Bonjour Canada! - Solo travels (Day 8)

Montreal

Today i venture out of Ottawa to another big city of Canada - Montreal. It's a 2-hr bus ride from Ottawa, so i woke up early and left the hotel at 6:15 am.

I reached Montreal at about 9:20am.

Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second largest city in Canada. The official language of Montreal is French, and it is among the five largest French-speaking cities in the world.

I was slightly groggy after sleeping on the bus for 2 hours, but was shocked to awareness by the blistering cold that hit me when i got down the bus. The sky looked so gloomy, and it threatened to rain at some point. I was suddenly aware that i wasnt sure how to get to the travel agent where i was supposed to report for my 3-hr tour! Looking at my map, i decide to make my way to the Info Center to ask for directions.

P.S. Thinking back now, i must've been crazy as i ventured into a foreign city without checking my directions properly first!!

It was not necessary. The travel agent office is right at the Info Center, and after making enquiries at the counter, i went down to their cafe to have a light breakfast before starting on the trip.

We had a tour guide cum driver who took us around Montreal city for a wind-speed 3 hour tour of the city in a bus. He's qt a funny guy. I was the only Asian tourist on board. He first welcomed me on board with a "Arigato?" I told him i'm Chinese and not Japanese, and he replied "Ni Hao?" Haha. He also cracked many funny jokes along the way.

Along the way:



Some castle-like building which we drove past. I thought it looked pretty cool:



We made a stop at Notre Dame Basilica for photo-taking time.

Outside Notre Dame Basilica:











You have to pay an entrance fee of CAD$5 (~S$6) to enter the Notre Dame Basilica. The money go to the preservation of this historic place.

The spectacular church truly took my breath away when i pushed the door open:



Notre Dame Basilica is a significant part of the Catholic religious heritage of Montreal. The services of a New York architect James O'Donnell, himself an Irish Protestant by origin were engaged by the building council for the design of the new church.

He was so awed by his own creation that he converted to Catholicism once it was converted. When he died shortly after the main constructions were completed, he was buried in the new church’s crypt, where his grave is marked by a plaque.

The Basilica’s vast size, executed in the Gothic Revival style, the extraordinary craftsmanship and artistic polish of its fittings, its many fine works of religious art, and the interior of its chapel inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, are heritage features whose preservation and enhancement demand the greatest possible attention and care.

I can imagine myself getting wedded here, hehe







The altars:





Other parts in the church:









The chapel behind is also very beautiful. It was very well-preserved. The sunlight shining through the windows make the view even more spectacular:















We only had 30 min before we had to make a move.

I quickly poppped over to the souvenir shop to grab some beautiful postcards of Notre Dame before boarding the bus.

We had a short stop near the Olympic stadium (also called the "Big O", reference to both its name as well as the "doughnut-shape" on its roof) which was the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics.



Next stop was Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. This is located on the northern side of Mount Royal. It was completed n 1967 to honor the patron saint of Canada, St. Joseph.





The very nice tour guide insisting in taking a photo for me (which i later realized was my very first photo with myself inside!)



On top of Parc du Mount Royal. This was designed by the renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted in 1876, after designing New York's Central Park. The peak provides a spectacular view of the city:







All too soon, we were headed back to the Info Center.

It was almost 1pm. As i was not that hungry yet, i decide to walk around the area to take some photos before i went for lunch. Also, the weather continued to threaten to rain at any point, so i did not want to waste time.

Nice statue that was found near the Info Center:



St George's Church:



Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World. It is the 3rd largest church in Quebec, after the St Joseph Oratory:



Outside the church:







Inside the church:



I was famished by then, and went over to the shopping area, which is right next to the Info Center, and in Central Montreal itself.

Had myself some grilled chicken, with rice, potato wedges and salad:



The portion was rather huge. The lady who sat next to me was rather "amazed" and asked me where i bought my lunch from. We had a short chat before she made a move after finishing her lunch.

I decide to shop at the huge underground city there.

Montreal's harsh, long winters (and hot and sticky summers) were the motivating force behind the construction of a series of underground tunnels, which has created an accessible network of mostly subterranean shops, cafes, hotels, Metro stations and attractions. This stretches nearly 32 km, and links up at least 6-7 shopping centres. It is also the largest underground complex in the world! The shopping centres include Les Cours Mount Royal, Le Centre Eaton, Le Promenade de la Cathedrale etc. There is also an ice skating rink there.

Naturally, i was very excited to finally have a chance to shop on this trip (the shopping in Ottawa was rather disappointing)!

There were many familiar brand names like La Senza, Victoria's Secrets, GAP etc. There were also other brand names that i've never heard of, but nonetheless, the shopping was pretty good!

Hy had also asked me to find a French movie soundtrack CD in Canada, and i eventually managed to find it here in a French CD shop in Montreal.

After shopping for 1 hour plus, i decide to drop by McGill University and Redpath Museum, which were just 5 mins' walk away.









The Redpath Museum is one of Canada's oldest free-standing museums, and is found within the Faculty of Science in McGill University. It preserves and displays large collections of ancient and modern organisms, minerals, and world culture (ethnological) artefacts.



The first floor (or Entrance Hall) was an exhibit of the marine vertebrates. Fossils of whales, seals and turtles as well as extinct groups such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs can be found here.

The second floor (Dawson Gallery) shows the geological history and biological diversity of Quebec from the earliest times down to the present. A rather large dinosaur fossil greets you when you enter this area:





Other life-like animal exhibits:









The third floor is the World Culture (Ethnology) Exhibits. Archaeological material from ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean and 19th and 20th century artefacts from Asia, Oceania, South America, Mesoamerica, and Africa can be found here. The Egyptian exhibits include several mummies and mummified animals, which were rather fascinating.

One cultural artefact that left a great impression on me was this Peruvian shrunken head culture. The practice of shrinking human heads was once common amongst the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador, South America. The heads of slain enemies were valued as war trophies and symbols of bravery. These shrunken heads were about the size of human fist only!

http://oss.mcgill.ca/didyknow.php

Luckily the exhibit on display was that of a monkey's head. But nonetheless, it was still very scary!!

Went to a nearby bookshop to browse before continue shopping.
At 6 plus i decide to have dinner and make my way back to Ottawa. I needed to take the metro to the Patineau station to take the bus back to Ottawa, and the next bus was at 7 pm, which i barely made it in time.

It was about 9:45 pm when i reached my hotel rm. Bathed and packed my luggage before retiring for the day.