Picture Chronicles: All things Montreal

I just got back from Montreal, Canada where I was attending a conference & was able to go around the city for a bit to take in the local Canadian = English + French flavor... Montreal was a pleasant surprise. In many ways it is very much like an American city (and I assume most of Canada is like the U.S.). The visa check points while entering Canada and while coming back into the U.S are the only things that show that I was entering a different country. And yet, Montreal is distinctly different with its unique French ways. Most of the people are multilingual - they speak French & English. So greeting anyone happens twice - bonjour, hi. Then they launch into French and you have to say hello to stop them & make them switch to English instead.

Other than the language mix (which is evident in everything - roads signs and all), what struck me most about Montreal was its grandiose Christian architecture (oh, and also the curious absence of touristy stuff like gift shops that would make every Montreal artifact into a profit making commodity). Anyway, huge church buildings (one of my friends remarked/wondered why religion always has to make a big statement! Hm, had never thought of it that way!) can be found around every nook and corner - each beautiful in its own ways. Here's an example - this is the Marie-Reine-Du-Monde cathedral in downtown Montreal, close to where I stayed.

And this one is St. Georges, also close to where I stayed -

I went inside the Marie-Reine-Du-Monde cathedral to take some pictures and it is so beautiful! Statement and what not, definitely a place one should visit if ever in Montreal.

Another interesting aspect of Montreal was the 'walking dude'... Do you see the difference between the Canadian dude and an American one? My American friends had so much fun talking about the Canadian one - he seems active and so on the go!