October 3, 2011 ~ Day 3: Awoke the next morning to more rain, and not a promising forecast for the day. But we're not going to let it stop us - we'll go find some cool indoors things to do!
We set out to conquer the metro lines, with plans to travel to the Planetarium and the Insectarium! After a bit of fumbling with Canadian money and French language, we finally figured out the correct line to take, made it through the turnstile and onto a train!
The Montreal Metro is great! As we found out over the four days we were there, it is clean, bright and relatively quiet. And every station features different styles of Public Art to beautify the space. This station has a colorful stained glass panel at the entrance to the train tunnel.
We made it to the Planetarium, only to find out they are closed on Mondays! :( ...after going around in circles for a bit, we also figured out that we'd completely misjudged the location of the Insectarium - it was nowhere in our current vicinity. The one good thing we're discovering, though, is that most Montrealeans speak better English than we speak French, so that's been helpful!
The Montreal Metro is great! As we found out over the four days we were there, it is clean, bright and relatively quiet. And every station features different styles of Public Art to beautify the space. This station has a colorful stained glass panel at the entrance to the train tunnel.
We made it to the Planetarium, only to find out they are closed on Mondays! :( ...after going around in circles for a bit, we also figured out that we'd completely misjudged the location of the Insectarium - it was nowhere in our current vicinity. The one good thing we're discovering, though, is that most Montrealeans speak better English than we speak French, so that's been helpful!
Bob in circles :)
So ... we back-tracked a few blocks and went to visit the Basilica Marie Reine du Mondo (Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World), a huge and very beautiful church in the middle of downtown Montreal. It was not actually raining at this point, but note the heavy fog and cloud cover!
One of the Basilica doors
Interior looking at altar
Vaulted Ceiling
Altar
Basilica Dome
Looking up at the Choir as we exited the Basilica
After our visit to the Basilica, we went underground at a nearby entrance looking for a rest room and a mid-morning coffee, and found ourselves in the Underground City. Shops, restaurants, food courts, transportation hubs...it was vast and amazing. One could get lost down there!
When we finally came up for air, we decided to go to a nearby Tourist Center to get some maps, directions and city information. From there, we took a bus to Old Montreal to visit Notre Dame Cathedral.
Cathedral exterior
closeup of Notre Dame (Our Lady)
Notre Dame Interior
Altar
Stained Glass Window
Rose Window
View of Choir
After our visit to Notre Dame, we found a fabulous little place - Les Glaceurs - on the street bordering the cathedral. This Ice Cream and Cupcake place was to become one of our favorite places in Montreal, and we made the trip back here 3 out of 4 days!
Seasonal cupcakes and a variety of yummy flavors!
Cupcake Tower from inside the window
and outside the window!
A little photo fun on our walk through Old Montreal
Bob at the fountain at Champs du Mar
At the end of a great sightseeing day, despite the rain, we returned back to the area of our hotel and walked on Rue St Catherine for a while, looking for a possible eatery. At one point we passed this mall, and the umbrellas caught my attention - very appropriate for this weather we're having!!!
End of a great Day #3!
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