock

The marina, Port d’Escale du Vieux Port, is located in the heart of the beautiful, historic old city which has so much to offer.

 

Montreal City Hall

Bonsecours Market

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours-Chapel

Place Jacques-Cartier

We strolled the historic streets and squares and visited the Place d’ Armes, flanked by the beautiful Notre Dame Basilica, the original Bank of Montreal and the first sky scraper in Canada which was built in 1888 and contained an elevator to access its 8 stories, quite a novelty for the day.  In the center stood a bronze of Maisonneuve on the spot where he encountered and defeated the Iroquois in 1644.

Maisonneuve in Place d' Armes

First Skyscraper in Canada

Notre Dame Basilica

We visited Pointe-A-Calliere, an archaeology and history museum where one can view the archeological remains of the true birthplace of Montreal.   It was at that location that Samuel de Champlain had cleared the land and planned a settlement at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and the Little St. Pierre Rivers.  That settlement never came to fruition however.  In 1642 Maisonneuve built Fort Ville-Marie, as Montreal was called then, on that very site.  Successive buildings have been erected on the same spot including the residence of Governor de Calliere, erected in 1695.  The Little St. Pierre River is not visible today as it was enclosed in an aqueduct, the remains now an archaeological site.  This was a fascinating museum. 

 

Remains of an Early Graveyard

Early Aqueduct Containing the Little St. Pierre River

Pipes Visible in the Stone Foundations

Pointe-A-Calliere

 

On Wednesday our friends Wayne and Ruth Pollock picked us up and took us to see their area of Ontario.  We met in the first of the eight step locks in Ottawa in 2009 when we were traveling the Great Loop.  By the time we completed the locks and arrived in Ottawa we were friends and have been so ever since.  It has been fun to see them over the years and a real treat to be with them and to explore a bit of their local area.  They showed us areas that had been flooded by Hydro Electric projects in the 1960s and showed us towns that had been built for the people who had been displaced by the floodwater.  We then traveled to Upper Canada Village which began as a way to preserve the heritage of the areas flooded.  It chose to focus on life in the 1860s, using buildings that were transported from the villages in the path of the floodwater.  Featuring over 40 historical buildings depicting Canadian life of the period, it includes a working woolen mill, a grist mill, a saw mill and a cheese-maker to name a few with staff wearing period clothing available to explain the processes used.  It was a fascinating look at how people lived in the 19^th century.  We began our visit of Upper Canada Village with a wonderful lunch at the Willard Hotel.

 

The Willard Hotel

A Working Sawmill, Notice the Long Board Being Cut

Ruth and Wayne With Harry

All too soon it was time to get back to the boat where Hali was patiently awaiting our return.   

Port d' Escale du Vieux Port

Our time in Montreal ended all too soon.  It was with some regret that we departed this lovely old city but with excitement for the adventures that lay ahead.