Montréal, Quebec

We arrived in Montréal for a two-day stop.  The weather -- you guessed it -- RAIN.  Since we are "travelers" not "tourists", we adjust to what is given us without complaint.  (As the Norwegians say, "there is no bad weather, just bad clothing,"  so we adjusted our clothing for the conditions and went out to see the city.)

Our first evening we strolled through Old Town with a tour group headed for the historic Notre Dame Basilica.  The evening was cool but the rain had stopped as our group dropped by a local pub for a glass of wine and tapas.

The twin towers of the Basilica reached into the overcast evening sky.  The first church on this site was built in 1672.  By 1824 the congregation had outgrown the building and a replacement church was constructed between 1824 and 1842.  At the time it was completed, it was the largest church in North America.

We were attending the Basilica to view their spectacular multimedia production titled "AURA".  The performance used 140 lamps, 20 mirrors, lasers, projections on the ceiling and floors, and specialty composed orchestral work produced to enhance the basilica's rich heritage and architectural beauty.  Before the light show, we marveled at the basilica's interior which was finished in 1879.

The pipe organ containing 7,000 pipes was completed in 1891.  Unfortunately, the light show could not be photographed, but it was spectacular.

Montréal day two: we embarked on a scenic drive to the Laurentian Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.  On the way we stopped for a stroll around the charming resort village of Saint-Sauveur.

The weather cooperated with sun and comfortable temperatures (for a change!).  The village with its many boutique shops were attractively decorated with fall and Halloween displays. 

We continued on to Mont-Tremblant resort located at the base of the Laurentian Mountains. It is regularly voted the best all-season resort in  eastern North America.

The resort consists of a pedestrian village with many appealing boutiques and restaurants surrounded by resort hotels and hundreds of condos and apartments. 

From the village base we took an open gondola to the upper village.

From there we boarded an enclosed, eight-person tram which transported us 3,000 feet up to the head of the ski slopes.  The ride required 15 minutes.

Our vista from the top provided a marvelous view! We were amazed at the continuous stream of people walking up the steep ski slope (for exercise?).  "No thanks, we'll use the tram."

Nautical Term of the Day -- Toe the Line

When called to line up at attention, the ship's crew would form up with their toes touching a seam in the deck planking.