Montreal Day 3: Public Art, Rain and Change of Plans Day

It was a rainy day, off and on all day.

After our morning breakfast we headed out on a self-guided walking tour to see the public art in the neighborhood.  

Hydro-Quebec building.  We found out about the symbol.  The circle is like the circle of what happens to water and the lightening symbolizes power.

Inside the Hydro-Quebec power building. 

After Babel, A Civic Square (don't ask me to explain that)

Rooftop Garden

Someone had put their hand print in the wet cement.  It was full of water

Time for a coffee break at Cafe Parvis

I had a chocolate chaud - yummy

Interesting salads they were getting ready for the lunch rush.

Reflections

Human Structures Vancouver by Jonathan Borofsky - These look like some building blocks I had as a kid.

La Tendresse by Paul Lancz

Interesting Railing and Door to a wealthy mansion

Painted Moose.  We onlyfound two of them.

Fun Street

Caulder

Chihuly - The Sun

We went to the Museum of Fine Art.  We had hoped to get there in time for the 1 pm the Highlights Tour, only to find out that the tour was at noon.  We wandered through some of the museum.  It was a very complicated museum.

Rainbow of stuffed animals

This painting is on all of their brochures.

Dali chess set - parts of fingers

Picasso

Nevelson 

This room was cool because the background looked like it was a forest. It was a projection complete with moving leaves and forest sounds. 

We had lunch at the Beaux-Art Bistro, in the museum. I had a salad combination which was ok and it was expensive.  The wine was good.  It was nice to sit down.

We looked at the sculpture garden and then headed off to get down to the Old Port to go on the River Cruise, the Bateau Mouche.  We took the metro down there.  

Once we got to the old port and waited a while we asked someone who looked official and found out that the tours do not start until tomorrow.  Bah!!

We were down by the Cirque du Soliel.  This is the original location.

Alegria is the current show.  It was the first show they started with and it has returned.

Recalculate

We walked to the Chinatown Holiday Inn which is supposed to be the only hotel to be based on Feng Shui.  We relaxed with a glass of wine in the Lotus Lounge near the koi pond.  It was very cool.  

The bartender must have been a substitute.  Kris asked for a gin and tonic. They were out of tonic so he just switched the tonic to ginger ale.  Not the same thing at all!!  Kris was not amused.  She ended out with a wine.

This was all in the lobby of the hotel.  Amazing.

We bought some salads to take home with us for dinner.  Kris and Sharon headed to the apartment for a nap.  Jeanne and I stopped at the grocery store for a few things.  We ate our salads, cheese and crackers for dinner.

After dinner we walked back to Notre-Dame Basilica for the Aura, light show. It was a little confusing at first.  It was dark and they told us to walk the stations and then find a place to sit.  They closed the doors at 8 pm.  

organ

Altar that was from the original church.  Before the show.

After the show.

The show started about 8:15 pm.  No photography allowed.  It was an amazing display of lights and music for about 20 minutes. WOW. Awesome.

The moon is getting fuller, it was clear for a short while.

We had been planning to go to a close restaurant for dessert but we had heard that there was a fountain that had a light show, on the hour after 7 pm so we went there instead.

It was a nice fountain but no light show.  It probably starts tomorrow along with everything else.

The bright colored building in the background is the convention center. We walked towards home to find a place for an evening drink and dessert.

Interesting building window art by the festival.  I don't know if they always show that display or just for special events.

So now we had to find another place for our dessert.  They had been setting up for some festival of music near our place.  Apparently, Montreal has about 100 music festivals a year.  When we were walking home we could hear the music.  Sharon wanted to check it out.  It was a free event.  We managed to find a restaurant close where we could be inside.  It was not quite so loud inside, so we could all enjoy it.

There was a TV screen in the restaurant so we could see the singer. Salome Le Clere with Ecole Nationale de la Chanson.

Blumenthal's is where we had planned to go for an early dinner, before the light show.  So we went there for dessert instead.

I had the creme brulee au lactaire a odeur d'erable (candy cap mushroom creme brulee)  I was curious about the mushroom thing.  It ended out being a delicious creme brulee with a meringue shaped mushroom.  Cute.

We walked home after that.  So, it was a day full of changes and recalculating.  We did not get too wet, but I was glad that I brought my raincoat.  

One factoid I have picked up is that Montreal is named after Mont Royal.  The mountain is not much of a mountain but it is listed as one.