Final Day in Montreal

I ventured outside of Montreal into the countryside of Quebec.  The mountains (the Appalachians) look very familiar to the landscape of Oconee and Pickens counties.  Here are a few of my pictures from a visit to three very different vineyards.

The grapes at the first vineyard were almost ready for the picking.  Nets have been placed over the vines to protect the precious fruit from birds.

The setting for the first tasting was beautiful.

The owner of the winery was all about the science of the taste.  You will note we were to create a graph regarding the characteristics of the selections.

Our second stop was an orchard/vineyard.  The tasting was all about ciders.

The English-speaking guide help walk us through the creation of a cocktail with "fire cider" that would accompany the lunch.

The third vineyard was a working farm in which various exotic animals were raised.

The wine tasting at this farm included appetizers made of deer, yak, and boar. 

These guys were grazing in the field... they soon may become an appetizer for a group learning about wine.

The appetizer of boar was not boring!

I didn't realize when I was visiting this guy that I would be tasting yak sausage.

This guy thought the grass was green (at least tastier) from the other side of the fence.

The view of modern Montreal was a great sight as our tour group returned to the city.

Montreal, Part II

After my lunch of mussels and fries, I was ready for a second walking tour of the western portion of the old city.  The guide wasn't quite as good, but here are few of my pictures from this trek in Old Montreal.

Here's a look at the buildings near the Intercontinental Hotel.  A wedding was going on (well, photos were being taken).  With the underground areas of the city, you can travel through much of the city without going outside during the cold weather and heavy snowfall.

A portion of the Berlin Wall was given to the city of Montreal. 

Here's the hotel of the rich and famous.  Madonna stayed here last week during her concert.

As I was standing at the hotel, a Masserati pulled up and a gentleman got out.  The bellman is parking the vehicle.  I'm not sure if he was of the rich and famous of Montreal.

Another hotel in this area of the city.  This guy made the girl cry and he was soon all over her trying to get her to stop.

This was the home of the Grey Nuns of Montreal.  They did works of charity, but also built warehouses across the harbor area.  Today these warehouses have been converted to apartments.

The tour ended in the cruise port area.  My ship was preparing to leave with another group of passengers bound for Boston.

This is the Museum of Archeology (Pointe-à-Callière Museum) is right in the port area.

A former firehouse that is now a museum in Old Montreal.

Montreal, Part 1

I took a walking tour of Old Montreal today.  It was actually two walking tours:  East Montreal was in the AM and West Montreal was in the PM. 

Here are my photos from the morning tours.

The ms Maasdam arrived in the port at 6:30, and I was off the ship by 7:15.  Here's the view as we arrived in port.

These were interesting apartments I photographed from the ship.  I learned they were part of a doctoral project of an architecture student.  Each apartment has an individual entrance and outside area as part of the design.

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The area of Quebec was settled by the French, English, Scottish, and Irish.  Here's a statue of a French woman with a turned up nose to the bank across the street.  The French somewhat resented the merchants and banks (Scottish). 

On the other end of the street is a snooty Englishman.  He's got his nose turned up at the church ... Notre Dame Basilica. 

A statue of the founder of Montreal, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, 

Notre-Dame Basilica "its interior is grand and colorful, its ceiling is colored deep blue and decorated with golden stars, and the rest of the sanctuary is a polychrome of blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold.:

The altar of the Notre=Dame Basilica. 

Here's a look at the chapel.  The Chapelle du Sacré-Cœur (Chapel of the Sacred Heart), was built behind it and has a modern look.

There's sculpture throughout the city.  Here is a piece representing three gossiping sistersl

After completing this tour, I had a lunch of mussels and fries ... it was delicious!

The tour started and ended outside the Basilica of Notre Dame.  It was to have several weddings this afternoon in the church and the chapel.  Of course, they let us know that Celine Dion was married here.

Final Day of the Cruise: Montreal, Quebec

Today is the final day of the cruise, but I'll be spending two days in Montreal before my return flight home.

Here's the video overview of the city from Holland America.

Arrival in Quebec City...

It's early, and I just took a few shots from the port of Quebec City.  My internet minutes are dwindling so I may not be able to post additional pictures until I arrive at my hotel in Montreal tomorrow.

Château Frontenac as viewed from the ms Maasdam on the St. Lawrence River.

Update:  I took a day-long tour that included the Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre Shrine, an authenticate sugar shack in a forest of maple trees, ventured to the top of the Montmorency Falls, and explored Old Quebec City.  Here are just a few of my photos from the day.

The Château Frontenac dominates Old Quebec City's skyline.

A restaurant in Old Quebec.  The sharp incline of such roofs pose a hazard in wintertime. 

A mural on the wall of one of the buildings in Old Quebec.  It tells the story of the city.

You can see the funicular that helps one get up the cliffs of Quebec City.

The ceiling mural of the Basilica of St. Anne.

The Church of St. Anne has been the site of many miracles of curing the sick and disabled. Over 500,000 pilgrims travel to this church annually.

The tour had the most delicious lunch at this restaurant that was once a mill.  The poached salmon with lemon was delicious.

The falls at the mill made it possible for the grinding of grains.  It's truly a beautiful restaurant.

The next stop was at a maple tree farm that demonstrated maple collection and production (maple water to maple butter).

More and more water is removed as the maple water become syrup and other products.

The gentleman is pour hot syrup (actually at a more refined state on snow (ice).  It becomes wonderfully tasting when solid.

Here's my snack that was so good and sweet.

The view from the "sugar shack" was we made our way to the Montmorency Falls.

The falls, at 275 ft high and 150 ft wide, are the highest in the province of Quebec and 98 ft higher than Niagara Falls.

I am glad I didn't have to climb the stairs to reach the falls.

The view from the falls looking down to the St. Lawrence River.  You can see the leaves are just beginning to turn color.

I went to the top and crossed the suspension bridge.

These falls freeze in winter.  Quebec gets about 26 feet of snow each winter.

A view from the suspension bridge.

Note the ship.  It cannot travel beyond Quebec City because of its size.  My ship, the ms Maasdam is behind it.  It is smaller but still must travel at low tide to get under the Quebec bridge.

I ventured to the top of the cliffs for a view of the city life in Old Quebec.

So long Quebec City.  We set sail to our next stop in Montreal.

Here's the bridge that limits the size of ships on the St. Lawrence at Quebec City.