Beautiful day to travel.
Drove along PH 17 until we connected with 417 and then 40 the Trans
Canada Highway. From there we are
looking for the exit for 30 which doesn’t show on the navigation program. It is a new road which allows us to bypass
downtown Montreal. Checked it out on RV
information internet sites and the other RVers are praising this route. It does cross the St. Lawrence River with a
new toll bridge. We made all the
connections and cross the river with no problems and no traffic. Found our KOA campground easily. The only problem is electricity. We booked 30 amps but tried two sites before
upgrading to 50 amps. Still having
problems with low voltage. We have a
safety plug which shuts everything off if voltage is too low….which is all the
time! Our final site is next to some
people from New Orleans. They have been
traveling since January and will not get back home until December. They actually left the day after we
arrived.
The first day touring Montreal was rainy. The Hop On Hop Off sightseeing offered a
shuttle from our campground. They picked
us up at about 11 am. It was a very
dreary morning and there was not much to see on the trip into the city. We purchased one of the Hop On Hop Off tours
(only two days for almost $50 per person!).
First day we were stuck inside the bus and didn’t get to see everything
like we wanted. After once around the
city we got off and found a place for lunch…a pub right near the tourist
center. The waitress looked like a
wrestler (sorry!) and asked “What do ya want to eat?” We had beer with our lunch.
We hopped back on the bus and rode to Notre Dame
Basilica. The area around the church was
beautiful…a big square with a fountain and cobblestone streets. The church inside was magnificent. It cost $5 pp to get in. They offer French or English tours of the
church and the chapel. Well worth the
$10 for both of us. The church boasts of
a 7,000-pipe organ. The organist has
been playing there for 40 odd years and also practices on Friday. We would love to come and hear but we will be
leaving the area on Thursday. Once we
left the church we walked back through the downtown to meet our shuttle back to
the campground.
Next day was better…sunny day most of the time. We rode the shuttle into Montreal with two
other couples. One of the couples was
from Germany and driving a pickup truck with bed camper. They were very friendly and gave us some
advice about our next stop, Quebec City.
Today we wanted to walk around the Old Port area of Montreal. The weather is perfect for that. We rode the bus to the first stop and got
off…walked several blocks and up hills and down to the Old Montreal area. Stopped in the visitor information center for
walking tour map and set off. Right
outside is City Hall, a magnificent building with a large square and fountain
on the side. Walking through the square
you find the area with the only remaining piece of the fortification wall of
the old city. The park area overlooks
downtown Montreal. The streets in this
area are cobblestone and look very old.
Need good shoes and sure footing to walk here. The streets are narrow and have rows and rows
of restaurants, homes and shops. We
happened on to the Notre Dame Chapel and went inside to see the chapel and to
also hear an organ recital taking place during the lunch hour. It was lovely to hear and to be in such a
beautiful place. We walked down to the
Clock Tower quay and all along the dock area beside the St. Lawrence
River. The current was very fast. We watched a tour boat motor from the dock
and just get carried away by the river’s current. Across the water on an island (Ile
Saint-Helene) in the river we could see an amusement park and also the
Biosphere. There is also a beautiful
pavilion and park in the dock area.
Right across the street from the dock is a large square surrounded by
restaurants and cafes. There was a group
of musicians playing there so we stopped to have lunch on the patio of one of
the cafes. The sandwiches were delicious
and the ones we chose were specials and came with a beer! It was sunny, warm and relaxing sitting there
watching all the people go by and listen to the music. After lunch with explored the other section
of Old Montreal and finally made our way back to another pick up point for the
bus. When we got back on it was early in
the tour so we rode all the way back around Montreal on the open deck of the
bus. We again went to Mont Royal but this
time we got out and walked to the observation point. It was actually the location of a scene from
“The Whole Nine Yards”. Great overlook
of the city and the river. There was a
piano sitting out on the patio area and a couple of people went to play. It was beautiful. We walked back down to the pick up place
stopping first for an ice cream cone in the little house nearby. Today was the perfect day to see Montreal.
The last day of our stay here we took off in the car and did
some exploring around the area where we camped.
We found the local shopping area and even found a Wal-mart…one of the
older places which only carry limited food.
We stocked up on some things and found what else we needed at the local
grocery. We planned to have a big dinner
tonight cooking out at the campground.
Steaks, baked potatoes and garlic mushrooms…with some wine, of
course. I love these kinds of days as
much as seeing all the tourist sights.
Tomorrow we set off down the road to Quebec City about 170
miles northeast.
No comments:
Post a Comment