Day 280 Montreal

Montreal skyline





We read we would be up against some current but come on...........





2 miles of this to get to our harbor.









The 126' Perseverance II, owned by one of Chicago’s wealthiest financiers; available for charter with 4 state rooms and a crew of 6.








Why am I always holding a map? Perhaps so I can find my way back to the boat..






China Town







The BIXI Bikes for rent.






Thursday we traveled 50 + miles to our anchorage at MM 63.5 on the St Lawrence River. Russ and Cindy on Ladybug anchored near us and we launched the dinghy and walked around La Grande Ile. We found ice cream and soon after found beverages at the local pub.
We left our anchorage at 6 am so we could get to Montreal and have half the day. We knew we were in for a battle with current of the river and you can see from the picture the amount of turbulence.

We are staying at Port D’escale du Vieux Port de Montreal right in the heart of downtown. In short it is called Old Port Marina in Quai King-Edward at $2.00 foot including power (if we had it). All the docks are so new they don’t have power hooked up yet. Their goal is to have the power connected and energized by Friday evening and sure enough, by dusk (9:00 P.M) we had power. This week-end is their season opening celebration and the slips are filling up with locals here for the night or week-end. We were informed that there is a fireworks display every Saturday evening right in front of the marina.

Tom and I rode to a marine store and from there we found an office supply store for printer ink cartridge. So far we found everyone in the stores speaks English but 65% of the population speaks French which makes it the 2nd largest French speaking city in the world, after Paris. This is a beautiful city with many public parks, bicycle paths, café’s, art sculptures, architecture and retail and business district. We find the European atmosphere to be so unique; it is like being in Europe, but you are in North America. We located a sidewalk café, enjoyed dining outside and listened to French music while people watching though an “okay” dinner. Hey they can’t all be good!

Old Montreal and its wealth of cultural, artistic, recreational, sporting and historical activities is a favorite destination for tourists and Montrealers alike during all four seasons. Old Montreal also has many fine restaurants serving a wide array of different types of cuisines. Saint Paul Street and its surrounding streets are heavily packed with restaurants and cafés offering tourists and locals an extraordinary dining experience. We were amazed at the thousands of people from all areas of the world.

Some of the activities available to you while in Montreal are a ferry to cross the St Lawrence River and view the site of the Expo 67 World’s Fair. The famous Montreal Underground City, directly under the heart of the city, 19 miles long. Constantly growing, the "city" - which links many major buildings and multi-level shopping malls in the area - is a shopper's paradise in any season. You’ll be amazed by its brightly lit, scrupulously clean passageways, linking thousands of boutiques, major hotels, restaurants, universities, dozens of office buildings and attractions.

Besides your city bus tours, you can book a 3 hour guided bike tour around the city using their fabulous bike lanes. Don’t have your own bike? No problem! Read on:
Three-thousand bikes are available for short-term rental around Montreal's downtown core at 300 locations. The bikes, which cost $2,000 apiece, are made of aluminum and are theft-proof, according to their designers. The bikes contain a GPS chip, and if rented and not returned will "slow down, and the brakes will lock automatically," explained Julian Joseph, a Montreal high school student who's part of a team hired by the city to repair the bike fleet.