Montreal: Olympic Park, Biodome, St Laurent, St Denis, Notre Dame Basilica, Old Montreal

Happy 1 month! It’s been 1 month since we left home.

Jon and I began our day at Parc Olympique and Biodome de Montreal. Parc Olympique was built for the 1976 summer Olympic game. At the park, there is an Olympic stadium with a diagonal elevator that leads to the observatory. This is the tallest inclined tower in the world. There was also a sports centre with 6 aquatic pools. The biodome contains plants, animals and ecosystems. However, we didn’t get a chance to take a tour because they were closed.

We then walked around Saint Laurent Boulevard and Saint Denis Street. These are some of the main streets here. There were lots of cute boutiques and restaurants. We also walked around their underground pedestrian network. We walked to Victoria square which is named after Queen Victoria. We also walked Place Ville Marie, a large shopping mall. There we ate a smoked meat sandwich with fries. It was delicious. We also walked around Chinatown which was quite nice. There were bakeries and little shops. We saw a Holiday Inn with a pagoda top.

We came back to our hotel and took a nap. Then we went to the Notre Dame Basilica light show. It was about the history of how Notre Dame came to be. It had audio and visual effects. Afterwards, we walked down Saint Paul Street. There were high end restaurants which we couldn’t afford. Then we walked by the water and saw these funny apartment complexes that looked like Lego.

We also walked through Jacque Cartier Place which is in Old Montreal and saw a street show. The performer had 6 audience members dance to the Lion King song that goes “in the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight”. The atmosphere in Old Montreal is very mellow and “romantic”. There were nice street music, restaurants and stores.

Then we went to the local grocery store and bought croissants, havarti cheese and some meat to make a sandwich. It wasn’t bad. It’s a healthier alternative to Mcdonald’s. We also had a salad in a bag because we didn’t want to mix it in a bowl. For lunch, we had chocolate bread.

The hotel we’re staying in is very nice. Our room is tiny, about 10 by 10 feet but what it lacks the staff makes up. We were served breakfast and they also help us do our laundry for free. How nice!

Have a great night everyone!