MONTREAL- FRENCH AT HEART

Do you know which is the second largest primarily French speaking city in the world after Paris? I didn't know until I visited Montreal, a city in the province of Quebec in Canada. It is indeed Montreal. It was originally called Ville Marie or City of Mary. Now it's name is a derivation of Mount Royal, the hill in the center of the City.

The original inhabitants of Montreal were Iroquois people. They dealt in fur. They grew corn, squash and beans which was enough for their sustenance. Jacques Cartier a navigator from France arrived here in 1535, and the place came under the French rule in the sixteenth century. It was surrendered to the British in 1760. Yet look at the influence of the French, the roads are named in French, the people speak French and French is the official language. There are 60% people who speak French, 20% speak English and 20% speak other ethnic languages. All shop name boards have to be in French, and if one wants to also have the name in English, the alphabets have to be half the size of the French letters. Within themselves the city appears to belong to the French rather than the British. All children with few exceptions have to attend French language public schools. In fact all immigrant children have to compulsorily study in French, again with a few exceptions.

The city is rather beautiful. It is more European in style than North American. The city is so beautiful that a lot of American films which need to show Europe are shot here. It seems to have grown rather than been constructed. Houses have more character, streets do not appear to be geometric. It has a distinguished air about itself. A unique place to see are some very colourful "Houses of the Plateau". The architectural beauty is enhanced manifold by the brightly coloured exterior of the houses, which are all in varied colours (picture on top).

The Mount Royal can be seen from everywhere. There is a rule that no building can be taller than the Mount, therefore one does not see very tall sky scrapers here. The Mount is also a major cemetery. It has a 30 meter high huge Cross which also is visible from a long distance.It also has the Saint Joseph's Oratory, which is well known as a place which has healing powers. A lot of people perform their pilgrimage on knees, such is the belief and faith in this place.

Old Montreal is historic. The streets are cobbled, and their are quaint shops here. It is a delightful experience to browse through the shops. There is a Notre dame Basilica here. This Basilica has Gothic architecture and has a very beautiful ceiling. It has a very grand interior and is worth a visit (photo of interior given on top). In this area near Jacques Cartier Street, twenty years back a few street performers who performed near the Nelson Column started the "Cirque Du Soliel." A fantastic circus which has become world renowned now.

The river St. Lawrence Canada's second longest river, flows near the city and the Olympic village is next to the river. The roof of the Olympic stadium is shaped like the helmet of a cyclist. The 1976 Olympics were hosted by this city. It also has the tallest leaning tower in the world which has 175 metres elevation and has an incline of 45degrees. The leaning tower of Pisa has an incline of 5 degrees.

The city has a lot of churches and Mark Twain had said of this place, " This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window."As is usual in French influenced places the bakeries here are divine. The aroma wafting through their doorways are out of this world. There are nice cafes and food is delectable.

Walking through the streets is a pleasurable experience. There are a lot of parks which remind one of the commons of London, but these are on a smaller scale. The city has a Botanical Garden which is the second biggest Botanical garden in the world. The biggest is the Kew gardens in London.

Shopping is a pleasant experience with French designed clothes and lots more . Keeping the conversion of foreign currency in mind, it appears cheaper too. Walking along streets lined with cafes on the walkways is an interesting experience. Montreal has very long and extremely cold winter. To enable people to continue to shop even in these circumstances, underground markets flourish here. This underground market is spread under a large portion of the city. There is a huge pedestrian network with passageways which are about 30 kilometres in length. There are shops, cafes and it is well connected by the underground metro

Canadian Grand Prix is held every summer in Montreal.

Montreal is beautiful during fall, when all the leaves before falling, change their colour and look vibrant in yellow, orange, red and maroon.

If one wants to see the heart of France within British rule, then Montreal is the place to be in.