Bussed to Montreal

August 16, 2011

We decided to take the express bus (instead of the train) from Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue into Montreal for our city tour. We walked to the bus station adjacent to the University campus in time to ride the 8:00 a.m. bus. The fee was $3 for Wayne and I, and $2 for Eddie since he was entitled to a senior discount. The bus driver didn't ask for any ID verification of his age. Those fees entitled us to transfers which were good for 90 minutes to use on any part of the public transportation system.

I struck up a conversation with a young local woman who was on her way to work, asking about the bus system and the ease of taking public transportation. Owning a car for her would have high costs associated with getting a license (driver training) and insurance. Plus, parking costs could be a lot depending on where you have to work. The roads were congested, so maybe letting someone else drive might be easier.

We only made a few stops before our final destination, but it still took almost an hour. Despite traveling through what appeared to be nice areas of the suburbs and outer parts of the city, I was really surprised to see how much graffiti was painted on any structures that would allow paint to stick, even on sides of apartment buildings.

When we got off the bus, we were only steps away from a Metro station where we would take the subway, using our transfer, for a 15 minute ride to a station close to Old Port near the Montreal waterfront. We found the correct subway line with only a minimal state of confusion.

We had decided that we would tour the city using the Gray Line's Tour de Ville London style Double Decker sightseeing bus for $39/person. We had used a similar bus in New York City and loved the convenience of being able to get on and off whenever we wanted and just pick up the next bus and continue on to another place all day long.

We discovered that the bus wouldn't be at our site on the waterfront until 10:00 a.m., so we walked around the public area and came upon a movie crew shooting a film scene. The scene involved a girl that looked to be about 8 or 9 years old having to squat down in a slimy fountain, possibly as though she were drowning or coming out of the water since they were pouring water on her head and pulling her hair over the front so you couldn't see her face. She must have been the double having to do the dirty work, since there was another similar looking girl (size, hair color, features) dressed exactly the same standing on the lawn area high and dry with another part of the film crew. It would have been fun to watch more, but we had a bus to catch.

Carol and Eddie on the bus

This photo shows what the bus looked like we were going to take the tour on, but it was taken much later in the day. Because, when we got on the bus, it was already full on the top and we had to sit underneath. We asked if we could just wait for the next bus or get off at another stop and catch another bus, but the tour guide was at least honest enough to say that all the buses would be filled for the entire morning and we would have the best chance of getting on top if we waited for someone to get off. THAT NEVER HAPPENED! There weren't enough buses on the tour line, so they were all crowded all the time for the morning run which took two hours. We were SO mad; the NYC tour buses had room all the time on top and were easy to board at all the stops.

Busy modern city scene

We stayed on the bus until it was the midday feeding time. We ended up going into the Underground City to find a place to eat. The UC is 20 miles of shops, movie theaters, boutiques, and restaurants. Entrances to the UC are marked RESO and are not easy to find since they just have a small sign with an arrow pointing down, and if you aren't used to seeing those, finding them amongst all the other city signs is difficult. The access can be through a stairwell along the street or you may have to go into another building to find the stairs going down. Very secretive.

Eddie in the rain

So, when we boarded the bus again in our prime top view seats, the skies darkened, and it began to rain! We had to alternate going from top to bottom depending on how hard it was raining. In the photo, while Eddie is wearing his waterproof Tilley hat, his shirt and shorts were soaked.

City overview

Working very hard to be able to climb the big hill, the tour bus takes you all the way to the top of Mont-Royal, where you can look over the entire city. On a clear day it must be quite a sight. Even with our cloudy view it was easy to pick out certain buildings and bridges, especially the 1976 Olympic complex, because of the inclined tower, the tallest in the world at 574'.

St. Joseph's Oratory

Most of the whole of Mont-Royal is taken up by Mount Royal Park, a huge open green space used for recreation or the 2 million person cemetery, so it is a good place to get away from the city noise. It is also quiet at St. Joseph's Oratory, a domed landmark that is visible for miles even outside the city; we could even see it on part of our waterway trail. The Italian Renaissance style basilica is the largest in Canada and is used daily by people seeking solace in prayer and hoping for miracles that are purported to take place here if all cosmic elements are aligned correctly. A newlywed couple was having wedding photographs taken in front of the big entry doors while we were present.

University donation

McGill University is at the base of Mont-Royal. Over the years, through purchase and/or donation, the University has acquired many private residences properties adjacent to the campus. Some of these were residences of affluent and influential people of Montreal society and politics and chose to build homes high above the city, with sweeping views. Fortunately these architecturally unique and fascinating homes have been left as they were acquired and are now used as office or student resource buildings.

Desperation of Humanity

While many of the buildings can be considered works of art, several modern sculptures are strategically placed in popular parks and pedestrian thoroughfares. The interesting one in the photo, close to the McGill campus, depicts the desperation of humankind reaching the point of not being able to think and act for themselves, and so willingly follow a pointing, sightless leader. The figures in the back of the pack are falling down and are infirm, yet still cling to the sheepish mass.

Living in cubes

This fascinating condominium building was the result of a contest to design a living facility using cubes of a specified dimension. The winner was a young student of architecture from McGill University. It is said that you can't look out your living unit and to see into anyone else's home. Notice the “hole” through the structure. Several of those are visible depending on how the cubes are stacked. The expensive complex, east of Old Port, has views overlooking the Montreal waterfront and the entire city behind it.

Mother Nature's gamble

The Montreal Casino is also on the eastern outskirts of the city, not far from the old World's Fair site. The tour bus has a stop at the casino, but we didn't want to risk losing our bus seats to go gamble and lose money too, so we didn't disembark. I thought this living roulette wheel was really interesting.

Chinatown Holiday Inn

We breezed by Montreal's Chinatown. The Holiday Inn has a landmark rooftop that can be seen for blocks.

Montreal Congress building

This colorful glass building was the only one of its kind that we saw in the city, and we just happened upon after we had left the bus tour and were walking through some other city blocks heading to the Old Port area again before we had to go back to FLUKE.

While Montreal was originally founded in 1642, none of those buildings remain since they were constructed from wood, and fires took their toll. Stone buildings took hold, and many very old buildings, along with very narrow streets that the tour bus couldn't drive on, still stand in Vieux Montreal, Old Montreal. That part of town is nestled between the St. Lawrence River, which first brought the original settlers, and the city of modern skyscrapers which make Montreal the world class city of today. The best way to get around the old part of town is just to walk and enjoy the beautiful buildings. There are many boutiques, artisan studios and patio restaurants, so everyone in your group should find something that interests them.

Notre-Dame-Bascilica

Built in 1824, this landmark with its spires is easy to spot from most areas of old town. We told Eddie if he got separated from us that he should go there and we would find him again. Or maybe we wouldn't!

Concordia salus

This intricate carving displays the motto of the City of Montreal: well-being through harmony.

Cornered

I always like the buildings that peak out on the corner curves. This one was pretty, with all those repeating decorative arched windows. Even though many of the old buildings are getting replaced with newer ones, there is still a mix, and the narrow streets still remain, making it a real challenge for car traffic.

Place D'Armes

The elegant old hotel was just a couple of blocks from where we had to catch the Metro to get back to our connecting bus.

When we reached the Metro Station we had to purchase return tickets. Most of the riders had some sort of pass they just scanned through the turnstile to get into the station area. We had to go to a ticket booth and deal with a ticket man. When Eddie told him that he wanted a senior ticket, the man said he needed to see ID, so Eddie showed him his driver's license, but that wasn't good enough. Apparently he needed some kind of Montreal government issued ID to get the senior fare, yet the morning bus driver never made him show anything like that even though it was clear we didn't know what we were doing when we got on the bus the first thing in the morning. Since we were so tired, and we had a language issue, Eddie just bought a regular fare. We managed to find the right subway route and made it back to where our morning bus had dropped us off in plenty of time to catch the bus back to Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Even though we just scraped the surface of all Montreal had to offer, we decided not to go back into the city the next day. Instead, we elected to move on to the St. Lawrence River, where we would need an early start to allow plenty of time to lock through the St. Lawrence Seaway locks. Recreational boats are only locked through after the ocean-going ships are taken care of, and that can mean a really long wait.