Trip to Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Day 2, Part 2)

"And you can fly
High as a kite if you want to
Faster than light if you want to
Speeding through the universe
Thinking is the best way to travel"


The Moody Blues-"Thinking Is the Best Way to Travel"


When we last talked, my friends, I was reveling in the quiet morning atmosphere in the Old Port section of Montreal. For a large city, it was absolutely peaceful and tranquil in this neighborhood. I did not want to leave. I just wanted to keep walking around it forever just to take in everything. Yet, there were other sights in the city I wanted to see. One of them was clear on the other side of the city, and was one of the reasons I wanted to visit Montreal in the first place: Parc Olympique, the site of Stade Olympique and the main venue of the 1976 Summer Olympics. For anyone who does not know, I was born in July of 1976, so that year has special meaning to me. So, I walked to the Metro station in Place Des Armes and looked on the map for the Pie IX station, which takes you directly to the park.

As I walked through the station and up to street level, I was humbled by the sight of the massive Olympic Stadium and wondered what it might have been like to be among the throngs of people who attended the Olympics in '76. I had never been to an Olympic venue before and the size and scope of everything just beggared belief. The Olympics are where the world comes together to put the best athletic talent that each country has to offer on display and to see who is the best. This is where Bruce Jenner won the decathlon and where a young Romanian gymnast named Nadia Elena Comăneci scored a perfect 10. So many amazing feats of athleticism happened here, not to mention other athletic events outside of the Games, such as Montreal Expos baseball, Grey Cup and World League football, and soccer matches. Pope John Paul II also held a Mass here.


Thankfully, the stadium was open, so I decided to walk in and check out the gift shop for souvenirs for my family and for myself. The attendant was extremely pleasant and went out of his way to find an Olympic collectable spoon for my wife's collection. I wanted to check out the tower that is attached to the Olympic Stadium, but I decided against it due to the cost (would I end up going up in the tower? Patience, people). Still, I was very happy to find some great souvenirs for myself and the family, so it was a very successful trip to Parc Olympique.

After snapping a few pictures around the perimeter of the park, I decided to go back to the hotel to drop off the souvenirs I had picked up. Early in the morning the weather was pleasant, but the heat and humidity had picked up and I was sweating like crazy as I walked down to the Metro station. I did not expect the weather to be like this in Montreal on the first weekend of Fall. I was hoping to be traipsing around the city in my finest rock and roll fashion, especially in a city with a vibrant arts and music scene such as this, but the weather forced me to dress in my summer clothes, so instead of having my trusty leather jacket to carry my phone and other articles, I was instead decked out in a t-shirt, shorts (which I hate wearing because my legs look appalling) and the biggest fashion faux pas of all...a fanny pack. Instead of looking cool, I looked like a dweeb. Next trip I book will be when it is still cool out.


Back at the hotel, I unloaded my wares and decided to rest for a bit while noshing on some snacks I picked up at a nearby Couche-Tard (convenience store chain in Canada), before changing my shirt and heading to another neighborhood on my "to visit" list...Mount Royal, which I will discuss in my next post.


I hope you all are enjoying my blog about this trip as much as I am enjoying writing it! Au Revoir until next time!


To be continued...