There’s magic about Montreal this time of year. It’s an eclectic enclave of light, love and loaves of fresh baguettes. Paris is perennially popular. But Montréal is considerably closer for American Francophiles – just a quick transborder flight away.
It’s easy to lose yourself in this quintessentially French city. It takes no effort at all – and you can do so for a song.
Outdoor ambiance: Meander the streets of downtown, drinking in the ambience of the Montréal High Lights Festivals. Feb. 17 through Feb. 27 a city already famed for gastronomic goings on outdoes itself. Fireworks are free. Just look up. Shows, exhibits, and concerts abound. Head for the quays of the Old Port. It’s a perfect place for families by day, and young adults at night.
Free museum: If it’s nippy outside, come in out of the cold and have a tête-à-tête with an ex-emperor. Napoleon has a niche of his very own at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Embrace the elegant arts of the First Empire in this permanent exhibition, and come away with an insight into a man who helped define the modern age. Admission is free.
Unique concert: Enjoy aural art and breath-taking architecture at Notre-Dame Basilica. 11:00 High Mass on Sunday mornings is the setting for a 25-voice choir accompanied by a Casavant organ. The music fills the vaulted sanctuary. Paintings, sculptures and stained glass augment the aura of the basilica. Tours are Canadian $5.00 for adults.
Culture catch: If you love great art, invest Canadian $65 and buy a Montréal Museum Pass. It’s a practical, comparatively inexpensive way to enjoy the culture of the city at your own pace. The pass is valid for three consecutive days. And while you can visit each museum just once, the pass also gives to access to Montréal’s public transportation system
Open market: Exercise the olfactory senses at the Jean-Talon Market, located in Montréal’s Little Italy. Hope that’s a bit foggy when you visit. That way the aroma of spices, oils, cheeses, meats and pastries linger in the air longer. The ambience is authentically Québec. Jean-Talon Market is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays seven a.m. to six p.m., Thursdays and Fridays seven a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays seven a.m. to five p.m.
Parks: If you’re a devotee of New York’s Central Park you’ll revel in Mount Royal Park. It too was designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted. Cross-country skiing, ice-skating, towering trees, a bicycle path, and slices of simple solitude – all the things a great park should possess. Admission is free.
Old-time specials: Antiquing (if not antiques themselves) is also free. Montréalers like to go to the Atwater Public Market in the city’s Saint-Henri section, get a pastry and a cup of coffee and then explore the cadre of close-by antique shops. It’s a soft, sublime way to pass the time in the city.
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Story by Jerry Chandler
