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Day 4: May 15, 2017
Hello Everyone
We have just completed our last complete day in Canada! We had another excellent and very long day. The day started with some of Montreal's famous traffic, as we made our way over the Jacques Cartier Bridge and into the city for breakfast. Breakfast was at a Dunn's Famous location, where we had eggs, pancakes, or french toast. Along the highway we pointed out Montreal's brand new megahospital. After breakfast we took the bus down into Old Montreal to go for a guided tour of the beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica. The inside of the Basilica is lavishly decorated and contains a massive church organ capable of recreating an entire symphonic orchestra. Celine Dion was famously married there, and had a rising panel installed into the floor so that she could sing at her own wedding. From Notre Dame we took a walk along Rue St. Paul to Place Jacques Cartier, a central square of Old Montreal. From there we had free time to explore the old city, with a large part of the group heading off to explore the nearby Marché Bonsecours. Once free time had ended we walked up Pl. Jacques Cartier, noting the raised statue of Admiral Nelson and the location in the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) where Charles de Gaulle proudly proclaimed: "Vive Quebec! Vive Quebec Libre!" to the adoring masses to begin Expo 67. From there it was up and onto the bus.
We drove north along rue St. Laurent, through Montreal's Chinatown and nightlife areas, past the Place Des Arts, and into the neighbourhood of the Plateau Mont Royal, or the Plateau for short. We had some free time to explore the various lunch offerings in the Plateau, and some of the group went to get two of the neighbourhood's signature dishes: Montreal Smoked Meat at Schwartz's or the Main, and Portuguese Churrasco chicken at Coco Rico. Once our hunger was sated, we embarked on a walking tour of the street art and murals that dot the Plateau. The Plateau hosts an annual Mural Festival in June, when all of the murals in the neighbourhood are repainted for the next year. We walked along both the busy St. Laurent, or St. Lo as the locals call it, as well as the quiet residential streets that run parallel to the main drag, noting the colourful awnings and roofs that are a hallmark of Plateau homes. The bus picked us up in the Plateau and we drove north into the Mile End to get some traditional Montreal Bagels at St. Viateur's bagel shop. The bagels come fresh and hot out of the wood oven, and most of us got a few to try. Having completed our little tour of Montreal's traditional foods, we took the bus back down to the Old Port, this time along the French rue St. Denis, to go get some dinner. Dinner was at a cute little bistro just up from the riverfront.
We still had plenty of activities left for after dinner. Our first stop was the awe-inspiring St. Joseph's Oratory of Montreal. The Oratory celebrates Saint André, more commonly known as Frère André (Brother André), an extremely important local figure. The Oratory is quite literally built into the heart of Montreal, hewn into the rocks of Mont Royal, dominating above the northern half of the city. We walked through the first level of the Oratory and the exposition on the life of Frère André. Frère André was born with a defect wherein his heart was too large for his body, which was ironically fitting for the kind-hearted and humble man that he was. The Oratory's relic is André's heart, which has surprisingly been stolen twice, although returned both times, fortunately. The inside of the Oratory is a stark contrast to the Notre-Dame and Ste. Anne basilica, having an extremely modest, but grand chapel, decorated almost entirely with wood and stone. From the top of the Oratory steps one has a complete view over the northern and western halves of the island. Our final activity for the night was to go to the nearby Mont Royal lookout. We took the bus down and up the mountain, and took a short hike over to the lookout, where our panorama was completed with a view of the southern and eastern parts of the island. Both views are truly spectacular! Having taken all of the photos we needed, we packed back into the bus and headed to the hotel for some rest. Tomorrow is our last day in Quebec, and we will sure to make it a great final day.