Montreal

Underground City has brought into reality a popular science fiction scenario. This network of tunnels under the streets of Montreal houses one of the most unusual shopping areas in the world. Still growing over 40 years later, it provides a haven for tourists and locals against the weather extremes common to Montreal, while giving them a shopping heaven.

The first link came into being when the Place Ville-Marie, a Bauhaus skyscraper in downtown Montreal, incorporated an underground shopping mall. Built in 1962 to cover railway tracks near Central Station, it linked the train to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. With the opening of the Montreal Metro (the city's subway system) in 1966, the web of passages began to blossom.

St. Joseph's Oratory, a large Catholic church atop Mont Royal in Montreal, is one of the most unusual religious structures in existence. It is so, not only because of the design, but owing to its history, as well.

A work of devotion by Brother Andre, a lay brother in the Holy Cross order, the present church wasn't even completed until 30 years after his death. The church was begun in 1924, but only finished in 1967. It began first as a small structure he helped create near the beginning of the 20th century. Starting as a tiny wooden chapel, funds were eventually furnished to build the basilica.

Brother Andre's unusual character is the reason.

Vieux MontrÈal, as it's known in the native language of Quebec, is a European postcard made real in North America. Along the cobblestoned streets crossing Place Jacques Cartier it's easily possible to imagine oneself in Paris.

Wander over to busy St. Paul Street and shop. Bakeries, souvenirs and a variety of art objects are all for sale. Consider staying at one of the lovely Bed and Breakfast establishments in the area. From there you can easily make your way over to the Bonsecour Market in the morning.

Visiting Place Royal, a former market on the spot that Montreal was founded in 1642, there is a sense of the old European traditions. But there are up-to-the-minute shops and restaurants as well.

The MusÈe des Beaux-Arts de MontrÈal is the oldest museum in Canada, and one of its finest. Founded in 1860, it moved to one of its present locations just before WWI in 1912. 'One of' because the museum is actually comprised of two separate buildings separated by a street, connected by a long underground tunnel.

The older, neo-Classical building, the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion, is on the north side of Sherbrooke. The newer building, the Jean-Noel Desmarais Pavilion, was finished in 1991. Each is worthy of a day-long visit. Here, art lovers will find 19th century Canadian paintings and drawings, along with art from all over Europe, Asia and Africa.

The Jardin Botanique de MontrÈal happily resides in one of the most lush areas of North America. It was founded in 1936 by one of Canada's premier botanists, FrËre Marie-Victorin and houses over 100,000 specimens representing 20,000 species. Second in size only to Kew Gardens in London, it is easily a rival for New York's famed institutions.

There are nine public greenhouses and over 20 others that house research and maintenance plants from the world over. There are here some of the rarest medicinal herbs in the world, lovingly cared for by the Jardin's gardeners. Associated with The Botanical Institute of the University of Montreal, it has the expertise and interest that has helped create one of the world's finest botanical treasures.

Montreal derives its musical-sounding name from a nearby mountain, Mont Royal, which also happens to be one of its main tourist attractions. But there's much more to this city on the St. Lawrence River than natural wonders, as abundant as those are.

Montreal holds interest for those many tourists who enjoy visiting religious structures around the world.

St. Joseph's Oratory atop Mont Royal has the second largest dome in the world, following only St. Peter's in Rome. This unusual work of devotion by Brother Andre was constructed at his urging and holds his very heart, preserved in a glass case inside.

The Insectarium de MontrÈal, is one of the foremost collections of insects in the world. Possibly the largest in North America, there may be some larger, such as that in New York. But there are none finer. Opened in February, 1990 over 400,000 visitors per year come to be amazed at the collections.

There are six separate geographically themed areas, but any of them offers astounding sights.

Whether you see the Afrotropical's Goliath Beetle or Tailess Whip Scorpion, or the Oriental Zone's Ornamental Black and White Tarantula, there's a crawling creature to amuse and astound.

Using waterways to move goods, aid industry or simply for transportation has been done for centuries. But the excellent canals and ports used today didn't always exist, and sometimes creating them took generations. So it is with the Lachine Canal in Montreal.

One area of this complex of islands in Quebec contain a natural feature called the Lachine Rapids. Like most rapids, they can be fun for adventurers, but they're a real problem for commercial activity. As early as 1689, less than 50 years after the city's founding, enterprising locals tried to forge a canal around them. But, owing to government resistance, lack of funds and absence of engineering knowledge it took over a hundred years to become a reality.