The jewel of Montreal’s city parks is, without question, Mount Royal. This 200-hectare park occupies part of the mountain that lies in the midst of Montreal island, and includes the highest spot in the city (234m). In the 1860s, mass cutting of trees on the mountain for firewood outraged the populace and led to the area’s designation as a park in 1876. It was originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps best known for New York City’s Central Park, although not all his proposed plans for Mount Royal were eventually carried out.
The lookout facing over downtown towards the river was first built in 1906 and is now officially known as the Belvédère Kondiaronk, named for the Huron chief who signed a major peace accord with the French regime in 1701.
Mount Royal is where Montrealers go to get a breath of air on a hot day, to cross-country ski without leaving the city, to walk off a hangover or a bad mood, to picnic, to jog, to ice skate, to look out over the city, rest their eyes on the horizon and dream.
The stairs are at the top of Peel Avenue. It's not an easy climb up!
 |
| To avoid the 400 steps to the top, you can take a windy path ... I didn't |
 |
| There is some repair going on so I had to detour along a path |
 |
| There was a look-off of the city |
 |
| The view of the city are worth the climb! |
 |
| Mount Royal Chalet |
Heading down was a lot easier than going up!
No comments:
Post a Comment