Michael Powell's Blog, page 45
June 1, 2016
Quebec City: The Fortifications and Citadel
Intro and History | Two Views of Quebec | The Château Frontenac | Old Quebec
The Montmorency Falls | The Plains of Abraham | Two Great QC Hotels | Final Images
Only two cities in North America have preserved their original fortifications. One is Campeche, Mexico, which we visited while living in the Yucatán. And now that we’ve been to Quebec City, our exploration of North America’s Fortified Cities is complete. We went on a walk around Old Quebec’s...
May 31, 2016
A Trip to Quebec City
Fortifications and Citadel | Two Views of Quebec | The Château Frontenac | Old Quebec
The Montmorency Falls | The Plains of Abraham | Two Great QC Hotels | Final Images
Montreal might be Quebec’s largest and most important city, but it’s not the capital of the province. That would be Quebec City, three hours to the north along the St. Lawrence River. The only city in Canada or the USA which has retained its original fortifications, Quebec City make...
May 30, 2016
A Night at the Casino
Housed in the former French Pavilion from the 1967 World Expo, Montreal’s state-run casino opened in 1993, and has become one of the most popular spots in the city. This is the largest casino in Canada, and is as memorable for its unique architecture as for its rollicking atmosphere. We were invited to check it out on a Saturday night.
The last couple casinos we’ve visited haven’t been so great; they were sad, dingy places, with chain-smokers joylessly feeding machines and lifeless tables, w...
May 29, 2016
Mont Royal’s Twin Cemeteries
Mont Royal is a lot larger than we expected. Sure, we knew that the city was named after a big hill, but we didn’t know this hill would be roughly the same size as the entire downtown. So it came as an extra shock to learn that the northern side of Mont Royal is nothing but cemeteries… half the mountain, dedicated to the dead.
We spent a gray Sunday morning walking around the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges and the Cimetière Mont-Royal. Well over a million souls have been laid to rest in the two cemet...
May 28, 2016
Cité Mémoire – Projections of Montreal’s History
Montreal was founded in 1641, which means that in 2017, the city will be celebrating its 375th birthday. That’s a long stretch of history, and we can’t be expected to remember everything that’s happened! So to help jog our memories, Montreal has created a multimedia exhibition called Cité Memoire (Memory City), transforming the old town into a living tribute to the past.
Eighteen spots around Old Montreal have been selected for Cité Mémoire. At each one, there’s a projection, or “tableaux,”...
Montreal’s Latin Quarter
The Quartier Latin of Paris is famous for its bohemian vibe, with students roaming cobblestone alleys in search of a cheap meal, a good book, or a café in which to while away the hours. But you don’t have to fly to France if you want the same atmosphere. The area immediately around the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) has a such similar feel that it’s been named after its Parisian counterpart.
Montreal’s Latin Quarter isn’t exactly on the same scale as the one in Paris. Basically, it’...
May 27, 2016
The Écomusée du Fier Monde
Found within the former Généreux public bath hall on Rue Amherst, across from the Marché Saint-Jacques, the Écomusée du Vier Monde shines a light on the working-class community of Montreal’s Centre-Sud. We visited the museum, and then took a walk around the neighborhood to which it’s dedicated.
Not speaking French, I had no idea what “fier monde” might mean. Mentally, I had prepared myself for either the “Museum of Four Moons” or the “Museum of Fear World.” So, I was a little disappointed to...
May 26, 2016
The Parc des Rapides
As the St. Lawrence River winds its way from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, most of its journey is smooth sailing. However, just before it reaches Montreal, the river hits a rough patch. Jürgen and I hiked to the neighborhood of LaSalle to check out the Lachine Rapids.
We started our day at the Parc Arthur-Therrien, across from the Île des Souers (or, Nuns’ Island), so-named because of the Sisters of Notre-Dame who owned it for 250 years. From the park, it would be a five-kilometer trek...
May 25, 2016
The Biodôme at the Olympic Park
Not to be confused with the Biosphere on the Île Sainte-Hélène, the Biodôme is a small zoo housed in the former Olympic velodrome. Inside, you’ll find five distinct ecosystems, as well as some of the animals who call them home.
Dwarfed by the Olympic Stadium to which it’s adjacent, the Biodôme doesn’t look like much from the outside. But inside, an illusion of immense space has been created, and each of the five ecosystems are surprisingly spacious. After leaving the Biodôme, I looked back o...
May 22, 2016
The Château Ramezay
Constructed in 1705 as a private residence for the Governor of Montreal, the Château de Ramezay has withstood over three centuries of history. Today, it’s the oldest private museum in Quebec, offering visitors a glimpse into Montreal’s past.
Born in Burgundy, Claude de Ramezay came to Canada as an army lieutenant when he was 26 years old. He rose quickly through the ranks, and was named Governor of Montreal in 1704. A year later, he ordered the construction of a grand residence for himself a...
