Montreal tour, Mount Royal Park and Redpath Museum

I slept well, got up early for a good breakfast but felt quite lethargic. There was no rush this morning though as the tour didn't start until 10am from the hostel and by then I was more ready to get going. The tour took in the old city and down to the port, areas I'd walked yesterday. Still it was informative with lots of detail about the history of Montreal and Quebec. At 2 hours it did feel a bit long though (I think we could have moved along quicker).

We finished at Notre-Dame Basilica and from there I walked to Victoria Square and worked my way towards McGill University. I actually ended up back outside the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts which I reached yesterday although by a somewhat different route. I went up hill towards "The Mountain" reaching Mount Royal Park via a climb up many, many steps. It was sunny with a chill in the air but once I was walking I got quite warm and took my jacket off as I made my way up to the park. The views over the city from the Kondiaronk scenic lookout were wonderful and I was surprised it hadn't taken longer to get to. There were lots of trails around the park which weren't that well marked but I did manage to find the Mount Royal Cross. You can see it from across the city but with the trees in the park it was well hidden. The tour guide described it as looking like something from Las Vegas and having seen it up close I tend to agree. It was an achievement to get up close to it though.

I made my way back to the lookout and then down to McGill University to have a look around their Redpath Museum which featured various fossils, minerals, zoological specimins and items focused on World cultures. It was pretty neat and I'm sure I learnt a few things during my visit. From there I made my way back to the hostel although I certainly didn't walk the quick route. I had a coffee then went out to the supermarket and came back to cook.

They've got a band playing in the bar tonight but not until later. I'm actually quite tired so am not sure how long I'll last. I definitely covered more ground today than I at first thought and my legs are feeling it. I think I'll be venturing onto the subway over the weekend as it'll allow me to reach a wider area and there are some places I want to visit which seem a fair distance from here.

Notre-Dame Basilica

Panoramic view of Montreal from Kondiaronk scenic lookout

Mount Royal Cross