Montreal means "royal mountain", and refers to the mountain overlooking downtown Montreal, Canada, that is called Mount Royal, and has an elevation of about 800 feet. Mount Royal, and the cross on top of it, serve as my visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses from Psalm 24:3-4 that says,
"Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god."
There is a 103 foot tall cross on top of Mount Royal, that serves as a landmark for the city, and intended to testify to answered prayers, from a time when floods from the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, were having devastating effects on the Montreal area. The military officer, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, is credited with the first cross erected on top of Mount Royal in 1643. He was the founder of Ville-Marie, a religious mission that means "City of Mary", in what is now Montreal, Canada (www.MTL.org)
Our group got to ascend this "royal mountain" and enjoy a view of the city from a scenic overlook, as well as a stroll through the park there, that Frederick Law Olmsted had a part in designing (the same landscape architect associated with Central Park in New York City). The park is called Mount Royal Park, and was started in 1876. The photo below shows Beaver Lake, which is a small artificial lake. It also has numerous hiking and biking trails and cross-country skiing trails.
St. Joseph's Oratory (www.saint-joseph.org) sits on the slopes of Mount Royal, and is a National Historic Site of Canada, and is Canada's largest church. It has one of the largest church domes in the world, and you can see a photo I took of it on the blog I published, called "Canada Motor-Coach Expedition!", on October 24, 2024.
Our guide told us that "oratory" basically means "prayer", which is what people do there, including me! It was the miracle-working prayers of Father Andre, in the early 1900's, that began to draw attention to this place of prayer and worship. Religious pilgrims from all over the world come to this sight, and many of them climb up the wooden steps shown in the center of the stairwell, on their knees, as a sign of devotion.
Many people who went to Brother Andre, to ask him to pray for their healing, were indeed healed of a variety of maladies. There is a display of crutches and canes (ex-votos) left behind by those who had been healed, during the lifetime of Brother Andre's ministry, in the lower level of St. Joseph's Oratory. Brother Andre died in 1937, and after his canonization, became known as Saint Andre of Montreal. {Sometimes, lighting a votive candle can be used to signify fulfillment of a vow (Latin,
votum)}
Brother Andre had a pious devotion to Saint Joseph, the husband of Jesus' mother Mary, and as such, Joseph could be called the stepfather of Jesus. There is a venerated statue of St. Joseph, in the Votive Chapel of St. Joseph Oratory. The white letters of the glass votives, remind visitors that Saint Joseph is the patron saint of Canada.
Our group used Dorchester Square as the drop off/meetup location for exploring downtown Montreal. It is a lovely place to stroll around, reading the plaques below the numerous statues, to learn a few aspects of Canadian history. There are also places to sit under a sun umbrella, ride a bicycle, or languish on a park bench.
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From Dorchester Square, our group walked towards one of the many entrances to The Montreal Underground City. As we walked, we passed dozens of workers, who were busily engaged in putting down new bricks into the street. I was fascinated with the precise measurements I saw a worker taking, as he had to cut bricks to fit around a circular manhole cover in the street! It seemed everywhere we went in Canada, there was renovation, construction, and repairs taking place. Our guide told us that the harsh winters in Montreal wreck havoc on their infrastructure, so there is a massive push during the warmer weather months, to get as much work as possible completed, before the snow season hits.
Those harsh winters are one reason there has been so much development in what is known as "Montreal Underground City". Our guide warned us that it is very easy to get lost in the sprawling complex of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Later, I noticed that sentiment expressed even in one of their advertisements that called the underground city mysterious and CONFUSING! I was looking forward to working toward my 10,000 steps per day in such a haven for window-shopping! However, I was very careful to not stray too far from where I entered the underground, so that I would not miss the designated meet-up time our guide had given us. The photo below shows just a tiny part of the expansive space. The pink figure at the bottom, is a part of a unique art walk featuring fifteen temporary pink sculptures, collectively known as Monsieur Rose ("Mr. Pink") and are the emblems of Mignonisme, by Philippe Katerine. Mignonisme (from "mignon" or "cute" in French) is a philosophy or way of seeing, that promotes bringing out the beauty in the ordinary. (I also saw several Mr. Pink installations when I was walking around Quebec City.)
Fortunately, everyone in our group was able to exit the underground city, and meet our guide, as planned in Place d'Armes square, in front of Notre Dame Basilica (www.basiliquenotredame.ca). One of the Basicilica towers was surrounded in scaffolding, undergoing repairs. Notre Dame is a French phrase that means "Our Lady", which is a title for Mary, the mother of Jesus. There are several places that bear the name "Notre Dame" besides the one in this photo--most notably, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and Notre Dame University in Indiana.
The interior of the church has been described as one of the most dramatic in the world, and regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings.
The meticulous carving of the wooden circular stairway leading to the pulpit, also has sculptures at its base, as well as above it. When the church was completed in the late 1800's, it was the largest church in North America. The church is a Canadian National Historic Site, and was the setting of Celine Dion's wedding in 1994. Just 22 years later, it was the site for her husband's funeral service.
Another area where our group had free time for lunch and wandering was Place Jacques-Cartier. I had a magnificent time strolling the streets, and snapping countless photos. It seemed no matter which way I pointed my camera (aka, iphone), there was a picturesque scene to capture! The fact that the weather was what we would call a "Chamber of Commerce Day", in the USA, multiplied my enjoyment!
I came across some of my travel buddies as I was exploring, and we exchanged cameras to get photos of our visit to this unforgettable location.
Our wonderful Montreal guide (www.NORMANBOIVIN.COM) had told us there was every kind of restaurant imaginable within this district, and he specifically mentioned a creperie. Since crepes are so famous in French cuisine, I was delighted to get to see their chefs in action, making the delicious-looking delicacies.
I thoroughly enjoyed the art gallery that featured sculptures from First Nations artists. I had become familiar with the Inukshuk, because it was used on the flag for the Canadian Territory Nunavut (a place my son taught me about, when he went on a rock climbing expedition on Baffin Island). Also, when I went to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, an inukshuk was the mascot emblem used. (An inukshuk is a figure made of piled stones or boulders, constructed to communicate with humans throughout the Arctic. My apologies to experts on the topic of inukshuks, because I learned when I was researching this topic, there are variations on their design, nomenclature, and spelling, that are important to the Inuit people, but thoroughly confusing to a hillbilly like me!). The lovely lady at this gallery was very patient with all my questions, and even let me take her photo with one of the inukshuk art pieces she had on display!
In 1976, the Summer Olympic Games were held in Montreal, and the construction of the 541 ft. inclined tower aspect of the stadium, (shown in the photo below) forever changed the cityscape skyline of Montreal. It is the world's tallest inclined tower, and was not completed until ten years after the 1976 Olympic games. The original design concept was for the round stadium to have a retractable roof, which was to be opened and closed by cables suspended from the huge tower. Sadly, the design was better in theory, than in actual practice. It continues to be toublesome to maintain, but even more troublesome to demolish---hence, being called "The Big Owe" by insiders. For more information on tours, visit their website at www.parcolympique.qc.ca
Our group had supper at a restaurant that was located between the Olympic Stadium, and the (former) Olympic Village that housed the athletes, shown in photo below. (Seeing the Montreal Olympic Village, reminded me of the opportunity I had in 1988, when a professional dietetics associate arranged for the two of us, to tour the food service facilities of the Olympic Village in Calgary, Canada. It was a fascinating experience, with the highlight getting to see Prince Albert II of Monaco, who was there for Olympic bobsleigh event.) These buildings below in Montreal that once housed athletes, are now apartments and office spaces.
Yet another feature of the Montreal skyline is the Biosphere (www.espacepourlavie.ca), shown in photo below. Originally, this was the United States pavilion constructed for Expo 67. The sphere's geodesic dome was designed by Buckminster Fuller. The dome was the inspiration for the design of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, in Florida. While the one in Montreal is a three-quarters sphere, the one in Florida was expanded to create a full sphere appearing to be balanced on legs.
If you have any nautical knowledge, you probably recognize that this sign at the Port of Montreal uses the "nautical flag alphabet" to spell out "Grand Quai" (
quai is the French word for "dock"). This is the location where our group connected with the vessel that would take us on a cruise up and down the Saint Lawrence River.
The announcer that told the group what we were seeing (in both English and French), told us this structure, which looked like dozens of brown boxes stacked on top of one another, was built for the World Exposition of 1967. It is called Habitat 67, and was designed by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie. This is the same architect that designed Crystal Bridges Museum (www.crystalbridges.org) in Bentonville, Arkansas. Folks can tour the facility, and if I ever go back to Montreal, it is on my "must see" list! More information is available at www.habitat67.com
The photo below shows me with uplifted arms, in gratitude to God, for the wonderful experiences I had on this St. Lawrence River cruise, and for the glorious weather! In the past I have been on trips where a boat ride was planned, but had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. So the beautiful blue skies on this day, and my entire time in Montreal, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!! Tricia
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