Reagan ’28 shares her experience of Day 3 on the The Orange Shirt – Montreal trip: Cathedrals, food and hockey!
A light snowfall from the night before had the streets white and icy! On our second full day in Montreal, we started off with a trip to Tim Horton’s, which is a staple of the Canadian experience. I ordered a croissant that was the perfect mix of butter and fluffiness. Our theme for today was exploring the French Jesuit and Catholic presence in Montreal to juxtapose what we learned yesterday in Kahnawake. We drove a small way away from our hotel to Marie Reine du Monde Cathedral, an absolutely gorgeous cathedral that houses various artworks. We were able to step inside and look at the statues, paintings, and architecture. This cathedral had a statue of Kateri Tekakwitha, an Indigenous woman that was canonized as a Catholic saint in 2012. It was interesting to see the way First Nations culture has been incorporated into all facets of religious life in Montreal. After stopping by the gift shops, we drove to our next destination, the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. We specifically focused on the stained-glass artwork that covered the walls. Many of these were depictions of conversations between First Nation peoples and priests, nuns, and other European religious figures. We thought a lot about the intersection of these cultures and how they are discussed based on who is telling the story. The Notre-Dame Basilica was gorgeous! It is decorated with blue and gold accents, with shells representing the baptism of Jesus. Overall, the morning was spent with a lot of self-reflection, comparing and contrasting the perspectives from Kahnawake with ones that were more familiar to me, and to others in the group.
For lunch, we ate at a quaint Crepe and Panini shop. I ordered a pesto chicken panini, and it was interesting to see that people could order savory crepes, given I’m used to them being more dessert oriented. I’ve learned Montreal is very pastry-heavy, which is due to the French influence. After that delicious meal, Mr. Jan and Ms. Fidanza drove the group to a row of streets near the Montreal port that were lined with shops, boutiques, and cafes. We walked around and shopped for about 45 minutes. I was able to shop for friends and family. I ran into a lovely Inuit print shop and was able to browse their fur clothing collection and statuette gallery before settling on two beautiful prints made by local artists. I also found a print of the Notre-Dame Basilica at an artisan Montreal boutique, which ties into our theme from today.
After that miniature shopping spree, we hopped back into the van and navigated to the Place Bell, a hockey arena 30 minutes outside of Montreal and home of the Laval Rocket, a hockey team associated with the Montreal Canadiens (who are currently on Winter break for the Olympics). The arena was packed and our seats gave us a perfect bird-eye view of the rink. As a huge hockey fan, I was eager for this event the entire trip, and it certainly did not disappoint. I counted 3 fights, 4 goals scored by the Rocket, and 1 awesome, energetic, and passionate crowd. They primarily spoke French on the Jumbotron, which was a bit difficult to understand, but I recognized player names and the signs for penalties, so it wasn’t too much trouble. I learned that “un but” means “a goal” and I tried my first batch of poutine! I didn’t know what to expect, but I liked it a lot. The Rocket emerged victorious, 4-1 against the Cleveland Monsters, and I got to see Canadiens draft picks like Filip Mešár, Jacob Fowler, and Florian Xhekaj take to the ice. Mr. Jan gave me lots of hockey insight as well.
Once we left the arena, we had some downtime at the hotel before eating at a delicious Italian restaurant nearby. Our dinner was a blast, and we really connected as a group. It was chilly though! Overall, our day was filled with understanding French-Canadian culture on multiple levels, and I had lots of laughs with my friends. I will certainly miss Canada, but we have another day left to make it matter! Adieu!
