June 7-11, Montreal, QC
We left Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue about 8:30 in the quiet of the morning with absolutely no wind and some fog but not too thick.
We continued downstream Lac Sainte-Louis and then entered the canal that takes us around the rapids and through two large locks to Montreal. Total trip of about 30 miles took all day as we had to wait hours for the first lock and 45 minutes for the second lock. 
The last two miles before entering the old port of Montreal were exciting. Wind was blowing 25 mph right on our nose, the river current was running 6 knots against us, it was threatening to rain and the river was rough, with a 2-3 foot chop and lots of small boat traffic. We arrived about 4:30 and need some time to unwind. We are secure at the Montreal Yacht Club with 50 amp and wifi Internet. Happy to be off the river tonight. We are right downtown Montreal in the Old Port area, known as Vieux-Port de Montreal.
Montreal is very busy. The weather warmed up today, high is 85 degrees and humid, so everyone is out and about for the good weather. The International Grand Prix for Formula One cars is here this weekend. They are expecting over 100,000 fans for the races and we saw the stands on an island near downtown as we came through the last lock. A large amusement park is also across from us on the same island and the roller-coaster and Farris wheel can be seen for miles. This weekend the marina's are almost full. Lots of boats out for the start of the short summer season.
Jeff and Pat Weber from Stuart have joined us for a few days in Montreal the see the sights. Monday we toured the Chateau Ramezay, once a private home and later the home of Montreal's city council. Now a museum of early tools and aritifacts. Highlight was a treadmill cage, (think hampster but larger) operated by the family dog, which turned a spit in the fireplace for roasting meat. Not a common device but made the house pet work for it's dinner, too. Have not seen one of those before. We walked around old town in the evening and had a nice dinner out. Lots of people out on the streets.
Tuesday we took the car and toured the Jardin Botanique de Montreal (Montreal Botanical Garden) where we had an excellent lady guide who showed us the orchid greenhouses and many of the gardens. Our guide was a volunteer who was a private orchid grower in Montreal with over 500 orchids at home. She had been to the last four World Orchid Conferences, including Dejon, France, in 2005 and the one in Miami in January 2008. We toured several of the outdoor gardens each featuring different themes. Several gardens featured flowers, several featured plants only for the colors of the foliage. One was a large herb garden. There were French style gardens, English style gardens, a Japanese Garden and pavillion including some great Bonzai and a Chinese Garden and pavillion. Hot day but a great tour. 
We also toured the Insect Pavillion and saw some large and interesting beetles, butterflies and other cool looking bugs. Next we visited the 1976 Olympic Park which is now a Biodome with recreations of several climate zones, a steamy rainforest, a fertile northern Canadian forest, the St Lawrence ecosystem and a frozen Polar exhibit complete with artificial snow and several species of penguins. Each exhibit was complete with live folage, birds, animals, reptiles and fish. Well done.
On the way back to the boat, we used the car to reprovision and then got caught in a Montreal traffic jam about 5pm. It is a big crowded city. People watching at it's best. We are using the Weber's car to get around and they have a Garmin GPS navigation system, which they nicknamed "Sacajewea". It tells us how to get where we want to go in a female voice. We are glad to have "Sacajewea" with us as she makes it easy to find our destinations in a strange city. The maps help but this is really easy. Cookie and Ted Snyder had a device like this in their car while we were travelling in the Thousand Islands area of New York and Cookie had the device lead us everywhere. Linda and Owen feel like they are not quite "with it" as they do not have one of these devices. 
Wednesday we went over to the Ise Sainte-Helene, an island in the St Lawrence Seaway, and the site of the 1967 World's Fair. A very large geodesic dome served as the American Pavillion (designed by architect Buckminster Fuller) is still there and is now operating as a Canadian Biodome exhibit. The dome was being repaired in 1976 and a welder accidentially started a fire which burned all the panels covering the dome. Only the frame remains.
Then off to Schwartz's Deli for a "smoked meat" sandwich (unique flavor; like a combination of pastrami and corned beef) piled high. Little hole-in-the-wall place with a GREAT sandwich. They ask if you want your sandwich 'fatty' or 'meduim'. Good pickles, too. Saw part of the Montreal "Underground City". The first subways were finished in 1966 and now a network of over 19 miles of well lit boutique-lined passages that include more than 1600 shops, 200 restaurants, hotels, film theaters and concert halls, are part if the subway system. 
Then back to the boat for while and then off to see the light show at the Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montreal (the Bascilica is Montreal's grandest Catholic Church) in the old town area. Light show inside the Bascilica was pretty good, telling of the history of the settlement in Montreal and the building of the church. Once the show was finished, the interior of the Bascilica was revealed and it is spectacular. There is a lot of carved architectural detail, some beautifully stained and some painted wood, intricate statuary in gold leaf, the ceiling is painted blue with gold stars, there are six large stained glass windows with scenes depicted made by Lemoge and, above the entrance, a large pipe organ, once the largest in North America. We finished the day with dinner out and had a nice full day.
posted by KOKOMO II @ 4:45 PM
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