Next we stopped at a lock and watched
them pass several boats through it. Although 
we have seen locks in
several parts of the St. Lawrence River it is always interesting
to watch them manipulate differences in water levels in this
manner. As we were getting off of our bus at the locks the bus
driver pointed out a local resident who felt it was his duty to
greet all newcomers to his area. This little guy certainly didn't
seem shy to having his picture taken. As we were heading back for
the bus station our tour guide pointed out that we would have
about an hour before the other bus was due to pick us up and take
us back to our campground. She suggested that we might like to
visit their famous underground pedestrian network. It is referred
to by Montrealers as their "und
erground
city". It is a vast indoor downtown pedestrian network that
extends some 30 km (18 miles). Over 500,000 people a day
circulate in this indoor network, linking some sixty building
complexes which collectively occupy 4.3 million sq. yds. of floor
space. Inaugurated in the sixties, Montreal's underground city
provides access to nearly 2,000 stores. There are a multitude of
boutiques, major department stores, restaurants, cinemas,
theaters and exhibition halls which provide their services to the
crowds using the pedestrian mall. Well, going into my "shop
til you drop" mode (and dragging Bob behind) we descended
into the
basement of
a nearby store in order to access the underground city. I'm not
sure what I was expecting but it was just like being inside a
mall anywhere in the world, just underground. I gave Bob a break,
we went a little ways into the mall, and I settled for a late
lunch. We emerged with sufficient time to walk over to the
Notre-Dame Basilica and take a tour. We found out that a church
named a basilica was one that was considered worthy of having the
Pope say Mass in it. We learned that the Notre-Dame parish's
history actually dates back to the origins of Montreal, which was
founded in 1642 by Paul de Chomedey de Mainsonneuve. Until 1659,
the faithful gathered in a simple wooden chapel. It was
ministered to by the Jesuits until 1657, the year the Sulpicians
arrived in Ville-Marie (Montreal) and took over the parish.
Another chapel, adjoining the Hotel-Dieu (the city's first
hospital) was then built. A stone church was built between 1672
and 1683. It was located right in the middle of Notre-Dame
Street. By 1800, many parishioners had
to listen to Mass in the square in front of the chapel because it
was no longer large enough to accommodate everyone. Even though
there was talk of building a new structure, it was not until 1823
that the churchwardens approved the plans for today's church.
Notre-Dame Basilica was built from 1824 to 1829. The results were
truly awesome. The Basilica is a masterpiece of Gothic Revival
architecture. The magnificent interior decor, in sculpted wood,
paint and gold leaf, captivates hundreds of thousands of visitors
each year. Paintings, sculptures and stained-glass windows
illustrate biblical passages as well as three-and-a-half
centuries of parish history and Montreal 
society.
The majestic sound of the syphonic organ, created by the renowned
Casavant firm in Saint-Hyacinthe (Quebec), can be heard during
all religious ceremonies. Behind the sanctuary, the Sacred Heart
Chapel, affectionately known as the "wedding chapel",
was rebuilt in 1980 following a serious fire. the eastern wall of
the apse is dominated by a stunning bronze alterpiece designed by
Canadian sculptor Charles Daudelin.After an exhausting day we
departed the basilica in plenty of time to catch our bus back to
the campground. After we got home that night we made plans to
return to several places that we had seen along our route. So
far, our trip to Montreal had been a rousing success. No language
problems, and transportation had been managed rather nicely. I
again recommend the idea of taking a tour on your first day in a
really large city in order to get an overall picture of
everything that you might want to see. Montreal was a really
diverse and beautiful city with many things to offer anyone who
visits.
Want more information on Montreal?
check out their website at: http://www.tourism-montreal.org.
Good Luck! Have Fun! and Stay
Safe!
Laura
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