Wed. 30th September ’26
Our usual way of seeing a city is to plan a walking route and follow our noses. This usually just means giving a few donations to churches and museums we visit and we feel we experience the vibe of a place. However today we paid admission fees for three different places we visited and to be honest we felt the free alternatives were better. Claude says be at the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal by 9am when it opens to avoid the tour groups. We set off in good time on the 55 bus but unbeknown to us it was on diversion and the bus heads off in completely the wrong direction. We are about to jump off when it turns and all is well for five minutes until it hits another diversion but finally drops us in the right place. We take a few minutes to take in the exterior facade of the Basilique.
As we approach the Basilique it is three minutes to nine and the first tour group is already in the square. Quick march to the ticket queue and we are in and have the place almost to ourselves to grab a few pics before the masses descend. Phew! Exit stage right and we are clear. The Basilique is absolutely stunning with ornate carvings and gold statues. So different to St Joseph’s Oratory yesterday. Both buildings are breath taking but in quite different ways. Stark and modern versus dark period ornate furnishings. We spent longer at the free to visit Oratory which was a metro ride away from the centre and less touristy, than we did in the Basilique. 
As the weather is nice enough we decide to ditch Claude’s suggestion of the Pointe-a-Calliere Archaeological museum and head for the river front. We pass the Ferris wheel and zip line and head for clock tower to commemorate the seamen war heroes. However Dave got distracted by the “beach” with the blue umbrellas. Not the prettiest of marinas or port but it gave us a feel for the area. Our walk back towards the metro station took us through the old town, down cobbled streets, which were beginning to fill with tourists, so we only managed a few shots. We did decide nothing was appealing enough to photograph at sunrise before the tourists or locals would be around. As a bonus, we agreed we could have a lie in tomorrow.
Opposite the town hall was the Chateaux Ramezay Museum with free gardens to wander around, free to enter and great formal topiary bushes. Dave remained in the square outside admiring the autumn colours which were at their best. We want to see to St Helens Island before lunch so time to move on as we still have a 15 minute walk to the metro which will take us under the river. We know we must have visited there on our last visit some 20 years ago to see the Grand Prix circuit but remember nothing of it.
It is also home to the Biosphere built for the 1965 Expo which looks worth a visit. We paid our money and went in. The exhibitions were interesting but it was the viewing platform which appealed to us. Sadly the lift was broken so we climbed the 123 steps up to see the views. Our legs are not happy and although the view was good the metal struts obscured any photos. Apparently the outer layer of the Biosphere caught fire and all the remains is the metal framework in a spherical lattice (the Carbon 60 molecule is a similar shape and is named after Buckminster Fuller, the designer of the sphere). From the top we see another tower on the island, which we discover is called Levis Tower. Dave agreed to go and investigate but said he was not climbing more stairs but may be persuaded if there was a lift whatever the cost. Well it was free but 157 steps to the top, which I insisted we had to do, as we like a tower and a good viewpoint. The view from the top was much better than from the Biosphere as there was nothing blocking the view. Again free beats paying.
We had one last ticketed event today and that was the Gardens of Lights show at the Botanical Gardens. The gardens are apparently is the third biggest in the world after Kew and Paris. Our timed tickets were for 7pm, when it was just beginning to get dark, and we did not have the time to arrive earlier to enjoy seeing the plants in daylight. Also there was a marked route around the gardens that we were all herded around. This did not impress us, as it reminded us of shopping in IKEA but without the shortcuts through the uninteresting bits. It was more a family event and the kids seem to enjoy it. There were two spectacular displays within the one hour trog around which we did enjoy. However the effort exceeded the enjoyment. 