The journey, via rail from Quebec to Montreal took around four hours yesterday but we are served coffee and breakfast on board so it was a pleasant journey but we were so cold! They had the air-conditioning set at around 15 degrees! We just figure that the Canadians like to feel cold. We have two more rail journeys so we will make sure we dress warmly.
As soon as we arrived at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth and checked into our room, we went straight back out for a walk and also to look for somewhere to eat lunch. There are so many choices but we eventually settled for Rueben's. Both of us love corned meat and we hadn't had any so far this trip. But we had forgotten the size of North America meals and our eyes glazed over when the waiter put this giant size meal in front of us. We couldn't eat it all of course. What a waste of food.....
After trying to eat this we needed to go for a long walk so I found "Notre Dame Basilica" on the city map so off we set. It was actually very warm yesterday afternoon but it is summer so it should not be unexpected. There are 650 churches in Montreal, 200 of which are Catholic. The oldest is the Notre Dame that was built in 1771 over the ruins of an old church.
The architecture in Montreal is interesting with its mix of old and modern and influenced by both the French and British. Old Montreal where the Notre Dame Basilica is situated is a good example.
We continued our walk past Chinatown with its colourful red lanterns and of course in a city this size you do see the eccentric like this gentleman (probably in his 70's) with the blue hair.
The tour we chose for Montreal was "City Highlights" that took around three hours and covered a lot of Montreal. Our driver took us past the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Village (no photos as it was raining very heavy), many museums, churches and universities. Our guide explained the outside staircases that seem bizarre but it is to save room inside the houses that an internal staircase would otherwise use.
We stopped at a very cute inside market where we were invited to purchase coffees and produce if we wished. It was very tempting with all the goodies but we resisted.
Our bus driver does a very good job of showing us Montreal as many of the roads are closed for the upcoming Montreal Grand Prix in a weeks time. There are checkered flags everywhere!
The guide explains to us the different type of building influences from the Latin Quarter, to the French Quarter to the British. Millionaires Mile is another area that is very lovely.
Our last stop on the tour was at the Mount Royal Park Lookout but unfortunately it was very hazy so we didn't get to see Montreal at its very best from this viewing point.
By the time the tour ended around 1pm we were both hungry so we decided to head "underground". Montreal has the largest underground shopping mall network in the world. It would be very easy to get lost down there and when we asked the concierge what we should do if that happened and he said to head above ground to get your bearings.
We had Japanese for lunch and it was light and delicious. After lunch I had a much needed pedicure and I reckon it is one of the best I have ever had and the shop was spectacularly clean and tidy. Unlike some I have visited over the years.....
So tomorrow we once again board the train and head to Ottawa. It will only take a couple of hours so we should have plenty of time tomorrow to explore and join our tour the following day.
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