Visiting Montreal

In 1535 Jacques Cartier, the French explorer searching for a route to Asia, sailed into the St. Lawrence River but it wasn’t until 1609 that Samuel de Champlain established a trading post in what is now called Old Montreal making him the founder of New France. 

The best and quickest way to get to know Montreal is on a Grayline hop-on hop-off tour.  The tour hits all the highlights along with an informative narration.  John and I usually take one complete loop and then decided what venues we want to visit.  There is never enough time to do everything.  

The Lachine Canal was built about the same time as the Erie Canal.

The name comes from what was hoped to be a way to China. Today it is a recreation area and national park. Nearby we wander through the Atwater market and then the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal. It was once a walled city but there is no evidence of

it today however at the World Trade Center there is a reddish line in the floor that represents the location of the wall.  The World Trade Center, an interesting mix of old and new architecture, is a wonderful indoor area for shopping and dining.  The beautiful Amphitrite Fountain is now part of the atrium away from the elements.  

The 18th century Chateau Ramezay was a residence and is now a

museum with a beautiful garden. It has an interesting connection to the American Revolution. It is where in 1775 it was the Canadian headquarters of the Continental Army. In 1776 emissaries from the Continental Congress that included Benjamin Franklin stayed trying to raise troops and support for the Revolutionary War. He brought a printer with him who stayed on and started a newspaper that became the Montreal Gazette that today is the city’s only English language newspaper.
The silver dome of the Marche Bonsecours is hard to miss. It has served many purposes over the years. Today it houses shops where nearly all the items are Canadian made, art, restaurants, and a textile/fashion museum.  Nearby is the Notre-Dame-de- Bon-Secours Chapel one of Montreal’s oldest churches and another place to learn about Montreal’s early history and about Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys.  

Not to miss is the birthplace of Montreal, the Pointe-a-Calliere. The

museum incorporates the archaeological ruins where it covers 1000 years of history. We saw sites where the First People camped and remnants of each era of the city’s history. There is a walkway through a vaulted stone tunnel where the Little Saint-Pierre River once flowed and then turned into a

sewer.  I saw a notice that they were preparing part of it so they can take visitors on a sewer tour – sounds fascinating. There was so much to see and learn that we only spent a few minutes at the “Pirates or Privateers” permanent exhibit. There is a great view of the city from the top level. 


Another place for a great view all the way to the Olympic site is a stop on the Grayline tour on Mont Royal’s Belvedere.  The Mont Royal Park was designed by Frederick Olmstead of NYC’s Central Park fame. 

One evening we opted to do something a bit different. We went to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for an organ recital. Famed French organist, Jean Guillou played to a full house. A great end to the day. 

Exploring canals with Blount's Small Ship Adventures

I have always been intrigued by rivers. The Hudson, Mohawk, and St. Lawrence Rivers made NYS the Empire State. The waterways were used by the Native Americans, explorers, armies, and settlers. Not only was it a key to the development of New York State but to the expansion of the United States;

and, it still is. Traveling the length of the NYS’s waterways was at the top of my bucket list.  I didn’t think it was possible until I learned about Blount Small Ship Adventures’ “Locks, Legends, and Canals.” The two-week trip from Montreal to New York City via the St. Lawrence, Lake Ontario, NYS Canal System, and the Hudson was a dream come true.  For two weeks John and I made our home on the Grande Caribe, a purpose-built vessel designed to make it through the narrow and shallow waters of canals. 

On our first stop, Quebec, we signed up for the four-hour excursion of Quebec City, with a walk in Old Quebec and other highlights of the city including a side trip to Montmorency Falls, which is higher than Niagara Falls. In Montreal Blount provided a shuttle into Old Montreal where we wandered the cobblestone streets. 

While we were asleep the Grande Caribe set off for Ogdensburg going through three of the locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The vessel is amazingly quiet.  In Ogdensburg, after customs, there was a tour of the Frederic Remington Museum. We had been there so John and I followed the Revolutionary War sign boards and learned about the city’s part in the war. On the way

to Clayton we locked through the Snell and Eisenhower Locks. From the St. Lawrence we were raised 570 feet to the level of Lake Ontario. Very impressive. We stopped for a tour of Singer Castle on Dark Island to learn how the rich and famous spent the summer in their “hunting lodge” with 28 rooms and secret passages. In Clayton we docked at the Antique Boat Museum where the staff was ready to give us a personal tour. 

I was hoping to traverse Lake Ontario from Clayton to Oswego during the day; but, alas, due to the winds we left late in the evening arriving in Oswego at 2 a.m. While in Oswego the crew lowered the pilot house so the Grande Caribe would fit under the “low bridges” of the NYS Canal System.  I was hoping the passengers would have a chance to see Fort Ontario and Safe Haven but we started along the Oswego

Canal at 7 a.m.  The weather was glorious and the leaves at peak.  We crossed Oneida Lake and continued on the Erie Canal with a stop in Rome so some of the passengers could visit Cooperstown.  I stayed aboard marveling at the beautiful scenery and serenity thinking that the people in cars and trains whizzing by didn’t know what they were missing.

At Troy the crew raised the pilot house signaling that we had completed the NYS Canal System and were heading down the Hudson River to NYC.  There were two excursions on the Hudson: Hyde Park and the fortress-like U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  The weather was outstanding as we cruised passed by the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty to Pier 59.  On our last day we took the Blount-organized tour of New York City with time at the 9/11 Memorial.  An incredible cruise.

The Fairmont's famous Bed-In

One of the finest hotels in Montreal is the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth with a great location in downtown Montreal above the train station and Amtrak, the underground city, and within walking distance to the hop-on bus tour station. I think all hotels have stories that would make a fascinating book.  Hotels of the caliber of the Fairmont have seen the likes of the

Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles de Gaulle, Jimmy Carter, Harry Belafonte, and John Travolta. Hotels try to protect the privacy of their guests but one story the Queen Elizabeth Hotel is willing to share is the week-long Bed-In staged by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.  It is where Lennon wrote and recorded “Give Peace a Chance.”On the way for a bite to eat at the Fairmont’s Les Voyageurs Bar I noticed a wall-size image of the Bed-In. John and I enjoyed fish and chips while entertained by a pianist. Hotel staff was willing to share information about the famous Bed-In.

To protest the Vietnam War Lennon decided to stage a new non-violent protest – a Bed-In instead of the more familiar Sit-In. The first Bed-In was staged in Amsterdam and received wide coverage. The couple planned a second Bed-In in New York but Lennon had a legal issue and couldn’t return to the U.S. so on May 29, 1969 they ended at the Fairmont in Montreal. The couple grabbed world-wide attention during their week in bed in Suite 1742 where they spoke to over 150 journalists each day in an effort to get their message of peace out but the highlight of their stay was the writing and recording of “Give Peace a Chance.” Occasionally roses will be left anonymously by the suite’s door.

Today people can book the Fairmont’s Bed-In Peace Package that includes accommodations for one night, a Lennon CD that includes “Give Peace a Chance,” souvenir pajamas and nightgown, and breakfast at the Le Montrealais or in bed.  We had a wonderful room but, alas, the Suite 1742 but before we left the hotel John and went to get a look at Suite 1742.  As luck would have it just as we approached the door the housekeeping supervisor came out of the room and asked, “Would you like to see the Lennon suite?” “Of course!” I could feel the

mystical aura in the suite where the walls are decorated with press articles, a framed “Give Peace a Chance” with music and lyrics, and pictures of the couple. There is an interesting photo that includes a young girl, Gail Renard, who bypassed security and was then asked by Lennon to return each day to entertain Yoko’s young daughter. She later wrote a book about her experience.

A stay in Suite 1742 a must-do for dedicate Lennon fans. Other iconic Lennon spots include the 2.5-acre Strawberry Fields in NYC’s Central Park that includes the iconic black and white “Imagine” mosaic and named after the Beatles’ song “Strawberry fields.”  When John and I were in Prague we visited the Lennon Wall where in the 1980s the wall was filled with Lennon-inspired graffiti. The communist regime claiming it was the work of alcoholics, the mentally ill, sociopaths or agents of the West had it removed only to have it reappear. They gave up.