After finishing a breakfast of crepes (jambon et fromage - which I ordered in French), we headed up Mont Royal. I wanted to see the mysterious church on the hill that I had seen while flying in. Giselle, from the Lush store (Friday), had told me it was St.Joseph's and that it was believed to have special healing powers. It seems a lot of people believe that. The "votive room" in the church was filled with hundreds of candles lit by people praying for healing and hope. The room was beautiful. The pictures below don't do it justice.
I could have used a little healing myself after climbing the many flights of stairs to reach the church. once there, we made our way thru the building and found the basilica with the dome. A sign outside the door advertised a pipe organ concert. It was written in French so we could only make out a few words and didn't pay attention to the time because it was written in military time. I could hear the organ playing. So, we walked in thinking it was the concert. After sitting down, we quickly learned it was a Mass...and it was in French. We stayed. Because of our Former Catholic upbringings, we were familiar with the order of the mass and were able to follow along somewhat.
While at Mont Royal, we stopped at the observation areas and looked over the city. The views were breathtaking. Take a look at the pictures. You will see a white dome with a tall white, winglike structure. It is the 1976 Olympic swimming arena. It is unused today.
Next stop - a quick pop in to another church downtown. Mass was underway there too. Didn't want to wander into another one.
After the high point of the day, we explored the Underground. There are 18 miles of tunnels under the city. There is shopping, food and services. Since it was Sunday, many places were closed. It felt a little dark and eery - especially with the occasional person sleeping along the walkways. Eric assures me they are safe and bustling during the week. So, I will give it another try - after I get a map. I could easily get lost down there.
We capped our day with a lovey dinner in Old Town. The restaurant had a small, warm ambience. Our waiter, Lawrence, was exceptional. We chatted quite a bit with him about traveling and food. He told me how to make the fabulous creamy pecan dressing that was drizzled over our salad of arugula, duck confit and pancetta. WOW - that salad was great!!!! I had the Osso Bucco ( usually braised veal shank, but this was a pork shank instead.). Very good. I took Lawrence's suggestion and tried to get to the bone marrow, but it was a lot of work without a lot of return. The Pinot Noir paired very well with my dish. Eric had the flat iron steak braised in a wine sauce. He said it was one his top meals - ranking up there with our Friday night meal.
I'm going to have to come back here again some summer. So many things to do, and we keep hearing there is more in the summer. The people of Montreal love being outside. Lots of people walking. People were even sitting outside dining on the days it was in the high 40's and 50's.
A couple observations today:
- everyone eats late. Restaurants start to fill around 9 pm
- you have to ask for your check. They do not rush you out of restaurants. They wait until you ask to leave. We figured this out after it happened a couple times.
- Love the LOVE sign outside a hotel we passed walking to Old Town
Monday - I'm on my own until around 6 pm. I will let you know what adventures I find.
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