Great Loop Adventures Aboard Next Chapter: Our New Favorite City in the World

Montreal

We pulled out of Cornwall on Tuesday June 28th at 7:30 am, once again hoping to get a jump on the next Canadian lock called the Beauharnois Lock. Our planned cruise was for 48 miles which without a lock is a full day for us. We arrived at the lock around 10:30am and only two boats waiting in the que. Our luck finally arrived or so we thought!

At about 1:30 we finally entered the lock chamber. Are you starting to see another pattern? It was a beautiful ride along the St Lawrence to our destination port of St Anne De Bellevue where we would tie up on the lock wall right in the town. This would be our jumping point for Montreal. We decided to stay in St Anne to avoid two more Canadian locks to get to Montreal and then have to back track to the Ottawa river and go thru the same locks to continue our trip.

It was the latest arrival to date, 6pm! We were greeted by a kindly gentleman, Frank who was interested in doing the Loop. He had bought his boat last fall and was eager to hear about the trip. We then asked him about Montreal as he had grown up in the area. He told us all about the area. When we parted he insisted that we see him in the morning before we got on the train to the city. The next morning he was waiting for us to come out of the boat. He then graciously offered to take us to the city and give us a little tour along the way. He drove us along the lake shore and then up into the mountain on the back side of Montreal where there is a huge Oratory called St Joseph’s of Mount Royal. What is an Oratory you ask? Well think of a Basilica on steroids. We can’t even express the voluminous space where the sanctuary was located. I guess a five story ceiling? The design was such that the priest did not require any amplification. Pretty cool. From there Frank showed us numerous areas and view points of Montreal. He finally dropped us in the heart of the old port of Montreal. On our departure he quipped, “ okay I’m done with you guys now go out and see the beautiful city”.

But wait, how do we get back on the metro? He laughed and said, “I don’t know I have never used it”, and off he went.

We spent the day exploring the old port which has a definite European feel to it. In fact if somebody dropped you off there blind folded you would probably think you were somewhere in Europe.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch along the cobble stone plaza and then strolled thru a number of art galleries and shops. One of which stood out. It was a furrier. All kinds of wild fur coats, hats, gloves etc… Beaver is one of the softest furs you will ever touch. (This is Sue now). So I am not sure how I left that “furrier” store without a coat…but then again I live in Virginia Beach not Montreal. The fur trade was a vast enterprise across Canada especially beaver pelts which were used to trade for meat. The reason why Montreal was settled as such a big city is its location at the rapids. The ships could not travel past them back in the day. In the summer trappers would leave by canoe and travel up the river to their trapping grounds where they would live and trap all winter. Then in the spring when the ice thawed they would travel back down the river to sell their pelts. A hardy bunch to say the least! As the demand for fur rose so did tensions between the indigenous people and the Canadian trappers. Eventually trappers needed licenses from the Indians to trap and that’s about all I know about that topic!!!! And that beaver fur is soft!!

The next day we had a short ride to the bus stop, folded up our bikes and jumped on the express bus to the city. It dropped us off right in the middle of things. Bike riding in Montreal is “a thing”. Many of the cities roads have a two lane bike path along side the car traffic. People hustle along on their bikes…helmet on, head down legs a pumping. I was in tourist mode and was passed many times by a bike rider speeding by on their way to work or the store. Often the bikes had rear trailers with a child or two getting a ride to preschool. (On a side note Canada subsidizes early childhood. I saw preschools in each neighborhood. And for $25.00 a month per child their education is taken care of. As Mike points out…taxes pay for it… One bike ride took us to the Jean-Talon Market with with stores selling cheeses, pastry, flowers, produce and unique foods to eat on site. We agreed on a falafel sandwich and a papaya salad for lunch, wiggled in to seats at a picnic table and enjoyed our lunch. Still dreaming about that meal. Of all the markets we have ever been to this one rated as one of the best we have ever been to.

We rode thru many neighborhoods where they block off numerous stretches of blocks reserved for bike and pedestrian traffic only. Hordes of restaurants and shops spill out onto the streets. We visited the areas of little Italy, Latin American quarters and Mount Royal just to name a few. We also rode along the historic Lachine Canal into the heart of downtown.

We folded up the bikes and took a bus back to St. Anne’s de Bellevue enjoying the scenic route along the lakeshore. As Mike mentioned, we noticed preparations for Canada Day. Numerous garden sculptures being pruned and watered. A huge living floral peacock, a large baboon, a muscular Bison and a scene of butterflies made from plants kept me entertained on the ride home. After exiting the bus we rode through the village past an ice cream store. Hey if I can’t get a coat made from Beaver the next best thing is an ice cream cone!! Back to Next Chapter in time for a sunset. Oh we forgot to mention. Montreal had a huge Jazz festival going on! Artist from all over the world.

Church architecture is incredible in this city. A sad tail is that we saw many of them converted into apartments as the local community could no longer support them. Such a transition from the church being the center of the community to now being residences.

Along the Lachine canal in the city

Fresh foods, incredible meats in the market.

Hey who is that sexy tourist?

The most ornate church we have ever seen. St Patricks Basilica.

St Patricks

Market

The city square

These are pictures from St Joseph’s Oratory. It is said that many miracles occurred here. “The lame were made to walk”. In this hallway there is hundreds of canes from those who were healed.