Exploring Old Montreal
I was just so tired yesterday, I collapsed in a heap of exhaustion around 8 pm
Not sure if it's still the jet lag or a day out in the cold that led to my fatigue. Anyway it was snowing overnight in Montreal and by the time we got up, the car was complaining covered in a layer of ice.
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Today was set for old Montreal. We drove to the old town square -- Place d'Armes and found parking along a road. The parking machines has its messages in French and it seemed to us that it's free on Sunday so we just left our car at the lot and walked around.
It was around 0 degree, cold but at least the sun is up and we have clear blue sky above us.
For a Sunday morning, the old town was pretty quiet.
The cold did not seem to bother the little one. She was just happily making her mark on the snow.
We walked to the Bonsecours market.
I didn't find the shops in there interesting.
Brunch was at Tavern Gaspar, a very warm and nice restaurant with quite a variety on its menu.
Poutine again. :p
The highlight has to be visiting the Notre-Dame Basilica. This is also the church where Celine Dion got married in 1994. The Canadian lady guide was great and we got to know more about the church and a little about the city.
Interestingly the church was originally designed by an Irish Protestant.
The highly decorated interior. Lots of gold and blue. The stain glass windows at the side depicts the history of Montreal.
This is the spectacular pipe organ. We watched an one hour performance by the organist Pierre Grandmaison who has been playing at the church since the year I was born (1973)!
He played Starwars, Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera amongst many other pieces. I love how he played the rhapsody of Amazing Grace, beautiful and moving.
The Casavant Frres pipe organ, dated 1891, which comprises four keyboards, 92 stops using electropneumatic action and an adjustable combination system, 7000 individual pipes and a pedal board.
For dinner, we went to a Polish restaurant - Stash. They are good for their cabbage rolls and snitzel.
Pre dinner talk where they were discussing about the organ concert and photos taken earlier.
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