Recently, I was able to get away for a day trip to Montreal, Quebec with transportation via Megabus Canada. I had 12 hours to roam the streets and underground of the downtown and surrounding area. The first half of the day was downright crappy with rain and wind. Around noon, the sky magically cleared up for an excellent second half of the day.
When I was a kid, I’d pass through this city several times a year on very long car rides from London, Ontario to the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. Back then, it was to visit family with eight hour car rides and a world that doesn’t speak English equalling very little fun. In more recent years, with mostly all family in Quebec moved on or passed on, I am now rediscovering the area for the great destination it really is.
The following are a set of videos I put together from my most recent visit to Montreal.
The above video encompasses my whole 12 hour visit to Montreal. Everything is included from the Montreal Biosphere on Saint Helens Island to Olympic Stadium and the Montreal Tower to the view from Mont Royal to the port area along the St. Lawrence River.
The walk up Mont Royal really starts down on St. Catherines Street and Peel Street. Peel bends upward toward the mountain at an ever increasing steepness. After passing through McGill University (where one has to wonder if there are any students out of shape, considering the hill training workout that is part of their daily routine), the stairs begin where Rue Peel ends at Avenue des Pins.
The stairs are lengthy. The rain and wind were reaching their climax while I was ascending. The view from the Chateau at the top is amazing and probably the number one thing you can experience for free in Montreal. For those not looking for the added workout of the stair climb, there is actually ample parking a short walk from the chateau.
So many times when I was a kid, I took the Metro with cousins from Longueuil to Pie IX (with a connection at Berri-UQAM, of course), the subway station at Olympic Stadium. Back in those days, the Montreal Expos were a big deal and tickets, believe it or not, were somewhat scarce. Near the end, a big crowd was 6,000 in the 45,000 seat stadium.
The one stop between Longueuil and the Berri-UQAM station is on Saint Helen’s Island at Parc Jean Drapeau. This is an area that was developed for Expo ’67 and is now a large urban park. This was the first time I’d ever got off at the stop and set foot on the island.
There was barely another sole on the island at 7:30am, on a weekday, with rain threatening. The views across the St. Lawrence River from the shores of the island were quite awesome.
The first time I visited Montreal’s Olympic Stadium was for the 1976 Olympic Games. Of course, the stadium was built for that event. I was still a few months away from my eighth birthday at the time so it’s pretty hard recalling the memories. I believe we watched a soccer game between two low ranked countries.
Later, we headed down to the old Montreal Forum to watch gymnastics. Surprisingly, I remember that more because even at that age, I was a fan of everything hockey. It wasn’t to see a Montreal Canadiens game, but I was in the Forum! I never did see a hockey game there but did see the Canadiens and New York Rangers play at the new Bell Centre back in 2002.
As I mentioned earlier, there were many fond memories of watching the Montreal Expos at the Olympic Stadium in their glory years. I remember faking an illness in 1981, so I could get out of school to watch the Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers face off in game 5 of the NLCS. It was a best of five series back then and with the series tied at two, the teams were to play on Sunday. However, the game was rained out and was reschedule for Monday afternoon. I remember my illness involving a fake throw-up of jello…
Anyway, the Expos lost and would never get that close to the World Series again. The team moved out of Montreal after 2004 to become the Washington Nationals. Since, the stadium has sat mostly empty, serving as a home for the Grey Cup every once in a while.
Montreal’s 14 kilometre long secret. Starting in the 1800’s, the Lachine Canal was an active set of locks that diverted ships around the strong current of the St. Lawrence River. The grain elevators that line the canal near its terminus at Montreal’s Vieux Port have been inactive for over a decade and are slowly being converted to something more prosperous.
Now, the strip of land adjacent to the Lachine Canal is one long parkway. The Canal itself is used for watersports like rowing, canoeing and kayaking.
I hope you enjoy the show. Each of the videos is available in 1080p HD, you just need to change the setting in the YouTube player. I would really appreciate a ‘Like’ on the videos!
