When I woke up this morning, it was snowing! And obviously had been when I looked outside the hotel and saw a large amount of snow on the streets, and some equipment driving along the pathways and the road moving the snow into piles by the side of the road.

The sky was covered in clouds, so I decided to take the opportunity to go out and take a few photos of some cathedrals no more than 6 blocks from my hotel. I had a plastic camera cover so I decided to take one camera, with a single lens, and my tripod.

The closest was Cathedrale Marie-Reine du Monde (Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral). Here are a couple of photos. Even though it looks like an old concrete building, in reality it has a spectacular presence.

 

I then headed downhill to the Eglise anglicane Sainte-Georges (Saint George’s Anglican Church).

I then moved on to Basilique Saint Patrick (Saint Patrick’ Basilica). This is a very well known Basilica in Montreal. And as I was pretty well covered in snow, after some outside photos I headed inside, removed the outer gear, then took some inside photos after which I sat down in the pews for 20 minutes of quiet contemplation.

The last of these photos is of a confessional. The Basilica has 6 of them. The woodwork was just magnificent.

Whilst each of these old churches / cathedrals are now physically dwarfed by modern buildings around them, they all stand out due to their architecture and overall magnificence compared to the glass and steel they are surrounded by. And to see them in snow and whilst snowing was just such a pleasure.

I decided after this to head over to the Summet Place Ville Marie (Observation Deck at Ville Marie Place). Normally this Observation Deck would provide amazing views. However, with the snow coming down, the visibility was down to around 40%. But the snow is due to fall for at least the next couple of days and I couldn’t see everything I wanted to see without going out during the snowfall. So I headed up there and below are a couple of photos. The visibility was definitely relatively short, and very grey visuals. But there was only a couple there, so I had space to sit down and watch the snowflakes as they floated past the windows.

Again, the outside looks a dull grey – which it was for me too. But I think this tells its own story. The snow has caused a significant amount of chaos in Montreal – fire trucks being used at accident sites, police officers directing traffic, tow trucks transporting vehicles for repair etc., so this is a snapshot of what it is really like in Montreal at this time.

After leaving the Deck, I wandered over to Quartier des Spectacles, to see the much maligned Christmas Tree. I guess it’s harder to see what the tree itself looks like with all of the lights etc. on it, but I think it seems fine. I also walked through the square, looking at the various animal features and little huts that are set aside for weekend festive events, and took a few shots on the way. It’s a really nice setup, and the snow makes such a big difference to the display. Getting here today was well timed.

This is the much maligned Christmas Tree. The tip broke off during transport. But it is a real tree and I think the locals want to keep it as is. Because it’s real.

After wandering through the square, I headed over to The Club for dinner. Most of the retail sector in Montreal is primarily conducted in French. The welcome is always Bonjour (Welcome), and as I indicate that I speak English by saying G’Day or Hello, the discussion changes to English. However not every discussion works out exactly as planned. For example, I requested a bitter beer for a drink to go along with my meal order, and I received a pitcher (ie. a jug of beer). I then ordered a meal of a Cuban sandwich and plate of poutine. This is my first sample of poutine, the mix of chips, cheese and gravy allegedly invented in the 1970s. It tasted exactly what you’d think it would taste like.

Anyway, I stayed on and finished the pitcher of beer, it tasted okay as a beer, and then walked back to my hotel (16 blocks) and then again headed off to bed.