Another Day Out in Montreal

Thursday, May 31, 2018--Montreal

After getting to the Metro via the local bus, I went 9 stops by train to the center of town where I started my sightseeing for the day.  Coming up from the train, I allowed myself to just wander (get lost) in the tunnels under downtown Montreal for a while.  They were rather new and not very long when I first came to Montreal over 30 years ago, but now they run for 33 km (about 20 miles) connecting buildings that are above them.  It's the same concept as the tunnels in Houston, but for the opposite reason--in Houston they are for staying out of the heat as one moves around downtown, whereas in Montreal they are for staying out of the cold and the snow.  They represent a version of a shopping mall in grid format with shops along the whole route.  Finally, I saw a sign pointing out the Fairmont Hotel, so I exited through its lobby.

The first stop was the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral which is a scaled down version of St. Peter's Church in Rome.  As with the Roman church, the alter was very impressive.  Otherwise, this version lakes all the special artwork such as the Pieta by Michelangelo.

The next place was a church across a grassy plaza which was much smaller but was far more interesting--St. George's Anglican Church.  It is a pretty building, but what made it more interesting than any church I have visited in ages is that they have signs throughout the church telling what that section is called, what its purpose is, and what is historical within that section of the church.  I wandered around the 11 stations reading those signs and learning so much.  For instance, on the pews, there was a sign that explained that family names are on them because when it was originally built, there was a pew charge to help support the costs of the church.  Richer families were willing to pay higher pew charges to be in a better, more prominent location, and even those with pews at the back were proving they were rich enough to afford one.  On the sign for the choir loft, it further explained that during the days of the pew charges, that balcony of the church was for everyone else who couldn't afford a family pew to sit for church services.  A lady who helped me find the entrance to the church explained to me also that they were preparing lunch today for homeless people (as they do each Thursday) and that they also have a day in which they provide a meal for Muslims so that Christians and Muslims and mix and get to know each other.  I was very impressed with the place.

The part of Rue St. Catherine near these churches is the main shopping district in the downtown.  For blocks, there are all the major stores--H&M, Esprit, Louis Vuitton, MAC, etc.  An old department store along the street is Ogilvy which has been known for its grand interior, its Tudor Hall music room with a grand organ, and its mechanical Christmas window displays (which they discontinued just recently when Louis Vuitton moved into the corner section of the store where they were always displayed).  Ogilvy has been bought by the owners of the luxury store chain Holt-Renfrew and is going through an extensive enlargement and remodeling plan that will turn it into a 250,000 sq. ft. Holt-Renfrew Ogilvy and add a Four Seasons Hotel (163 rooms at $600 and up a night) and 16 private residences ($4-20 million each) above it.

From there, I headed to McGill University, the preeminent university in Canada.  It is an old campus that is being upgraded with modern buildings.  And today was commencement day.  Students were wearing caps and gowns and taking photos as the ceremony continued inside large tents on the campus lawn.  It was amazing to see how many of the graduates were Middle Easterners, Chinese, and Indians.  It was also interesting to see a very young man wearing a doctoral gown; he couldn't have been more than 24 or 25.  But I was only 27 when I got my doctorate.  Young people today just look so YOUNG!!

Leaving the campus, I went down Rue Prince Arthur which is an area where many students live and then becomes an area with very expensive looking townhouses and townhouse mansions.  I turned up Blvd. St. Laurent which is the major north/south street in Montreal.  It goes for miles with stores, restaurants, bars, etc.  I headed up it because I was going to St. Viateur Bagel Shop which operates 24 hours a day.  They make Montreal-style bagels which means they are boiled in honey water and then baked in a wood-fired oven.  A couple recently opened a Montreal-style bagel shop in San Antonio.   I wanted to see what they were like.  The baker recommended the sesame seed bagel which had just come out of the oven and cost 90 cents Canadian (70 cents US) while still warm.  It was good.  It is more like a pretzel in the US than the typical New York bagel, because it is dry and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside instead of being chewy and soft all the way through.  (The same bagel costs $1.95 US at Boss Bagels in the San Antonio, so the owners are making a killing compared to what they would have made in Montreal.) 

I was tired by then and only a short distance from my home metro stop.  I walked there and got on the 197 bus which was leaving in 8 minutes.  That brought me back to the corner with my apartment only 1/4 of a block away.

After watching TV for a while, I made dinner--spiral pasta with Italian sausage sauce and sliced olives.  I had it with a glass of Smoky Bay Australian Cabernet-Merlot while sitting on the patio enjoying the warm weather and watching the neighbors.  Now I will watch a film on Netflix.