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| - There should be more stars to give this incredibly, magnificent sight.
My first full day in Montreal, and I planned to surely see the Notre Dame Basilica. I used one of those self-guided Walking Tours from Frommers (highly recommend), and it led me here in the middle of the tour of Old Montreal. But you don't need anyone or anything to tell you you're near it, or when you've reached it. You will *know*.
I stood there in front of it, looking up, and understanding the meaning of true awe-strickenness. It's humbling, and it just takes you back into a world of when it was first built. They charge $5 to enter (or was it $10?), but don't even consider declining. When I opened the door, I almost fell to the floor. I kid you not and am not being typically dramatic. My eyes filled with tears and streamed down my face, and I could not stop saying "wow", over and over again.
Sat down in one of the pews, and inhaled the beauty. The architecture, the colors, the shapes, the intricacies, the illusion of depth, the lighting.. it was all extraordinary. It's no wonder that the man who architected it (James O'Donnell) converted to Roman Catholicism after having been impacted by his own work.
That day, those moments, were up as one of my favorites of Montreal. I returned again on the last day of my trip, just to enjoy it from the outside again.
There is a lot of history surrounding the area (you're in the heart of Place d'Armes), so you're in for a treat if that is your thing. Lots of great, inexpensive souvenir shops just to the east of the Basilica. There was a lot of construction going on (I think they were repairing or adding something to the statue of Maisonneuve, which is right next to it), but everything else is pretty much accessible at the time I was there.
Make this one of your priority stops! :) And actually, an addition to the Bucket List. :)
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