The opera was playing at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in the Place des Arts, in the middle of Montreal city. In my opinion, the opera had very high production values, and I felt it was better than most of the operas I had seen at the Sydney Opera House (I'd seen at least 15 when I lived and worked in Sydney). In short, it was beautifully staged. The costumes and props were something to behold. They were beautifully designed, with colours so bright and vivid that you cannot help but feel amazed by the creativity of the designers. The dance choreography was very good as well. But most importantly, the singing was superb -- I loved the tenor-baritone duet au fond du temple saint and the tenor aria je crois entendre encore. They moved me to tears.
After the opera, I stayed overnight at a hotel in the Latin Quarter, which is a relatively trendy part of town, with lots of shops and restaurants. The next morning, I went sight-seeing in the Vieux-Port area and then did a spot of shopping in the downtown area before catching a train home. Here are some photos for you to enjoy:
Montreal city skyline
Place Jacques-Cartier, looking down to the Promenade du Vieux-Port
Place Jacques-Cartier, looking up from the Promenade du Vieux-Port
The streets around Place Jacques-Cartier, with old-world charm and character
Bassin Jacques-Cartier
A juvenile seagull that came up close to where I was standing (I would say this one was probably expecting free food). The seagulls here look somewhat different from the ones we see in Australia (particularly in Sydney), but they behave in much the same way -- they are not afraid of people, and will come up close if they sense the possibility of food being handed out.
Gardens on the Quay
Scenery along the Promenade du Vieux-Port
Quirky sculptures in the gardens along the Promenade du Vieux-Port
Fall foliage in Place Victoria, which is near the central train station
Montreal is a beautiful city. It reminded me of a mix of Melbourne and Adelaide, in terms of the feel of the city (cosmopolitan, but with some old-world charm). However, the shopping complexes in the downtown area were like the ones in Sydney, except the designs and layouts were more pleasing aesthetically. I put it down to the French influence. ;-)
I have to say I suffered a culture shock when I first arrived in Montreal. Almost all the signs were in French and everyone spoke French. Even though I had been learning French for a few weeks, I really couldn't cope with the rate of speech of the locals. Fortunately, people will speak to you in English if you struggle with the French language.
When I went to pay for my purchases at the check-out, the check-out operators initially spoke to me in French. Only when I started to speak in English did they switch to English, but they were nice about it. No drama at all.
Anyway, Montreal made quite an impression on me. I will definitely be going back there for more shopping (esp. for clothes) and sight-seeing. After all, it is only 2 hours by train from Ottawa (and the return train ticket only cost me CAD$65).
