Ernestly ?!Ernestly ?!By ERNIE NEUFELD, Weyburn Review Associate Publisher
Somehow it felt like my first visit to Montreal, sometimes referred to as the gem of Canadian cities.
Physically I had been there before, at a few convention-type functions I compare to stepping into a hotel anywhere in North America and having it airlifted into an available piece of real estate in mid-city Montreal. I had even visited it during Expo 67: nights in a cramped little downtown hotel room, capping daily trips to and from the Expo site, and fascinating but tiring days walking from pavilion to pavilion and standing in line at Canada's first world-class exposition.
With this background, and not running across (when I needed them), any acquaintances who are veteran Montreal visitors, selecting a hotel was a challenge. A reasonably central location seemed desirable in order to take advantage of "starred" downtown attractions. Naturally there is no shortage of central accommodation, but in major cities the daily rates can be forbidding. At the other end of the spectrum, paying too little in seemingly desirable locations can be disastrous.
Fortune smiled. With the help of our travel agent, we settled for a small chain hotel with reasonable quoted rates, and just half a block off Sherbrooke, which runs the length of Ile de Montreal at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers.
Besides having comfortable, clean, well-appointed rooms, the hotel had a friendly and most obliging staff. When we decided to extend our stay by a few nights, we did not hesitate to remain at the same facility, and would probably make it our choice on a future visit.
Travelling to Montreal, nourishment had consisted mainly of an airline lunch and a snack, and we had looked forward to dinner in style on arrival. A severe Toronto thunderstorm delayed touchdown until about 9 o'clock, and Dorval Airport is a long (and expensive) ride from city centre.
A restaurant facility had been advertised, but I wasn't very hopeful when I asked the desk clerk if the dining room was still open. He assured us it was, but confided that he would not recommend it except for breakfast; however, other restaurants abounded nearby and offered service until midnight.
A dominant concern for anglophone Montreal visitors necessarily is service in English. It simply is no problem. Command of English may vary from excellent to fragmentary, but wherever we went, we experienced friendly assistance. Where we chose to try our high school French, folks were at pains to help us out in slow, concise French, instead of switching to English (which often would have been easier for them).
I have suggested often that a city bus tour is an excellent first-day exercise in a large strange city, and we found this a satisfying experience. A female tour guide who unabashedly spoke a very personal brand of English, only distantly related to "the King's," offered an adequate and humourous running commentary, and was willing to add to the standard "pitch" as necessary.
The three-hour tour efficiently gave us a glimpse of every important tourist attraction, while leaving dozens of points of interest to discover at our own leisure and convenience.
Included was a 30-minute tour of the centuries-old Notre Dame Basilica in the Old Port of Montreal, considered one of the largest in North America.
On our own, we spent as much of the day as body energy would permit at the 180-acre Botanical Garden of Montreal, which includes exhibition greenhouses, outdoor gardens, Japanese and Chinese gardens, an arboretum and an insectarium. It would easily qualify for a second visit, and perhaps a third.
Within heart-healthy walking distance of our hotel was the old port, with antique shops, art galleries, museums and eateries which would afford a week of browsing.
We attended a Sunday service (with a scant 100 others) at Christ Church Cathedral, an elegant and beautiful church which, I understand, predates the establishment of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Thousands of words would be justified to describe even our stay of less than a week in Montreal. But my summation must be that it has a vibrancy one senses immediately; it is friendly and progressive; its culture reflects the almost 500-year French presence and dominance in Quebec: it is indeed a Canadian gem that merits the pride of all of us.
We hope to visit it again soon.
My address (also listed on the Review's Website) is ernestly@pathcom.com.
Box 400, 904 East Avenue
Weyburn, SK
S4H 2K4
Phone: (306) 842-7487
Fax: (306) 842-0282
E-mail: weyburn.review@sk.sympatico.ca
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