June 30, 2006
Hello from Montreal: A Delicious Outside
Lunch at the Café du Chateau, a Major Thunderstorm and a
Tour through Musée de Ramezay
Well, as much as the walking
tour through Old Montreal nourished my senses and architectural
sensibilities, my stomach was in dire need of nutrition and I was
debating whether I should plunk myself down at one of the enticing
terrace cafés on Place Jacques Cartier. Then I literally
stumbled over this beautiful small park, Place De La Dauversière
off to the side of the main square. In the southeast corner of this
space is a little gate that looked like the entrance to a garden
and with my perennial curiosity I had to go check it out.
A French mansion including large garden in the middle of Old Montreal
The view opened up into a beautiful French style horticultural
sanctuary: the Governor’s Garden, an example of garden design
of the New France era more than 200 years ago. The beautiful thing
is that access is always free of charge and the extensive garden
provides a welcome relief of nature in the middle of the stone buildings
of Vieux Montréal.
Most of the plants are derived from species cultivated in New France
and the garden is subdivided into three sections: the kitchen garden,
an orchard and a pleasure garden. Benches invite you to sit down
and enjoy the serenity of this green space. At the back of the garden
is a ramp leading up to a restaurant, the "Cafe du Chateau",
with a large terrace covered by an awning that features wooden tables.
I had found the perfect spot for a lunch.
So I sat down and started jotting down my impressions in my travel
journal and perused the menu which features a variety of salads,
sandwiches, desserts and refreshments. I decided on some light fare
and ordered an endive salad with little balls of goat cheese, covered
in pistachios, pine nuts and miniature croutons, followed by a wonderful
Quebec cheese plate that featured three different types of Quebec-made
cheese, fresh grapes, cut-up green apples, and a paste made from
dry dates and toast.
A delicious lunch with a peak at the dome of the Marché Bonsecours
The meal was very savoury and the contrasting tastes of the three
cheeses together with the sweet tastes of the fruit and the date
paste presented an interesting variety of flavours to my palate.
I was enjoying my meal and noticed that from my table I could even
see the cupola of the Bonsecours Market peaking out between the
old buildings.
Unfortunately my serenity was cut short as the heavens opened up
and a tremendous thunderstorm started pelting the city. I decided
that rather than wait out this storm on the terrace of the Café
du Chateau, I was going to use my time to actually explore the museum
that was housed in the adjoining building.
A great welcome to the Chateau Ramezay
The Chateau
de Ramezay is a mansion that was built in 1705 for Claude de
Ramezay, Montreal’s governor. Fourty years later it fell into
the hands of the French West Indies Company which made it its headquarters.
After the conquest in 1760 the building was occupied by the British.
It is known that General Richard Montgomery and Benjamin Franklin,
among other personalities, have visited the Château.
In the spring of 1893 the government owned the building, but it
had no use for it and put it up for auction. It was saved from demolition
and has been operating as a museum since 1895. For the last four
years the building hosts a permanent exhibition about the history
of Montreal and Quebec, covering prehistory all the way until the
early 20th century.
A "pennyfarthing" and several other authentic everyday
items
As the thunderstorm was pelting the city I decided to educate myself
a little more about early life in Montreal. The exhibits include
historic paintings, furniture, as well as everyday items illustrating
life over the last few hundred years in what started out as Ville-Marie
and came to be known as Montreal. The items illustrating the day-to-day
life of regular people fascinated me the most, such as ladies shoes,
a fireman’s helmet or a children’s winter coat, a sleigh
and a “pennyfarthing”, an early version of a bicycle,
featuring an oversized front wheel and a tiny rear wheel. A loom
and various every-day implements further illustrate life in the
new colonies over the last couple of hundred years.
Early automobile
Until October 1, 2006 a temporary exhibition is also housed by
the Chateau
de Ramezay: “Gardening in Paris during the Monarchy”
introduces the visitors to the formal gardens of Paris more than
200 years ago. An upcoming exhibition called “Crime and Punishment’
will talk about justice in the new colonies.
I had found the perfect way to deal with the thunderstorm: brush
up on Montreal's history at the Chateau
de Ramezay. Now it was time to head back to rest up for my evening
explorations of the St. Denis neighbourhood and a tasty Mexican
dinner at La Iguana.
Useful books about travel to Montreal:
Related articles:
Hello from Montreal 2006 - My 4-day
explorations of Montreal
Hello from Montreal: An interesting
train ride and first impressions
Hello from Montreal: Getting
the lay of the land in a driving tour
Hello from Montreal: Dinner and a
little jazz at Modavie
Hello from Montreal: Reliving
history with the Old Montreal Ghost Tour
Hello from Montreal: Architectural
discoveries in the Old Montreal Walking Tour
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Chateau Ramezay during a torrential downpour
Hello from Montreal:
Mexican delights at La Iguana & a peak at the Jazz Festival
Hello from Montreal: A guided bicycle
tour to explore Montreal's neighbourhoods
Hello from Montreal:
Biking on the Lachine Canal - Industrial history turned into a recreational
opportunity
Hello from Montreal: A chat with
André Giroux about Bicycling in Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Savouring Italian
cuisine at Galiano's and Canada Day Celebrations
Hello from Montreal:
Exploring the Olympic Stadium, the Botanical Garden & Insectarium
and outdoor action at the Jean Talon Market
Hello from Montreal: A Peruvian immigrant
success story at Restaurant Mañana
Hello from Montreal: Friendly
neighbourhood encounters on Square St. Louis
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Casino de Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Gourmet
dining at Nuances and amazing fireworks at La Ronde
Hello from Montreal: A final walk
to discover amazing architectural beauties
Helpful links for travel to Montreal:
Tourisme
Montreal - Montreal's official tourism information office
Quebec Tourism
- Official tourism website for Quebec
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