Here is an excerpt from Cruising from Boston to Montreal: Discovering coastal and riverside wonders in Maine, the Canadian Maritimes and along the St. Lawrence River by Al & Sunny Lockwood:
Montreal
Today most passengers leave the ship and return to their homes. But Sweetheart and I, along with a few others, have chosen to remain for the return trip to Boston. So for us, this is the halfway point in our fourteen-day cruise.
This is also the day that a whole ship full of new passengers comes aboard for the cruise from Montreal to Boston.
Breakfast in the mad-house Lido. Goodbyes are being said. Promises to keep in touch. Everybody trying to grab one last breakfast before leaving for the airport.
Despite the cooks and servers behind the food counters struggling to keep up with the departing passenger requests, they’re failing. All my breakfast food is cold: frittata, roasted tomato, British banger. Al says his pancake is so-so. But why complain? In an hour we’ll be off on a Montreal tour.
Last fall we took an all-day tour of this grand city. At the time, I had little idea of what Montreal would be like. I just suspected it would feel like Europe and I’d enjoy it. We learned so much during that one day. The biggest surprise was discovering that Montreal is a river island. Located at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, it is the second most populated river island in the world. Established in 1642, the historic area of Montreal is, indeed, European. Cobblestone streets, gray stone buildings, lots of restaurants and shops. French signage everywhere, and the music of French conversation surrounding us on the street.
But there is so much more to this city. And its history is not entirely limited to the 16th century. This is where John Lennon wrote the song “Give Peace a Chance.” He wrote it during his and Yoko Ono’s week-long “bed in” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in June 1969. Their “bed in” and the song were among their personal protests against war.
More recently, Cirque du Soleil chose Montreal for its headquarters. The world-famous troupe of acrobats, musicians and magical performers actually got its start in Quebec, but has established its headquartered in Montreal.
Montreal is the largest city in Quebec Province and the second largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris.
What fascinated me most the day we visited last year was exploring the city’s subterranean world. Montreal has one and a half square miles of underground walkways, shopping centers, restaurants, movie theaters, night clubs and subway stations right beneath the heart of the city.
This underground maze connects with office and apartment buildings as well as the city’s museums, universities and colleges. It’s a well-lit, climate-controlled world that protects residents from harsh weather and offers a convenient way to navigate the downtown all year around without ever having to deal with traffic.
It even has its own metro. But the underground metro doesn’t run on rails; it runs on rubber tires, keeping the noise level low for people living close to the system. When winter storms and plunging temperatures threaten to shut down outside activity, the Montreal underground keeps the city humming.
Year around, about half a million people use the underground every day.
While the underground fascinated us, what really blew our minds was the unimaginable beauty of Notre-Dame Basilica, the crown jewel of Old Montreal. We only have three hours for today’s tour, and we won’t be visiting the underground. But we’re eager to get back to Notre-Dame Basilica.
To our delight, the tour bus heads straight to the Basilica. Tour Guide Norman says we’ll be here for at least forty minutes. I’m thrilled to have that much time within this gorgeous structure. The Basilica’s architect, James O’Donnell, was an Irish Protestant who converted to Catholicism and is buried within the church.
This huge Gothic Revival-style basilica has two square towers. They were built between 1841 and 1843, and both have names. The western tower, named Perseverance, houses the great bell, weighing more than 24,000 pounds. The eastern tower, named Temperance, houses the ten-bell carillon. Between these towers, and high above the center entry door stands a compassionate Virgin Mary statue, her head encircled by a halo of golden stars.
While the Basilica’s exterior is impressive, it’s the interior that takes my breath away. To begin with, the place is huge. Three thousand worshippers can comfortably sit in this sanctuary.
High above the pews, the deep blue ceiling vaults are sprinkled with thousands of gold stars. Made of genuine gold leaf, the hovering stars actually twinkle in the reflected light of burning candles and sunshine from entry doors opening and closing.
There are religious paintings, intricate wood carvings, elegant columns painted in gold, reds, purples, silvers and blues. Even the devotional candles are blue and gold, a sea of tiny flames casting flickering shadows and the fragrance of melting wax.
Sitting in a dark pew beneath shimmering gold stars, I feel immersed in peace.
Straight ahead, the dazzling altar fills an entire wall. Back-lit, the altar and wall glow in radiant blue and gold. Christ crucified, the central statue, is surrounded by Biblical scenes: angels, saints, the Virgin Mary, the disciples, Mary Magdalene, Old Testament prophets and more.
Awash in splendor and dramatic architecture, prayer comes as naturally as breathing. Inhaling wonder. Exhaling gratitude. How long have I sat here absorbed in awe? Al comes up beside me. “Isn’t it just amazing,” he whispers.
After a moment, he motions toward our group, gathering nearby. We join them. Norman points out the 1891 Casavant Frères pipe organ with its four keyboards, ninety-two stops and 7,000 individual pipes. Not only is this building beautiful beyond description, but Norman assures us it also has perfect acoustics. How I wish we could hear the organ.
This entire space is majesty on a grand scale. I’d like to spend more time in this serene sanctuary—hours, days, weeks—but Norman leads us back outside.
CRUISING FROM BOSTON TO MONTREAL AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!
