(Photo) Stained Glass Windows in The Notre-Dame Basilica.

Piece 1: Historic Churches. Located in the heart of Old Montreal at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, The Notre-Dame Basilica stands as one of the most remarkable examples of Gothic Revival architecture in North America.

Designed by James O’Donnell, an Irish-American Protestant architect from New York, main construction of Notre-Dame was completed in 1829. The exterior of the Basilica is characterized by its symmetrical twin towers (named Perseverance and Temperance) that majestically dominate the Montreal skyline.

Inside Notre-Dame, soaring vaulted ceilings are studded with gold stars, creating a celestial atmosphere. The sanctuary is symphony of carved wood, paintings, gilded sculptures, and stained-glass windows that depict scenes from Montreal’s religious history. The Basilica also features a grand Casavant Frères pipe organ, with nearly 7,000 pipes.

Many famous Canadians have had their funerals at Notre-Dame, including those of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and hockey legend Maurice “Rocket” Richard.

Visitors will find descriptive signage in Notre-Dame is available in both English and French.

Another prestigious church in Montréal is Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral in Montreal, also known as Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde. Completed in 1894, the church is located in the Ville-Marie borough of the city (at 1085 Rue de la Cathédrale) and is the seat of the Archdiocese for Montréal.

Designed by architect Victor Bourgeau, Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde was built in response to Bishop Ignace Bourget’s desire to have a church in Montréal that resembled the famous St. Peter’s Basilica at Vatican City in Rome (Italy).

The exterior of the cathedral features an impressive copper dome, one of the largest in North America. Along the facade of the building are statues of the patron saints of the 13 parishes of Montreal that donated toward the cathedral, imitating the statues of the 12 apostles on the facade of St. Peter’s in Rome.

Once inside the cathedral, visitors are greeted by a spacious nave with a flat, coffered ceiling adorned with delicately rendered frescoes. Elaborate woodwork and marble installations accentuate the solemn ambience, while stained glass windows create a kaleidoscope of colors.

On the east wall of the building is a burial chapel, completed in 1933. A decorative tomb containing the remains of the church’s visionary, Monsignor Bourget, is located in the center of the space.

Statue of Maurice “Rocket” Richard

Piece 2: Centre Bell/Olympic Park. Centre Bell has been the home of the Montréal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) since it opened in March 1996. Its downtown location at 1909 Canadiens-de-Montréal Avenue makes the facility accessible for both locals and tourists.

Designed to integrate seamlessly into Montreal’s urban fabric, Centre Bell, with its sleek lines and expansive glass facade, is a striking feature of the city’s skyline. Further, the 21,000+ seat building has acoustical qualities and sight lines that make it a great venue for concerts.

While it hosts many kinds of events, the main identity of Centre Bell is that of “home ice” for the oldest continuously operating professional ice hockey team worldwide, the Montréal Canadiens. The east entrance to facility features bronze statues honoring four of the team’s legendary players; Howie Morenz, Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau, and Guy Lafleur.

Founded in 1909, the Canadiens were one of the “Original Six” teams that made up the NHL from 1942 until the 1967 expansion. The team has won the Stanley Cup (annually awarded to the NHL Champion) more times than any other league franchise.

We really enjoyed our visit to Centre Bell to watch the Canadiens play the Pittsburgh Penguins. The place was absolutely packed, we could not see an empty seat anywhere, and there was a distinctive energy from the crowd as they chanted “Go Habs” to encourage the Canadiens, a nickname (short for Habitants) that dates back to 1914.

Another interesting element to the hockey game between Montréal and Pittsburgh was that the Penguins had three players who had been together on the team for 19 years; Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins won a competitive contest, with Letang and Malkin each scoring a goal.

Finally, a word about the hot dogs at Centre Bell, which are grilled and then tucked into a warm “bun” of thick toasted bread. Uniquely delicious!

Another fun sports-related experience during our trip to Montréal was visiting Olympic Park, the centerpiece of which is Olympic Stadium, a vestige of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games that was repurposed as the home field of Major League Baseball’s Expos (named for the 1967 Exposition and World’s Fair hosted in Montréal) until the team’s relocation to Washington D.C. in 2004.

The stadium’s design reflects a blend of organic forms, monumental scale, and sweeping curves. A distinguishing element of the structure is a 574-foot tall leaning tower, which supported the stadium’s retractable roof.

The Olympic torch and medalists podium are still in place at the complex, making for a great photo opportunity!

Cooking Bagels at St-Viateur Bagel Shop

Piece 3: Old Montréal/Mile End/Underground. Old Montréal is a neighborhood located just northeast of city center that has been preserved in much of its original state, with the oldest buildings dating back to the 1600’s. The area is a delightful maze of cobblestone streets and classic architectural styles.

This part of town includes the Notre-Dame Basilica and Pointe-à-Callière Museum, a national historic site that delves into the history of Montréal from the perspective of its original Indigenous inhabitants to contemporary urban life.

In 2017, Pointe-à-Callière unveiled a tribute to North America’s first collector sewer, a majestic feat of civil engineering built underneath Montréal between 1832 and 1838. Museum visitors are able to stroll through a refurbished 360-foot section of the old drainage system, colorfully illuminated by lights projected onto the stone walls.

Another interesting Montréal neighborhood located about 2.5 miles northwest of city center is Mile-End; which features a diverse cultural mix of residents that includes people of Jewish, Italian, Greek, and Portuguese ancestry.

Mile-End is a thriving culinary scene, and we had a chance to sample some of Montréal’s most popular food. We were particularly excited to eat at Wilensky’s Light Lunch, a Jewish deli established in 1932 that has become known for its “special,” a pressed sandwich that includes beef salami, beef baloney, a slice of cheese, and mustard on a bread roll. We really enjoyed our “specials.” They reminded us a bit of the fried and barbecued baloney sandwiches so common in the Southern United States.

We were also anxious to sample some Montréal-style bagels, and visited the landmark location of the St-Viateur Bagel Shop in Mile-End.

A Montréal-style bagel is boiled in honey-sweetened water before being baked in a wood-fired oven. Compared to a New York-style bagel, Montréal-style bagels tend to be a bit smaller, thinner, sweeter, and denser. We got ours freshly made with sesame seeds, and they were wonderful!

Finally, we wanted to highlight the remarkable network of interconnected subterranean passageways beneath the city. Conceived in the 1960s as a response to the city’s harsh winter climate, Underground Montréal spans over 20 miles, offering year-round comfort and connectivity for residents and visitors alike.

The Metro is a rapid transit system that is integrated with Underground Montréal, providing riders quick access to shopping centers, hotels, offices, museums, and universities.

We utilized the Metro on a cold rainy day to access a shopping mall within the Underground. Found some things we needed, some things we just wanted, and a freshly brewed cup of coffee from Tim Horton’s to warm us up!

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