One weekend during our trip to Canada, we went on a road trip to Montreal. Montreal is a little over 5 hour drive from Mississauga. You seriously have to check it out when you are in Ontario.
Montreal is the most populous city in Quebec. French na ang salita dun. In short, hindi ako masyadong kumausap ng mga tao from there. Hindi kasi ako marunong magFrench.
Since we are also going to Ottawa on that same weekend, we stayed in Montreal for just one day. Alvin and I agreed that pagbalik na lang namin kami magsestay dun ng matagal-tagal. We wanted pa kasi sana to walk around and immerse ourselves to discover how they actually live there.
Here are the places we went to:
Saint Joseph Oratory of Mount Royal
The Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine on Westmount Summit in Montreal, Quebec. It is Canada’s largest church. (Wikipedia)
The gigantic oratory honors St Joseph, Canada’s patron saint. The largest shrine ever built in honor of Jesus’ father, this Renaissance-style building was completed in 1960 and commands fine views of the northern slope of Mont-Royal. The oratory dome is visible from anywhere in this part of town. The oratory is also a tribute to the work of Brother André, the determined monk who first built a little chapel here in 1904. (source)
There were several candles inside that you can light and then offer a prayer with. Anika wanted to light everything. Sabi ko mamumulubi kami because you need to drop dollar coins for each candle.
The view from their top deck is amazing.
We went up to the top most level where a church was situated right under the giant dome. Of course I prayed and made my three wishes.
The church was beautiful with it’s very high ceiling and minimalist interiors.
We just had to take our photos taken by these gigantic pillars just outside the church.
It was already time for lunch by the time we finished touring the oratory. We parked our big van and had a picnic lunch on the grass. Astig di ba? We ate rice and adobo and we drank Coke! Pinoy na pinoy!
After lunch, we went to visit the Notre Dame Basilica. This was where Celine Dion got married. #sumi-celebrity
Notre-Dame Basilica is a basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church’s Gothic Revival architecture is among the most dramatic in the world; its interior is grand and colourful, its ceiling is coloured deep blue and decorated with golden stars, and the rest of the sanctuary is a polychrome of blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues. Unusual for a church, the stained glass windows along the walls of the sanctuary do not depict biblical scenes, but rather scenes from the religious history of Montreal. It also has a Casavant Frères pipe organ, dated 1891, which comprises four keyboards, 92 stops using electropneumatic action and an adjustable combination system, 7000 individual pipes and a pedal board. (Wikipedia)
Before we entered the church, we had our photos taken first at the Place D’ Armes in front of the Basilica.
Who among you watch Just Kidding? Dito yun sila nang-spu-spoof ng mga tao sa plaza na ito =)
That guy in that monument is Paul de Chomedey. He is the founder of Montreal.
After accepting that walang shooting ng Just Kidding that day, we went inside na the basilica.
You have to pay an entrance fee before entering this majestic church.
Sulit naman ang binayad namin, ‘teh.
Words cannot describe how beautiful it is inside. Bongga talaga kung bongga.
Ang taray ni Tita Celine Dion to have her wedding here. I could hear the organ playing all throughout that day.
I wish our photos can justify how grand and majestic the altar is. Sobra talagang ganda.
Grabe the details! Ang tiyaga!
After praying and making wishes, we went to St. Paul Street in Old Montreal.
Old Montreal is the oldest area in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with a few remains dating back to New France. (Wikipedia)
Walking along St. Paul Street is an experience. Para ka talagang bumalik sa dating panahon.
There are souvenir shops so I got na pasalubongs from there.
We headed back to our hotel after this. Pagoda Cold Wave lotion na ang peg ng mga kasama ko.
I wish we can go back to Montreal. I would like to stay in the place longer. There were so many places where we weren’t able to do or go to like Mount Royal, walk at St. Paul Street at night, join a food tour and check out their market place. Our boss, Sid Consunji, said that if you want to see how people live in a certain country or city, one of the places that you should check out is their market place or palengke. Punta ka dun and magmasid-masid ka ng mga different kinds of people. I want to do that next time =)