Day Six

(September 2, 1999)

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to start some serious touring of Montreal.  We got one-day passes for the Metro, and headed up to the Olympic Park.

The first tour we did in the Park was the Biodome.  This is one of the old Olympic stadiums that has been converted to a biological preserve.  The Dome is split into 4 parts, each of which contains a small ecosystem.  This is the Biodome seen from above.

Biodome as seen from Olympic Tower

The first ecosystem we visited was the Tropical Rainforest.  This section was fairly hot and humid (as you might well expect), and full of various creatures from tropical climates.

Capybara Spoonbill

The second section was the Laurentian Forest.  This is a typical North American forest with deciduous and evergreen trees, and creatures varying from Otters to Beavers to Canadian Lynx.

Otter Canadian Lynx

The third section was the St Lawrence Marine Ecosystem.  This is a representative of marine and coastal life in North America.  There are 2 levels to this: an Aquarium where you see the ecosystem from below, then an open area where you see everything from above.

Aquarium window - St Lawrence Marine Ecosystem Fish seen in Aquarium Window

St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem

Birds in the St. Lawrence Ecosystem

The fourth and final section of the Biodome is Polar World.  This is a small section containing penguins from the Artic and Antarctic regions.  The viewing area is blocked off and kept fairly warm, while the penguins bask in sub-zero comfort.

Penguins in Polar World Penguins in Polar World Penguins in Polar World

After the Biodome, we rode the elevator up to the top of the Olympic Tower.  The view is quite spectacular, and we spent a little time looking around.

The Olympic Tower View from the Olympic Tower View from the Olympic Tower

We then returned back to ground and headed over to the Botanical Gardens.  These are also part of the Olympic Park, and they are HUGE.  We saw a very small percentage of the overall Gardens in the few hours that we spent there.

Greenhouses en Le Jardin Botanique Greenhouses Greenhouses Bonsai Trees at the "Tree House" in the Gardens Japanese Garden with a view of the Olympic Tower Japanese Gardens Japanese Gardens Japanese Gardens

After we left the Gardens, we hopped the Metro back to the Underground City and had an early supper (at the Marche', of course).  When we finished supper, we decided to take the Metro down to Old Montreal to see the Place-d'Armes and the Notre Dame Basilica.

Statue in the Place d'Armes Notre Dame Basilica

The inside of the Basilica is indescribable.  These pictures only show a small part.

Inside of the Basilica Inside of the Basilica

Inside of the Basilica Inside of the Basilica

Stained Glass in the Basilica Stained Glass in the Basilica

After seeing the Basilica, we got back on the Metro and headed out to Isle St. Helene, where we walked around and looked at part of the Olympic Park.  Then back to our hotel to recover from all of the walking and prepare for the next day.

<Continue on to Day 7>

<Return to Niagara Falls Page>