Beginning of the trip is in here --->. (In the beginning there was Lake Champlain and the chocolate factory )
The US-Canadian border looked desolated. A young and lonely lady at the checkpoint picked into our papers and wished us “goodbye and to have a good trip” in a voice with easily detectable French accent. Canada met us with boundless expanses of ploughed up plains, eternal smell of cows, sky as low as you almost can touch it with your hand and occasional bursts of rain drizzle.
Montreal
Montreal is one of the biggest cities in Canada; besides, population-wise it is a second-biggest French-speaking city in the World, being the second only to Paris, the capital of France .
The population of Montreal is about three and a half millions. Everything everywhere is in French, including (to my slight displeasure) the road signs.
Yet, at the gas station we suddenly hearing the English tong, which is rapidly growing darling to our ears (to my amazement). Yet, what we heard was just a voice of a disheartened Canadian fellow, who is cursing out-loud the "dumb Americans who come here on every holiday to make the gas prices go crazy" and reeling his eyes angrily in every direction. :) A sudden suprizing though sparks through my mind that it might have felt realy good to punch this unfriendly representative of friendly Canadian nation in his nose or to do something to make him stop. ( Am I becoming an American? )
We settle in the center of the city to ensure the easy walking access to all its gems.
One of my goals was to visit the grand-famous La Basilique
de Montréal. It is a magnificent cathedral, cyclopean building of unseen and unmatched beauty according to rumors. Here we are, seeing it with our own eyes for the first time.
On our way there we have bought a couple of oranges from a chinese tradesman who helped us with directions much better than the hotel stuff. The Notre-Dame cathedral plays central role in Canadian life. Daughters of prime ministers and parliament members; much celebrated in this country famous hockey-players and celebrities of all kinds – they are all getting married in here. The size of the cathedral is approximately matches the size of its Parisian counterpart.
Insides of the cathedral is astonishing. Unfortunately (or may be fortunate) it is impossible to capture the mind-blowing great beauties of it on the photographs. Here is a little pick on the cathedral’s interiors .
The churches organ is made out of five and a half thousands pipes.
Since we came in Montreal during the Easter holidays – our goal was to visit the Evening Mass
Despite the Mass was conducted in French – what a night it was! The pictures are useless and I will try describe in words what we have experienced that night
At the entrance a candle was given to everyone. I’ve tried to wheedle out an extra candle to N.’s mom, ‘cause in our Ukrainian Orthodox church we with N. have a habit of buying an extra candle for N.’s mom to light it up before the Mass starts. Yet, in here I was refused. Besides, I did not have to pay for the candles. Traditions are different in the Catholic World. Thousands of people gathered in the cathedral. We settled ourselves at the front part of the huge hall.
Then the light was put off and the pitch-black darkness flooded the Basilique. Great silence fell upon the crowd inside and on the top of my vision I could barely see grayish shadows of monks in hooded overalls sliding silently out of concealed doors .
Then a fire was lit up in the center of the cathedral and a crowd of tenths of priests with blazing torches slowly moved through the main passageway of the church, crying out prayers and hailing God on the top of their lungs. They moved through the church, passing the light to the rows of people and ousting darkness from the majestic cathedral. An ocean of tiny glowing fairy-lights flooded great Notre Dame. Playful and mischievous sparks of glitter jump out on the golden ornaments of walls and cupola. Orange and yellowish gleam shimmers alluringly from ominous dark corners.
Священники, которых числом было около пятидесяти занимают места впереди. Поочередно читают они Библию ( Bible ), время от времени чтение их прерывается многоголосым "Амен" ( "Amen" ) тысяч голосов паломников - и море огней взмывается вверх. Пение хора и божественные звуки органа. Такое ощущение что ты в средневековой Франции ( France ) среди молчаливых, суровых и величественных крестоновцев в далеком и загадочном замке.
Мы не досидели до конца. Удрали в 9.30. Тут начали звонить колокола. Сквозь окна мы видели звонарей.
Напротив собора старое здание ценрального банка ( Central Bank of Canada )
Я взял извозчика
Сначала я был уверен что он говорит со мной по-фрацузки. Но потом, поскольку он не унимался, я все-таки понял - что это он так пытается говорить по-английски. ( Его напряжение можно заметить на лице. )
Постепенно я начал его понимать а Н. так ничегошеньки и не поняла и была страшно заинтригована тем что я вдруг понимаю по французки и еще и перевожу ей на английский нашу беседу с извозчиком
Улицы старого города ( Old Montreal )
Типичный старый Монреаль (старый госпиталь)
Замерзшей Н. дали укрытся буркой, а я одолжил ей свою кепку.
Музей чего-то в Старом порту. ( Old Port )
Нотр-Дам с другой стороны ( La basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal )
Наша лошадь ( Our horse )
В поисках места где перекусить
На снег выливают вязкую жидкость, тебе выдают палочку. Ты палочкой накручиваешь застывшую эту жидкость.
И быстро лопаешь пока не расстаяло.
Вязкая жидкость - это специальный вид кленового сиропа
Марсово поле.
Мы по глупости сначала не догадались взять стаканчик. И под ухмылки местных жителей прилично этой канфетой измазались.
Китайский квартал в центре Монреаля ( China town )
Липкие идем в гостинницу отмываться
А еще в Монреале ( Montreal ) есть огромный подземный город ( Undeground city ). Холодными зимами там удобно отогреваться. Вот тут, рядом один из входов в него.
У кое-кого даже волосы были измазаны в липкий сироп.
Это не все, если хотешь читать дальше про Оттаву ( Ottawa ), то нажми мышкой Dal'she тут -->.
To see our next day in Ottawa click here (Next) -->
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