Another hot sunny day today. We really have been spoilt by the weather....and it is October ! The forecast for the weekend after we leave Canada is cool and rainy....ha ha.
At 9.30am we left the hotel and walked round to the nearest Metro Station. There are 4 metro lines covering the city and the suburbs. We bought ourselves a 3 day pass which is good for unlimited metro journeys, and the bus that goes out to the airport, and all for just £10. We caught a train going out to the East of the city and got off at the stop for the Olympic Park. This was built for the 1976 Olympics which were hosted here. Unfortunately, like everywhere here it seems, there was quite a lot of construction work going on. I suppose they are trying to do the work between the summer tourist season, and the severe winter. You can get a walking tour all round the venues, but we chose to walk round the exterior.
Next we were back on the metro to take a few stops back into the centre, then a train south one stop to St Helene Island in the St Lawrence River. This is a recreational area with picnicking, cycling, theme park, and roller coaster etc etc, however we had come here to take the short walk via a bridge to the Notre Dame Island next door,which once a year hosts the Canadian F1 Grand Prix on the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit. You get great access to the track and are able to walk right round, down the pit lane etc. the track goes round the edge of the island whilst inside the track it is a serene garden with lakes, trees, flowers and walkways.
Next it was back over to the Metro to take a train from the island back into the city and look for somewhere to eat in the old town. The old town is not quite as quaint as some old town's we have been to, but there is a pleasant pedestrian square where artists display their wares, there are some nice flower displays, and plenty of restaurants with seating out in the sun. We chose a restaurant which was in the square, and whilst we ate we could watch the horse drawn carts take tourists around. In the distance we could see the massive cruise ships in the dock area, waiting to depart on no doubt exotic journeys.
We then walked back to the Metro to catch a train back to the hotel, stopping to watch a band playing in the square on the way.
Tomorrow we explore Montreal some more.