Ottawa did not work out for us. The Wesley Clover Parks Campground had voltage that dropped below 104 within minutes of plugging in and our lithium batteries began to recharge. That’s the point where our Power WatchDog shuts the power off to our RV to prevent damage to it. Most people only think about voltage going too high, and may have a surge protector that protects only against that, but low voltage occurs more often. After resetting the breaker and getting the same result, we went up to the office. We were only drawing 15 amps on a 30 amp plug! They sent two young kids down. They simply flipped the breaker! Seriously?? Barry showed them the issue on our Power WatchDog exterior surge protector that shows the voltage. They were clueless and left. We went back to the office. They blamed the problem on “the thing” we had plugged into the pedestal! We explained what that “thing” was and that no, it is not the problem, it identifies a problem. They refunded our money for both our nights, and we left to find another place.
Earlier today Barry and I saw a small black bear on the side of the road . It retreated quickly into the woods. So no picture to share.
We found Rolling Hills Ottawa for the night. Even though it said “Ottawa” it was in Cumberland, Ontario. It was a nice place and the power worked to recharge our house batteries.
We went to the pool to relax. There we ended up having a wonderful conversation with another couple in the pool. They were Canadian, and winter in the Myrtle Beach area. They were completely dumbfounded at the mentality in the US of not just electing, but KEEPING Trump! Yep. We get that, and said we felt that way, too.
I’m sure it is great to walk around and explore Canada’s national capital, but we decided instead to go to Montreal one day sooner. That allows us to add a day to the front end of our Quebec City stay making it a total of 4 nights! FLEXIBILITY when possible is great.
July 3. We finally arrived at Longueuil, Quebec’s Longueuil Marina & RV area after Barry’s expert maneuvering through very tight turns, super narrow streets, blocked streets/detours and GPS trying to send us down a one-way street the wrong way. We were ready to chill out!
Our earlier arrival meant we lost our back-in site to the St Lawrence River since someone was in it tonight. No biggie. This will work fine.
We went for a walk to check out where we were to catch the foot-passenger ferry across the St. Lawrence River to Old Montreal tomorrow morning.
I booked our tickets online. $7 CAD per adult for the first morning ferry (9:30am).
The marina adjacent to the RV area.
To OLD MONTREAL!
Not knowing how busy it may be, we arrived in PLENTY of time to wait and just enjoy the view.
On our way…
First stop – St Helene’s Island. This seemed like a place for families with its amusement park and large park. It also has a massive geodesic dome that is The Biosphere. That may have been cool to see, but didn’t know about it till we were already pulling away.
Wish I could have gotten a pic of this group from the front. 🙂
Café Olympico – Ordered a mocha, a pistachio brioche, and a tiramisu…Eh. I didn’t care for the pistachio cream or whatever it was. Should have stuck with a croissant instead. The tiramisu was decent, but not a blow-me-away delicious. Maybe a 7 out of 10. I will stick to only trying one at an authentic Italian restaurant or one known for
their incredible tiramisu.
Colorful doors:
What a cool, unexpected niche of multiple artist booths.
Large indoor market:
Inside:
This window caught my eye. I have been attracted to this Indigenous artwork across Canada. I first saw mugs last year at Waterton Lakes National Park. I had to go inside this store.
I looked at aprons and thought about a matching tea towel, but the one I wanted as a set was sold out in the apron. So, I got the “Salmon Hunter” apron and the “Strong Nature Woman” tea towel. The versions I bought are supposed to wear better and absorb better than the other fabric. Plus the over the head loop on the apron was adjustable on this one. They will definitely add some color pop to my kitchen!
Approaching Notre-Dame-de Bon-Secours Chapel.
The church was originally designed by Marguerite Bourgeoys, Montreal’s first teacher. Next to the Chapel is the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum. You can also pay to explore the 18th-century stone crypt and climb the tower for an aerial view of the St. Lawerence, Old Montreal and downtown. We only chose to go inside the chapel. I did spot something unique.
Called the Sailors’ Church because of the wooden ship models that hang from its ceiling. Next to the Chapel, the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum ($) presents fascinating stories/accounts and significant objects to showcase the life and work of Marguerite Bourgeoys.
Montreal City Hall – built between 1872-1878.
Bordering plaza and park. Too bad the fountain wasn’t up and running for a beautiful, finishing touch.
The public square across from the Notre Dome Basilica is called Place d’Armes. The large monument in the center is the founder of Montreal, Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve. Bordering the square is the head office of the Bank of Montreal that was built in 1859! (Oldest bank head office in all of Canada.)
Not sure why none of the major fountains were running. Maybe it hasn’t been warm enough on a consistent basis yet?
Interesting photo shoot…
“THE ENGLISH PUG & THE FRENCH POODLE“
Statues of two snobs–check their noses. LOL. They are somewhat creepy, but then they made me smile discovering the statement they make. Unfortunately the vast majority of people miss one or both, and the connection they have together.
The lady is dressed in a Chanel style suit holds her French poodle in her arms as she gives an offended look at the Bank of Montreal’s head office, symbol of English power.
210 feet away is the “dashing looking Englishman holding his pug while giving a superior stare at Notre-Dame Basilica, symbol of the religious influence over French Canadians.
While the lady and the man are unaware of the other, their dogs have already sniffed out the opportunity to unite. LOL
The three figures on the exterior are: Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist.
It was time to check out the inside of the Notre-Dame Basilica. This became the HIGHLIGHT of our day!! It was $25 CAD to go inside. We both thought it was well worth it!
WOW!! Absolutely breathtaking! The vibrant blue was stunning. I didn’t expect that. I thought that was only seen if you purchase a special ticket for night viewing with lights.
Walking towards the spectacular altar we couldn’t help notice the exquisite details throughout the cathedral.
A closer look at the entire altarpiece:
Close-up of the angels that frame the altarpiece.
Old Testament prophets, Ezekiel and Jeremiah at the base.
Beautiful Casavant pipe organ! The organ was originally completed in 1891. On its 100th anniversary, the number of pipes were increased to 7,000! We did not hear it played. That must be an incredible experience. The largest pipe measures 32 ft and the SMALLEST measures only 1/4in!!
A view to see each level of seating. I wish I could have seen the walls of the top level better. Not sure if they are paintings, frescos, or maybe mosaics
I’m am always in awe of amazing woodcarvings. The relief sculpture tableau in the base of this side altar was such.
The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament (above) had plexiglass walls around it to physically let visitors know to only enter for quiet prayer. (Picture taken from outside this chapel.)
Stained Glass. I enjoyed the unique stained glass artwork that depicted real people important to Old Montreal. To mark Notre-Dame;s centennial in 1929, new windows were created. The west-side feature scenes of Montreal’s history, and the east-side windows display moments of famous parishioners lives. Typically, stained glass in cathedrals and chapels are all biblical scenes. This three-panel window was challenging to photograph due to a large confessional placed in front of it.
Another 3-panel set…
This set also had a large confessional positioned in front of them.
Additional features:
I believe the wood piece below is a baptismal font that is only moved out when a baptism is scheduled. The other two pictures are from side chapel of St Jude.
Jeanne Mance was one of the settlers from France when they took possession of the island of Montreal. She and Paul de Chomeday de Maisonneuve played an essential role in the city’s founding, Montreal.
Live music on the Place D’Armes…
We had lunch at 3 Brassures.
We learned a NEW WORD!
Before heading to the passenger ferry I went down the stairs into this little bakery to get a croissant.
I got the one with two small thin bars of dark chocolate. It was SO good! We took a couple bites and then wrapped it up to take home. I highly recommend this little–easy to miss bakery!
After we got back to Sadie, we drove over to the marina parking lot. where there is the very busy marina restaurant. More importantly, there is a key-card entrance on the opposite side of the building at ground level. Rvers staying at the campground can have access to this nice ,clean shower facility and a convenient, small laundry room. We made good use of both. (It was a $20 refundable deposit for the key card for your stay.) Tomorrow we go to Quebec City for 4 nights!
What an amazing photo tour! THANK YOU! 👍🏼