I’ve been to Montreal twice as an adult. The first time in the late 1980s and the second time in 2009.
My first visit was to attend an Esperanto gathering. From my visit, I mostly remember the Tam-Tams, the Pie-IX subway station, and the hundreds of canes and crutches left in the chapel of Saint Joseph’s Oratory. I remember some beautiful walks in the neighbourhood, using my poor high school French in stores, and the August heat and humidity. I also remember asking the friend I was staying with about the motto on Quebec licence plates, Je me souviens. He explained some of the subtle meanings of the phrase, which translates as “I remember,” and I tried to understand.
My second visit was also to attend a conference, this time the National Campus and Community Radio Association’s annual conference, held this particular year at McGill University. During this visit, I had less time to explore the city, but I had some fun taking pictures at the Lachine Canal and Silo #5.
I had forgotten until recently that I visited Quebec with my family in the early 1970s, too and that we spent some time in Quebec City during that visit. My dad recently gave me some digitised slides of the trip, including this one of me, aged about 6, in front of Montmorency Falls, which is almost a hundred feet taller than Niagara Falls in Ontario.
I think I’m due for another visit to Quebec sometime soon!
Photo: Catherine at Montmorency Falls by L. Fisher
Catherine Fisher, blogger
