Parc du Mont-Royale
Saturday, April 7 was the first day of good weather for us—sunny and warmer than before. We decided to visit Parc du Mont-Royale, a large, wooded park located on the hill that gave Montréal its name. The neighborhood adjacent to the park is called Plateau Mont-Royal. On this day lots of people were out enjoying the weather. The neighborhood was full of interesting shops and restaurants, including a surprising number of bookstores. We had lunch at a great little Lebanese restaurant called Omnivore.
After lunch we walked up into the park, entering near a grand edifice called the Georges-Étienne Cartier Monument. There we encountered not one, but two drum circles on opposite sides of the monument. The party was going full-tilt when we got there. It was only 53°F, but the shirts and shoes came off, and for these people it was Le Sacre du Printemps!
Jamming at the Georges-Étienne Cartier Monument
Here is a short video of the action.
You can walk all the way to the top of the hill and get great views of the city. At the top they have the Chalet du Mont-Royal, with restrooms, a café, and a gift shop.
The view from atop Mont Royale
Chalet du Mont Royale
Inside the Chalet
Little squirrels in the vaulted ceiling
As we descended into the downtown area, we saw quite a few stately stone houses on a street called Redpath Crescent.
Stone houses on Redpath Crescent
We really liked this one