Terry and I occasionally spend a few days in
Montreal, the city where we met and lived during our first year of marriage.
There is always an element of nostalgia in our visits! We lived right downtown, so even now, when we visit, we pass places that conjure up memories... like my first studio apartment above a shoe store on busy St. Catherine Street.
There's the building! I even shared a bathroom with two others... I couldn't imagine that now... but at the time it wasn't a problem!
(Which window was mine? ... I can't remember. I think I was on the top floor... It has been a while!)
A few blocks down the street we pass the
Forum, where the Montreal Canadiens used to play hockey... though I only attended two games the years I was living there.
I often shopped at the
Alexis Nihon Plaza (now called "Place Alexis Nihon") just opposite the forum.
This park is situated on the opposite corner. The
Montreal Children's Hospital can be seen through the trees. I've never been inside, but friend of ours works there...
Here's our street! My second apartment was here on St. Mathieu Street, also in the heart of downtown.
The doors have been changed and they're now painted brown. I lived on the top floor in a small bachelor apartment when I was single... Then moved into a one-bedroom on the middle floor when we got married.
My window always faced this former convent, across the street. This Grey Nuns' building later became a women's shelter. I heard it is now a university residence for Concordia University.
Later we wander past the church where we met and were married, ... then turn into this quiet side street next to it...
I always loved this little circle with its quaint older homes!
As we wander around, we do notice some changes, like these bike paths (on Maisonneuve Street) - built between the sidewalk and the road. A great idea!
Walking down St. Catherine Street, my memory is again jogged as we pass a Molson delivery truck.
Terry's grandfather, Donald Hutchins was, for many years, the chauffeur of Mrs.Molson, matriarch of this brewing family. Donald Hutchins died before I met Terry, but his wife, Ruth Hutchins (Terry's grandmother), often talked about the Molson years. She would reminisce about their summers at the Molson summer home in Quebec's
Gaspe area, where they went every summer. The chauffeur even had his own little cottage there, and Terry's parents often came to visit for a few days, bringing the grandchildren.
Montreal visits are trips down Memory Lane!
