Vieux Montreal : So much to see and do!

The Chapel in the Heavens. On the summit of this tower built in 1893 stands the colossal statue of Our Lady of the Harbour her hands raised to bless all who enter or leave the Port of Montreal. You can see Nandad on his bicycle at the stop sign. Our first day in Montreal found us on our bikes heading along the Lachine Canal to the famous Atwater Market. The display of fresh fruits, vegetables, pastries and meats was just an amazing experience. Nana and Nandad were so much in awe that they forgot to take a picture. We sampled some of the fresh produce for lunch at the Premiere Moison.

Thursday afternoon we took the Grey Line Hop On Hop Off  tour which took us on a loop to see some of the major attractions and although it did provide us with an idea of what we wanted to see it was certainly nothing as good as the tour we had in Ottawa. 
Nana was able to get tickets to see Aura at the Basilica at 8pm. Light unveils the richness of Norte-Dame’s heritage and invites you to celebrate its beauty. Words will not describe this experience. Nana and Nandad had not idea what to expect however for at least an hour the Aura experience immerses you in a captivating visual and musical universe. 

The basilica was built from 1824 to 1829 under the supervision of the Irish American architect James O’Donnell ( 1774-1830)

The organ built by Casavant Freres, was finished in 1891. It features 7,000 pipes. The longest one stretches to 32 feet and the smallest one is a quarter-inch long. Nana will have to return during the Christmas to listen to Handel’s Messiah. 

Nandad was fascinated that the bike trail had a roundabout.

Friday July 22 nd was the day of getting in line! Nandad was so impressed by the Basilica that he got up early and rode his bike to attend mass. After he returned it was decided that we would attempt to get the metro to visit the Jardin botanique and the Olympic Village. Boy what an experience that was - next time we will take an Uber! It took us two hours to finally get to the Botanical Gardens after long lines in the metro, almost loosing the credit card in the ticket machine, figuring out in the heat which direction to take - finally finding the entrance to the Olympic Village and then another walk to the entrance of the Botanical Gardens. Montreal held the summer Olympics in 1976. As you can see the tower is under construction however tours of the dome were available ( Nana and Nandad decided to continue on to the gardens ). 

The Jardin Botanique was very overwhelming and next time Nana would have a better plan. There are multiple ways to enter the gardens so this can make your visit very confusing. Founded in 1931 by Brother Marie-Victorian there are over 20 thematic gardens, 10 exhibition greenhouses and 3 cultural gardens, a Tree Pavilion and the Arboretum.

One of the areas of ongoing experiments taking place in the garden. A wonderland for the creative mind.

Part of the Chinese Garden water display. Nana promised Nandad that she would not try to recreate this in her yard! 

Just a very small section of the Lily gardens as we enjoyed a very welcome popsicle.

Nightlife at Vieux Montreal. Nana and Nandad went to see Kooza presented by Cirque Du Soleil. What a performance - the music, performers, and costumes were just incredible. Athletes, acrobats, and artists creat a performance that it not to be matched. The International Headquarters is located in Montreal and it’s founder is Guy Laliberte. There are 1300 artists hailing from 55 different countries that form the current Cirque du Soliel team. You can just about see the tent light up beside the Ferris Wheel. Old Montreal and the Ile Sainte-Helene-is heaven for those who like to Zip line, Roller Coaster, Rock climb, and turn themselves upside down and right side up!

Saturday : Nandad decided that today would be a much more relaxed day. It started with a tour of the Notee-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel which included the Marguerite Bourgeorys Museum which has some fascinating archaeological digs ( dating back two to three thousand years ) and a crypt. You can take a guided tour of the crypt directly underneath the church which was rebuilt over the original in 1771. The original church was built in 1678 however destroyed by fire in 1754. Marguerite was the founder of the Congregation of Norte Dame and a huge advocate of education particularly for young women - way ahead of her time. Some wonderful displays of instruments used by the nuns to teach physics and science to the girls.

 Nana and Nandad were able to climb up the tower to take a great picture of one of the angels guarding the harbor and also a nice view of the Yacht Club of Montreal.

We soaked up all that Old Montreal has to offer, great food, wonderful people watching, side street musicians, and of course the late night lights.

Sunday July 24th. Layday for Nana and Nandad preparing for our departure tomorrow for Sorel. After mass at the Basilica Nandad took his bike to the store to grocery shop, Nana took advantage of one more laundry load, a good wash down of NH ( no matter how much you wash the boat those cobwebs just will not go away ), and of course a pump out ( always good to leave the dock with an empty tank ). All ready to move on in the morning. A great stop and wonderful marina to spend some time.