Yesterday we made the three hour trip from Quebec City to Montreal, and this morning we were able to explore our new home for the next five days. While our bus driver showed us many parts of Montreal, my favorite was the view of Montreal as a whole. During the middle of our tour, our bus driver took us to Parc du Mont-Royal. Parc du Mont-Royal is about 765 feet above the city and offers a wide expanse of green space inside the city. The best part of Parc du Mont-Royal is the platform that overlooks the city. The picture above was taken on this platform in the Parc du Mont-Royal and shows the amazing view. I love this view because we were able to see all the pieces of where we had just driven come together. A fun fact about where we are is that we are a forty-five minute drive from New York and an hour and a half drive from Vermont. However, it seems like we are in a completely different world and nowhere near the United States.

Our last stop was at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. One thing that I learned is that Notre-Dame means “our lady” and is used when parishioners wish to dedicate their church to the Virgin Mary. This is why so many churches are named Notre-Dame. I learned that to build this cathedral took many versions as well as many years. However, I think that the final version is unbelievable. This photograph shows the altar area of the basilica. The detail and decor of the basilica is stunning, and much work went into it. Construction began in 1824, and the entirety of the building was not complete until 1880.