Montréal Old Port and City Hall

On August 17, 1998 in the afternoon we picked up our car in the parking garage below the Novotel Montreal in downtown.

Driving to the large parking area at Old Port of Montréal, from there we walked, with my Burberry umbrella in hand... to Rue Notre Dame.

It sure worked for warding off the rain!

On video you see the Old Port with the Jacques Cartier Bridge over the Lawrence River.

Also visible in beginning of our video is the 1922 Clock Tower, to the right of Jacques Cartier Bridge.

This year the Clock Tower celebrates its Birthday!!!

La Tour de l'Horloge a 100 ans! | The Clock Tower is 100 years old! ←click for short video.

Now we continue to 275 Rue Notre Dame Est, to Montréal's City Hall.

Most Interesting Places at Montreal – Gets Ready ←click link

Montreal – Administration and society ←click link

Such a dream of a building! 

In French it is called Hôtel de ville.

Oui Montréal c'est toi ma ville! or in English: Yes, Montréal you are my city!

The exhibition that was going on was about 50 years of human rights.

Look at the exceptional Fleur de Lys ornaments in the garden design on our video!!!

Also a huge planter filled with herbs, me smelling them...

Incredible garden!

This French culture, including the language, made us feel so much home!

~

Then in the very end in the video, I walk towards a linden tree for seeing its seeds...

Thoughts of Dad came flashing back!

Fond memories of me, in the front seat of his bike, as a toddler as Dad took me to a pilgrimage place in Ommel, North Brabant/The Netherlands. There was a huge linden tree.

I let my tiny hands run through them and Dad did pick some for bringing home from that shrine...

Did mention that very fact in an earlier post: Monticello Gardens of President Thomas Jefferson and Mulberry Row  ←click link

Another fabulous part of our visit to Montréal and hope you enjoyed it as well!

Have you been there yourself?

Related links:

Montréal Windsor Station and Mary Queen of the World Cathedral | previous post by me

Sainte Anne de Beaupré Basilica, Québec, Canada | previous post by me

Cathedral–Basilica of Notre Dame de Québec from 1647 | previous post by me

Canyon Sainte Anne — Québec, Canada | previous post by me

Montmorency Falls Park Québec, Canada | previous post by meFairmont Le Château Frontenac — Québec City, Canada | previous post by me

Montréal Windsor Station and Mary Queen of the World Cathedral

Our final day at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac Québec City, was a Sunday on August 16, 1998.

We were already at the indoor pool on the 6th floor by 8:15 o'clock.

There also was a beautiful roof garden with seating areas!

We both enjoyed swimming together.

Then we went to shampoo our hair and enjoyed brunch by 10:30 o'clock.

We checked out from this jam–packed hotel with its 620 rooms!

All the costumed people from Maine (for the re–enactment) also appeared to be staying there.

We waited, as someone from valet parking retrieved our car.

As always, it was quite an art to get out of the old city with its one–way traffic and finding the Interstate.

In front of the beautiful Québec City Train Station (Gare du Palais) with its green roof.

By the way, many green roofs, including Le Château Frontenac, where we stayed; all made of copper!

This seems late medieval—quite beautiful.

And guess what we have on our roof since 2013?

Interlock Metal Roofing, Interlock® Aluminum Slate in Aged Copper—Made in Canada!

So NOW you know what influenced us for doing that; except ours does not turn green from old copper patina... 😉 Our Home Freshly Painted ←click link.

~

On August 16, 1998 we drove the 240 km or 149 mi by car from the capital of Québec City to Montréal, both within the Province of Québec, Canada.

Next day on the 17th, we started walking around, in Centre–Ville or Downtown Montréal.

The French language gave us a very 'close–to–home' feeling as we have so much French in our own language due to history under French rulers.

Especially my Province Limburg is very much French.

After first having visited the Saint George's, Anglican Church from 1870, we then walked upon Montréal Windsor Station, one of Montréal's most beautiful buildings.

Such a beautiful neo–Romanesque architectural style by New York architect Bruce Price who also did Le Château Frontenac, where we came from in Québec City and the most famous Banff Fairmont Hotel where we stayed during our Rocky Mountaineer Journey Exploring Banff with Brewster Sightseeing ←click link.

One only can admire such marvels of architecture!

We then entered Mary Queen of the World Cathedral.

There was noise from the lawn mower outside and the doors were wide open.

They also were doing some restoration work.

Bumped myself terribly on front of thigh... when I did slide into one of the old wooden pews.

Montreal's Spectacular Vatican Replica (1894) ←click for 2:54 minute informative video viewing outside from above and around as well as inside explained.

Indeed, successfully created for achieving a sense of sanctity!

It is balm for the soul to see that SO MUCH TALENT by the world's BEST ARCHITECTS AND CRAFTSMEN was put together in HONOR OF MARY, the MOTHER OF JESUS!

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral – Church in Montreal ←click link

Feeling so grateful for having been there... 

Mary Queen of the World: A Slice of Rome's St. Peter's Basilica in the Heart of Montreal ←click link

Has any of my readers visited these places?

Related links:

Sainte Anne de Beaupré Basilica, Québec, Canada | previous post by me

Cathedral–Basilica of Notre Dame de Québec from 1647 | previous post by me

Canyon Sainte Anne — Québec, Canada | previous post by me

Montmorency Falls Park Québec, Canada | previous post by meFairmont Le Château Frontenac — Québec City, Canada | previous post by me

Sainte Anne de Beaupré Basilica, Québec, Canada

 Beautiful neo-Roman style Church of 300 feet or 100 meters height.

We happened to visit there on August 15, 1998 on the feast of the Assumption of Mary...

Well, with my baptismal names being Maria–Anna–Martha, this was very special!

Sainte Anne was the Grandmother of Jesus and I'm named after her and my Godmother Anna Maria (my maternal Grandmother...).

The original shrine was built in 1658...

The present Basilica is built in the 1920s in a much larger scale, for being able to accommodate all the thousands of pilgrims!

Sainte Anne de Beaupré Québec City, Québec, Canada ←click link for short video explaining more.

Sainte Anne de Beaupré Basilica is the oldest pilgrimage site in North America!

Both of us were so very lucky that at the time we got there, a stretch limousine with bridal couple arrived and we enjoyed the entire French language wedding ceremonial Mass, with organ music and singing in this heavenly Basilica! 

Part of it, Pieter captured in this short video, ending with the Avé Maria.

Unexpected soul food in many ways and we were so grateful.

No miracle happened, except that it DIDN'T RAIN... 😉

Photo by Guy Lessard
Sainte–Anne–de–Beaupré Shrine ←click link.

We ended our day with a delicious dinner at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec City. The French influence is so obvious, even in the meat sizes, compared to the USA. And the vegetable servings are more generous—which made us feel like being back in Europe again.

Feeling grateful when we returned to our room by 21:30...

Body and soul well nourished!

Virtual Tour of the Basilica of Sainte–Anne–de–Beaupré ←click for very informative video with original history from 1646

Have any of you had the privilege for visiting there?

Related links:

{Grandma Kurvers' Grass Linen Twin Sheets Repurposed} | previous post by me about my Godmother Anna Maria...

Cathedral–Basilica of Notre Dame de Québec from 1647 | previous post by me

Canyon Sainte Anne — Québec, Canada | previous post by me

Montmorency Falls Park Québec, Canada | previous post by meFairmont Le Château Frontenac — Québec City, Canada | previous post by me