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downtown Montreal. I was fortunate in that the first place that I called could accommodate me, Jade Blue. This
charming little B&B was right in the heart of the city. But, it also was located immediately next to the red light
district of Montreal with all the prostitutes, drug dealers, sex shops, beggars and shady characters you would
expect. After a couple of days I got use to walking through this area on the way back to Jade Blue and just
looked upon it for its entertainment value.
After moving into my room, I walked over to Rue Saint-Denis, which is the main activity street for the
Francophile population of Montreal. It has many boutique shops, restaurants with and without sidewalk cafes,
and bars. At night most of the revelers are young and pretty grungy. I ate at one of the restaurants with outdoor
seating and prepared for my next few days touring Montreal.
Monday, August 25: After breakfast, I went over to Crescent Street to get some work done on my computer.
Crescent Street is the main activity street for the Anglophile population of Montreal. It is similar to Saint-Denis,
except there are more pubs and the clientele is more Anglo-Saxon and touristy. I found a good Pub with a table
right by the sidewalk, so that I could people watch while I updated my journal.
After getting my work done, I met a very interesting character by the name of Richard Lords, as well as a few
other people. Richard is a distinguished, elderly black gentleman who is very well educated and has the wisdom
of his years. Richard regaled us with his stories of his travels throughout central Africa, which was all paid for by
a wealthy friend from Montreal. He was threatened at knife point by a tribesman, because he didn’t have any
markings/tattoos of on his face of any of the local tribes, so they knew that he was a foreigner. He informed us
that he was the first black hockey player in the NCAA’s. He attended Michigan State University, probably 40 to
50 years ago. He was an emissary to the Prime Minister of Canada assigned to travel throughout Canada
reporting on the poverty in different cities, towns and regions. He also told us that he had Irish and Scottish
ancestors as well as African. The Irish came from a prison island in the Caribbean, where the Irish sent their
criminals and where blacks from Africa lived. He was a practicing attorney for many years, before he became a
judge. He currently is the judge in Montreal who rules on the Immigration cases from Southeast Asia, as well as
lecturing on various topics, including history and economics. While listening to his tales, a friend of his walked in.
I wasn’t sure if the friend was a bum or just a very poorly dressed old man. As it turns out, Richard informed us
that this man was worth over 30 million. His family handed down to him some very valuable real estate in
downtown Montreal and the family fortune. So, it just goes to prove that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
After getting back to my room from the pub, I changed for a run. I ran down to the river, along the canal,
through the old city, the old port area and back up through the newer business district and China Town on the
way back to my place.
That night I walked up to the restaurants and bars along Boulevard Saint-Laurent. I found a very good Thai
restaurant and had dinner while preparing for my tour the next day and writing about my touring in Montreal thus
far. After dinner, I checked out a little of the night life in Montreal. I stopped into a popular bar called GoGo for
a while. It was a too young and rowdy for my tastes. So, I asked the bouncer where to go. He gave me a few
ideas then I asked his name. Surprise, surprise, the name of this large, friendly, black bouncer was pronounced
Eve. I thought this was pretty funny ... considering ... I went to the place he suggested, Bebop. It was alright. I
met a couple nice girls and danced a little.
Tuesday, August 26: My first day truly touring Montreal. I decided to see the where the city first began and
learn a some of its history, so I went to Old Montreal and the Old Port. One of my first stops was the historic
City Hall, which was built between 1872 and 1878 and was where “French President General de Gaulle uttered
his famous ‘Vive le Quebec libre!’ (Long Live Free Quebec) during a state visit in 1967.” Place Jacques-Cartier
is a main pedestrian only street in Old Montreal where street performers and outdoor vendors gather. Saint Paul
Street was Montreal’s main thoroughfare in the 19th Century. Today one will find boutique shops, artist studies
and homes in the historic buildings along this street. The Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal is a wonderful
example of English gothic revival architecture. I stopped in to the historic Bank of Montreal. Its façade is from
1847 and its interior is very impressive with its marble floors, high ceilings, Roman columns and large central
sculpture. From there I walked down Canada’s “Wall Street,” better known as Saint-Jacques Street. Sainte-
Helene and Des Recollets Streets are known to be a part of “One of the most beautiful Victorian business districts
in North America.” I stopped in to the Museum of Marc-Aurele Fortin. This self-taught artist broke new ground
in landscape paintings. I stopped by the Birthplace of Montreal Museum to learn about the history of the City and
to see some of its ruins.
I was hungry, so I had an early dinner at the food court in the Mall. After such a long day walking the City, I
ended up staying in this night and taking it easy.
Wednesday, August 27: After breakfast, I caught the Metro to the old Olympic Village. My first stop was the
BioDome. The BioDome contains four unique climate zones their vegetation and animal populations all indoors;
the Tropical Forest, the Laurentian Forest, the St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem and the Polar World. Next, I got
a tour of the main building/stadium and took a ride up on a tram to the top of the tallest leaning tower in the world
for a wonderful view of the City, I walked over to the Botanical Gardens. I took a small bus/train through these
very large gardens, the second largest in the world behind England’s. I got off about two-thirds the way around
and started to walk around. I went through the gardens that represented the vegetation at high altitudes like the
Rockies and the Alps. I walked by a couple ponds where I got up close to some birds for some nice photos and
just to observe them for a while. They would walk from the shore to take a dip in the pond. They would clean
their feathers and/or settle in for a nap. After relaxing by the ducks and sea gulls, I walked over to the Chinese
Gardens. They were exceptional with the man made lake and waterfalls, the pagodas and bonsai trees. From
there I walked over to the insectarium. It was really pretty cool. On the way out of the Gardens, I stopped by
the Greenhouses which were extremely extensive and elaborate.
By the time I got back to my place, I only had a short time to rest and change before I had to head back out to
catch the opening outdoor, free movie of the Montreal Film Festival. As it turned out, I got there early, so I
bought some food at the Mall nearby and sat outside to eat. The movie started late, Amadeus, the Director’s
cut. It got pretty cold and I wasn’t adequately dressed, so I didn’t make the whole movie.
it gave me a nice overview of the City, so that I knew what I should focus on later and (2) my legs were sore do
to all the walking the past few days. The name of the tour company was/is Excursions Touristiques. Stephan
was our guide and a very amiable and capable one at that. He informed us that there are currently four
operational gates to the walled in part of the City. There were originally five gates and for the City’s 400 year
anniversary, they were going to rebuild the fifth gate. Saint John’s Street is known for its many shops, boutiques
and restaurants. Quebec’s port was the largest in North America prior to 1850. With the advent of the steam
engine and the ability of boats to more easily navigate up the Saint Lawrence River, the shipping hub moved first
to Montreal and then on to Toronto. Now, Quebec City's harbor is primarily used for tour boats and ferries.
Champlain founded Quebec City in the 17th Century. Stephan also informed us that there are nine professionally
painted murals throughout the City telling different aspects of the City’s history. We learned that the government
pays 75% of the cost to renovate the exteriors of the privately owned buildings in the old portion of the City.
The government looks at this as a wise investment to help insure the continued tourism industry. We toured by
the City Hall, the Parliament building and surrounds, the Plains of Abraham, the Citadel Wall, the Chateau
Frontenac, the Latin Quarter, the Basilica, and the Lower and Upper sections of the Old City. After the bus
tour, I walked around Upper Town for a while, just randomly looking around. It was fun not to have any definite
itinerary for a change, just following what looked interesting. After a fairly long day of touring, I stayed in this
night.
Sunday, August 31: Slept in then walked around the City. I walked to the Lower Town where I had lunch by
the water. I stopped to see a street performer. He had three very well trained dogs performing tricks and he
jumped through a ring of fire. On my way back to my hotel, I got a soft ice cream. Just by chance I ran into the
couple from the B&B in Montreal; she is from Chicago and he is originally from Eastern Europe.
Monday, September 1: I did the official walking tour of Quebec City from the guide book. I saw many of the
same places from my touring around of the past few days and some new ones.