Discovering... Montreal's Central Mountain: Mount Royal Montreal, March 1, 2001

Montreal is a great city where winters can seem long, cold and snowy. That's why people like to take advantage of the numerous sunny days to get some fresh air.

Traditionally, the Mount Royal is the place of choice. Affectionately called "The Mountain" by Montrealers, it stands out in the center of Montreal, just north of the downtown area.

It can be accessed from the upper streets of the city center, or from Avenue du Mont-Royal in the Plateau Mont-Royal District, or from the Cote-des-Neiges District.

Some of the best city lookouts can be found on Mount Royal: the Mountain Escarpment and Observatory on Chemin Camilien Houde, the Mount Royal Chalet Belvedere at the top of the Central Mountain, and a Belvedere at Oratoire St-Joseph (St-Joseph's Oratory).

Things To Do - Religious Culture
Montreal has been called the city with 100 spires. It has been said that you can't throw a rock here without breaking a church window. One of the main churches is also Montreal's highest elevation point, namely St. Joseph's Oratory (Oratoire St-Joseph). Miracles are known to have taken place in this gigantic religious temple. It was built from the vision of one man, Brother André, who died in 1937 and who was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 23, 1982.

Although catholic, foreign ministries have held gatherings of other beliefs at St. Joseph's Oratory which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2004.

Things To Do - Sports and Nature Fun
In winter: cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, sliding, ice skating at Beaver Lake, hiking, winter bicycling, sleigh rides, etc.
In summer: bird watching, bicycling, walking, speed walking, hiking, and many more, including Sunday TamTams.

Things To Know - Montreal's Oldest French University
Université de Montréal, Hautes Etudes Commerciales and Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal are also located in the Côte-des-Neiges district. On December 6, 1989, someone called Marc Lepine stormed into the engineering school and killed 14 young women attending regular classes. The memorial for their tragic death at École Polytechnique is located at the extreme east end of Queen Mary Road. A vigil is held there each year on the date of this sad anniversary.

Some of the Restaurants
There are numerous restaurants in this district at many price tags. From bistrots and coffee shops to stylish and foreign cuisine restaurants, it is a good idea to do the rounds and check out the various menus shown outside Cote des Neiges restaurants.

One may be worth mentioning because of its specialty and the building it's in: Le Commensal Vegetarian Restaurant, at the north-west corner of Queen Mary and Côte des Neiges, in the old Wax Museum building.

Links
• Mount Royal
• St-Joseph's Oratory
• Dans l'ombre de Marc Lépine - roman autobiographique plausible d'un Montréalais de la génération X
• Mount Royal Cemetary
• Université de Montréal

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