I spent the first day in Montreal just wandering around taking in some of the nearby sights. It wasn’t hard to find points of interest and right away I was drawn down the street to a park with lots of memorial statues. Close to this, there are stunning cathedrals and I walked in to the Cathedrale Marie-Reine during Sunday mass. This mass was presented all in French. After walking through this lovely church, I went to the nearby Anglican St. George Church where there was also a mass and a baptism. This was presented mostly in English. Very interesting contrasts between, not only the architecture, but also the services. The Catholic version was all showy and imposing; all about the spectacle, the Anglican was more everyman focused and talked about community and humility.
After that, I spent a couple of hours in the “Arts” area, including the Musee d’Art Contemporain. The whole area is setting up tents and stages and booths. I assume they are preparing for a city wide celebration of us picking up our Alto. Thanks guys!
Of course, the very best part of the day was that Richard arrived in Montreal!! The feeling of relief I have with him here now runs through my whole body. Now everything feels right with the world.
