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| Montréal seen from the clock tower |
Busy weekend exploring the city of Montréal with my hostess, Magali. After
a long, cold winter and a rainy spring, the city and its inhabitants burst into
bloom with the arrival of the first signs of summer! Everybody seems to be out
on the street enjoying the sunshine. They have even built an artificial beach in the harbour, just for sunbathing (you can't swim there)!
In summer, Montréal seems like a city dedicated entirely to having fun! The
first thing you see coming into the city over Jacques Cartier Bridge is the
roller coasters and assorted fairground rides on Saint-Helene island. The old port has a zipline
circuit and a big circus tent – home to Cirque du Soleil. Of course I had to
catch one of their shows while in town!
Downtown was also bustling with sunseekers and funseekers. Packed bars, people dancing in Jardin Gamelin, and 21 Balançoires in the
Quartier des Spectacles: swings that play music when you swing on them. Nearby,
in the Gay Village, on
a street with coloured balls in all the colours of the rainbow strung
over it, are a set of four bicycles that play tracks corresponding
to the various instruments in a band when you pedal them; four people need to
pedal together to hear the complete band!
The city has whole districts dedicated entirely to fun and games. Besides the Quartier des Spectacles, there's the Expo '67 site, home to the Biosphere, the biggest geodesic dome built by Buckminster Fuller. Originally the American pavilion at Expo '67, it was closed in with acrylic panels, which caught fire during restoration of the structure and melted away - so now only the frame is left. Inside the dome is a museum all about the environment, with lots of flashy and interactive exhibits.
Then there's the site of the 1976 Olympics, where we explored the Biodome. And the museum district, where the Musée des Beaux Arts has lots of fun contemporary art exhibits. Luckily, admission was free to all the city's museums and attractions this Sunday - which made up for splurging on a Cirque du Soleil ticket!
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| Vieux Montréal |
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| The clock tower in the old port |
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| The Olympic stadium |
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| My home over the weekend on a quiet, leafy green street. The outdoor staircases are typical of Montréal |
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| My comfy sofa bed! |
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| Goodbye selfie with Magali! (and mysterious figure hanging out by the metro station) |
Budget (two days):
Entertainment $85
Food $42
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