A TALE OF TWO CITIES:
Vancouver and Montréal

Visiting Canada’s two contrasting cities is almost like trying to compare London and Paris: a world apart in culture, ambience and presence.

Cosily situated on the southwestern corner of Canada’s province of British Columbia, Vancouver lies just north of Seattle and facing the Strait of Georgia before meeting the Pacific Ocean.

Montréal, in the French province of Quebec, sits on the Lawrence River, inland some 400 kilometres from the Atlantic Ocean, north of New York.

Vancouver is as British as London can be, while walking in Port Vieux of Montréal, feels almost as strolling along the cobbled streets of St-Germain Paris. And both are true Canadian cities.

VANCOUVER - Garden City of the west!

Fringed by the Pacific Ocean’s sandy beaches, looking out towards the waters of the calm Straits of Johnstone and Georgia, with a backdrop of the Coast Mountain range, this city occupies one of the most wow! and serene settings of any city we have visited.

The weather is moderate, the landscape almost always green and flowers bloom year-round. Only the backdrop mountain range is brushed with a fresh coat of snow in winter.

Arriving at Vancouver International Airport, some 15 kilometres south of downtown, you have the option to either take an Airporter Bus as a regular shuttle service between airport and downtown bus terminal and some hotels, or a taxi at double the cost, depending on the number of passengers and your budget.

Vancouver’s compact downtown peninsula contains most of the city’s sights, but none compares with the pleasure of discovering its many neighbourhoods and incredible diverse architecture.

In keeping with its status as the heart of one of the world’s youngest vibrant cities, Downtown presents the visitor with a fine example of postmodern aesthetics; a constantly evolving hotchpotch of modern architecture, where sleek glass, chrome and steel skyscrapers rub shoulders with detailed Gothic churches and Victorian Mansions.

Surrounded by water on all sides, and largely undeveloped, Stanley Park is a green oasis for the city’s people, especially over week-ends. The state-of-the-art Aquarium is a superb facility which draws the second most visitors in Canada;   It is estimated that about 8 million people visit this third largest aquarium in North America every year.

Also found in the huge park are some sculptures by well-known Canadian artists: sitting on a solitary rock, similar to the Little Mermaid of Copenhagen, is the Girl in a Wetsuit, looking out to the sea.

Vancouver is also home and departure point to the popular Rocky Mountaineer, linking the Canadian Rockies, as well as the Whistler Mountaineer. This two-hour train journey will take you through breathtaking scenic beauty en route: waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, mirror-lakes and secluded settlements.

Just when the world thought that Whistler, consistently voted North America’s top ski and snowboard resort, could not get any bigger and better, it was awarded the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, sharing the honour with Vancouver. It is a nice day’s excursion from Vancouver by train and return by water floatplane, affording you the opportunity to enjoy both the ski slopes and eventually the Vancouver skyline from the sky.

MONTRÉAL - French yes, but very unique

At first glance, it’s too temping and too easy to compare Montréal to Paris or New York. Fortunately, once you have explored the cobblestone pedestrian streets of old Vieux-Port, lie on the grass and enjoy the sound of the bongos in Parc Mont-Royal on a Sunday-morning, or give your credit card a work-out in the Underground City, you will quickly realise that there is no place in the world that is anything like this bilingual metropolis. Even though French is its official language, Montréal is no French city: no French attitudes or behaviour, but a multicultural vitality based on its unique heritage.

Tackling the interesting attractions of Montréal in 3 days, seem daunting, but if you take this vibrant city area by area, you will soon realise that there is much more to discover than the ordinary tourist traps.

The annual International Jazz Festival, indisputably the highlight of the summer, was also presented during our time of stay, in the Quartier Latin and Centre Ville regions of the city.

We stayed at the Auberge du Vieux-Port, in the heart of the Old City and overlooking the harbour quays and near the impressive Gothic Revival landmark, Basilique Notre-Dame. An elegant family-run boutique-hotel, (found in a marine building dating back to 1880) catering for the traveller with specific expectations: it offers for instance, daily between 17h00 – 19h00, complimentary wines from around the world. Most of the rooms have a rustic feel with a balance between stone-walls, wooden beams and modern furniture, and ensures picture-perfect views of the waterfront.

The July Canada-Day celebrations, attracting hundreds of thousands fun-seeking Canadians to the waterfront-area, was a bit noisy, but the incredible fireworks display, enjoyed from the hotel’s roof-garden, made it all worth the while.

Rue Saint Paul is the main shopping street in Old Town lined with art galleries on both sides. Many privately donated sculptures form street furniture and backdrops for many a tourist memory picture.

Place Jacques-Cartier is one of the prettiest and liveliest squares in the whole city: every day of the week, performing artists of all backgrounds gather to entertain anyone who is willing to stop for a few seconds. On both sides, street restaurants are packed from early morning and local artists use the narrow cobbled street of Rue Saint-Amable as an open-air studio, reminding one of the picturesque Place du Tertre near the Sacré-Coeur in Paris.

The Basilique Notre-Dame is breathtaking in the richness of its interior furnishings with a wealth of exquisite detail of wood carvings and gilded painted saints; it can hold 4000 worshippers.

After several redevelopment projects, the Old Port today is devoted to recreational and leisure activities.

One of Montréal’s most remarkable attractions, Parc Olympique, is also one of its most controversial. Built for the 1976 Olympic Games, it remained unfinished until the 1980’s, and the retractable roof over the main stadium has never fully worked. Nevertheless, it remains still one of Montréal’s most visited sites.

Oratoire Saint-Joseph, situated at the foot of Mont-Royal, was built in Italian Renaissance style in 1967, in honour of Brother André, who enjoyed a reputation as a healer.

The best way to spend your last hours in Montréal is to drive in the late afternoon up Parc Mont-Royal: and just enjoy the sun setting over the seasonal colour cycle of the city of the maple tree.

What a privilege to have experience the vibrant pulse of two Canadian cities, so totally different in its setting, its feeling and its people.

                                                                                                                 - Johann & Monique