Montreal’s Notre Dame Cathedral – Exterior

Overheard on the front steps of Montréal’s Notre Dame Cathedral, “Try not to be such a heathen.” This was said by a mother to her son, who had just expressed his opinion that the holy water was gross. We decided to stay another night in Montréal and took full advantage of the layover. This morning, we bicycled downtown into the old quarter, beating the crowd. It was much cooler today than it was yesterday. We toured the cathedral and lit a candle for Mom. Afterwards, we checked out the upscale art galleries in the quarter. I didn’t break anything, so I didn’t have to buy anything, as if I could afford any of it. We had a light lunch and then launch out away from the ever swelling and always maddening crowd of fellow tourists. Across Montréal’s harbor and in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River sit two islands, Sainte Hélène and Notre Dame that were the site of Montréal’s Expo. They are connected to the city through bridges with separate bike paths. We rode out to them and then along the Formula 1 racetrack that was not then in use. Vestiges of the expo survive. The most famous of these is the huge geodesic dome that was a landmark for the event. Our tour of these island parks would have been idyllic, if not for the sound from the heavy metal concert that was being held there too. We tried to avoid the concert venue, but all roads seemed to lead towards it. Eventually, we bailed and headed back to the mainland, which was even more crowded than when we left it. Somehow, we made it back to the hotel. After freshening-up, we headed out to dinner. We headed up to Duluth Avenue, which we had perused on an earlier night and ended up at Areqera, a Venezuelan restaurant. The food was good. Tomorrow, it’s on to Quebec City.

Montreal’s Notre Dame Cathedral – Interior