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Montreal 72 Hours

Of course I knew that Quebec is a French speaking province of Canada, but I kind of forgot, or did not fully appreciate how French speaking it is.

Communication was never a problem, despite my lack of French, but being just five hours away from my home in Connecticut, and having been in English speaking parts of Canada many times before, it was a bit surprising to find myself stumped a few times by the language barrier.

And as you spend more time in the city you see hints and historic clues about the battles over this land between the British, the French, the Americans too - and how those battles shaped the culture of Quebec province - parts of northern New England - and the city of Montreal specifically.

During this trip north, I chose to spend a few days in Montreal and a few days about three hours to the east in Quebec City. If I had to compare the two I would say Montreal looks and feels like a small New York City while Quebec City is a tamer version of New Orleans (but more about that next month).

On Place d'Armes a statue of an Englishman with nose upturned toward Notre Dame Cathedral is matched by a Frenchwoman with her nose upturned toward the Bank of Montreal. Both symbolize past foreign influences Canada would rather be free of.

The respectful, but always present tension between English and French influences continue to this day in the Quebec sovereignty movement, observable differences of life on the streets, and in the musical sound of the French language being spoken on every corner, every shop, and restaurant.

The other thing I noticed was the ethnic diversity of the population and the feeling that Canadians embrace cultural differences much more than Americans.

In the United States diversity, equity and inclusion are agreed upon goals. In Montreal, it seems like an unquestioned way of life. Romantic pairings, unusual fashion, and unconventional self-expression do not merit a second glance.

Montreal is a city of several neighborhoods. All are close and most are walkable from the center of town.

Old Montreal is where you will find the cathedral of Notre Dame, Place d'Armes, and blocks of shops and restaurants housed in architecture dating back to the 1700s. Monuments and plaques explaining local history are everywhere. There is a small Chinatown bordering Old Montreal, the business center of the city is just a few blocks away, as is the waterfront. Mount Royal Park is worth a half day or more.

Parking is expensive in Montreal. There are very few free parking options. There is a Metro system covering most of the major sites. Walking the city is easy. Finding your way is not challenging. There is a sense of safety on the streets.

Montreal is a major destination for conventioneers and large groups of people wearing convention passes are in some competition with more casual tourists.

Toronto(2.9 million) is the only Canadian city larger than Montreal(1.8 million).

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© Dean Pagani 2022

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© Dean Pagani 2022

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