Almost every time that I have visited the city of Montréal, I have spent some time in particular in the charming Vieux Montréal (Old Town, or European district). This is the oldest part of the city, and has the charming remnants of French colonial days to prove it. Much like Vieux Québec, this is a part of the city with old stone homes dating back hundreds of years, and with sidewalk cafes along cobblestone streets. There are churches dating back hundreds of years as well. Artists doing paintings and caricatures along the sidewalks. In short, it has a distinctive Old World feel and charm.
The first visit to Montréal that I ever took was when my grandparents took my brother and I to the city in the summer of 1983. However, I was very young back then and did not have much of an appreciation for the things which we saw. In fact, I have relatively few memories of that trip, and seem to remember our overnight stay at Lake George better than Montreal.
However, the first real trip there that I can remember came in the winter of 1988 into 1989. Specifically, it was holiday week, from Christmas to New Year's Day in 1989. We spent a week really getting familiar with the city. And I fell in love with Vieux Montréal (Old Montreal) in particular.
Since then, it has remained one of my very favorite places to visit whenever I come here. Hell, probably it ranks as my favorite part of the city overall. It looks and feels (and often sounds) distinctly different than the rest of the continent. It looks and feels like it could be in Europe. Very pleasant.
My visit this time was abbreviated.
Yet, I did manage to take some pictures, which seemed appropriate to share here.
Take a look and enjoy.
