when it was much cooler and less crowded. Above, a blurry (sorry) shot of a shop offering poutine, which can be found everywhere in Montreal.
Since we just had that awesome potluck meal at C's aunt's house, we were just there to take in the sights and perhaps pick up a little dessert later that evening...
Along with shops offering poutine, also found in great abundance in Montreal are signs of allegiance to the city's hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, also known as "Les Habitants" or "The Habs" for short!
When we saw this, C's little daughter was chanting, "Go Habs Go! Go Habs Go!" much to the consternation of her father, FarmerJohn, who is a Maple Leafs supporter!
You don't mess with Canadians and their love of hockey, I tell ya!
You can't see much in this photo, but this wide street and area is called Place Jacques-Cartier. It is a really large gathering place/social hub. In the day time, there are street performers, artisan and craft vendors as well as food stalls. The buildings on the side house many types of shops (souvenirs for the tourists, restaurants and cafes, etc).
Situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence River is the Old Port of Montreal.
Here's the other side of that sign, but in French.
The port was once used by French fur traders as a trading post as far back as 1611! It was redeveloped in the 1990's as a tourist attraction. A month before our visit last year, they were building some sort of beach where people could "pay" to sit out on deck chairs with sand at their feet. Hmmmm, we could do that for free here in San Diego! But I digress. There's a lot to see and do at the Port. Much of it quite expensive (museums, IMAX, Science Center, Cirque du Soleil shows, etc) . Since we were there for a few hours that evening, we just did a quick walkthrough of the main areas.
A domed building which we later learned was the Marche Bonsecours, a market place that now houses really posh shops and galleries.
We ventured up another street and came across the grand Notre Dame Basilica. When it was completed in the early 1840's, it was the largest church in North America at that time.
This was only the side of the basilica.
Here it is from the front.
We would end up visiting the cathedral the next day, so more on this in a later post.
The basilica faces out into a large public square called, "Place d'Armes""
(info from wikipedia's entry on "Place d'Armes":
"Place d'Armes is the second oldest public site in Montreal, it was called Place de la Fabrique when it was first developed in 1693, at the request of the Sulpicians, then later renamed Place d'Armes in 1721 when it became the stage of various military events. From 1781 to 1813, it was used as a hay and wood market, then developed as a Victorian garden after it was acquired by the city in 1836."
"The square features a monument in memory of Paul de Chomedey (the founder of Montreal)... which commemorates Chomedey's defense of the young French settlement against the Iroquois, against whom de Maisonneuve's allies the Hurons were fighting."
More info on these places:
Old Port - www.oldportofmontreal.com
Notre Dame Basilica - www.basiliquenddm.org
Place d'Armes - vieux.montreal.qc.ca
Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped by one of the shops facing the river for something sweet. Although it was night time, the temperature was still quite balmy and warm, but still cooler than it would have been if we visited during the super hot daytime. Up next, dessert!
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