Springbreak in Montreal and Quebec

Saturday Mch 8th was the first day of Springbreak and was also the day of one of the heaviest snowstorms in about 20 years. Opinions vary though as some people were inclined to think it produced the most snow since 1970. Whatever the case it was certainly the most that we have seen since we arrived.




We left about 9am on Sunday to drive to Montreal. The weather was fine and sunny although it was apparent the storm had travelled into Quebec as well. Sunday was also the start of Daylight Saving time.

We arrived in Montreal at about 6.30 pm and became lost as we had entered Rue instead of Ave into the GPS. The Hostel Chez Jean was located in Plateau Mont Royal right in the heart of Montreal. It is situated in a maze of one way
streets so that situation combined with deep snow made our job of finding it extremely difficult.

Monday was bright and sunny and we spent about 5 hrs wandering around the Old Port and Town as well as looking through Chinatown. It seems every city in the world has one. The buildings are older than those in Australia, however, the ones in The Rocks in Sydney and in particular those in Hobart have far more character and beauty. These photographs are in the street outside the Hostel we were staying at as well as in the old part of the city.

We found some excellent places to eat on Rue St Denis which is apparently quite a well known restaurant strip. Tuesday was again sunny and we drove the length of the island and saw the Olympic Stadium and park and then walked up Mont Royal. A great place for walking, bicycling and cross country skiing with fabulous views of the city. Below is a photograph of Wayne and I sitting on the wall on the summit of Mont Royal. The day was warm and the walk was invigorating though by no means difficult.

The snow was so deep on the city streets that the council had to truck it out. Signs were put up in the street 24 hrs in advance so that cars could be moved and tow trucks started driving the area sounding alarms to warn people that removal was about to start. If any cars were left on the street they were simply towed away. It cost $200 to get your car back.

Wednesday morning we left for Quebec and again it had started to snow. We arrived in Quebec about 11 am and were able to check in to Auberge Du Quartier early. This hotel is on Grande Allee which is the street which runs into Old Quebec. We spent about 6hrs wandering arou

nd Central Quebec as well as Old Upper Town which is enclosed within a fortified wall which runs for 4.6 kms. We also visited the Laval University School of Architecture which was once a seminary for the early Catholic Church and Le Chateau Frontanac said to be the world's most photographed Hotel. We also saw La Citadelle which is outside the Old City.These two photographs show the Gateway into the Old Upper City as well as Le Chateau Frontenac.


Thursday we walked over to Battlefields park which was once a battlefield, the site of the conflict that determined the course of Canadian history. The section closest to the cliffs above the St Lawrence Rv is known as the Plains of Abraham- here in 1759 the British finally defeated the French. We followed the park along the river to the Old Town where we explored the Latin Quarter and visited the Basilica Notre Dame de Quebec which is the site of the original chapel erected by Samuel de Champlain the explorer who founded Quebec. We then took The funicular down into Old Lower Town which is dominated by Place Royale, the central principal square. We wandered down Rue du Petit Champlain which is the narrowest street in North America and one of the oldest. We finished the day exploring the Old Port on the banks of the St Lawrence River. After 6 hrs walking we were exhausted and had an early night.

These photographs were taken in the streets of the Old Upper Town.
Friday was overcast with light flurries of snow. We drove home to Woodstock and despite being caught in commuter traffic we made it home in 11 hrs.