Montreal day 3 – art and theatre in the rain

Before I left Vancouver, I had a serious discussion with myself about whether to shoot with my iPhone 16 pro or my Nikon Z50 in Montreal. I opted for the iPhone as it’s easy to carry and takes passable images. I love the raindrops on the window in this one. Click on the image for a larger version.

So … a rainy day in Montreal makes for a good day at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Sometimes I go to a museum and am more captivated by the building than the collection. The Art Institute of Ontario for one. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for another. It sits on both sides of Sherbrooke Street, with the older “pavillion” accessible only through an underground walkway.

The modern pavilion
The older pavillion across the street

The new building is full of light and interesting angles and stairways that have steps half height so climbing them feels easy and even toddlers can hop up and down. There are interesting displays as in the banner photo at the top of this post but, for me, the building itself was a greater piece of art.

The entrance hall
View from the second floor
The object on the right is a mirror image of the object on the left

The older building displays an elegance from the past. Much of the crowd from the new building did not take the underground passage.

A stairway to nowhere at the moment

I got briefly lost in Montreal’s Underground City which I had hoped was something vaguely archeological, but turned out to be an enormous multi-level shopping mall. The tom yum soup in the food court assuaged my disappointment.

I had a date with dinner and the theatre this evening. Dinner was at Restaurant Bonaparte, French food of course! The service quite formal, my view along rue Saint-Sacrement (until, sadly, others were seated) charming.

This restaurant is next door to the Centaur Theatre, my après le dîner destination so I chose to order from the theatre menu. A lovely red accompanied a basket of bread. Then, first course, an absolutely beautiful and luscious salad, built in layers behind cucumber slices. Second course, lamb shank with delicious veggies. Sadly the lamb was a little dry and chewy. 🥲 Third course was tarte au citron, totally to die for. It is no accident the photo of the tarte au citron most fills the frame! 🙃

I saw For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again by Michel Tremblay at the Centaur Theatre, now in its 56th season. The play is a two-hander, a mother and a son, and in an hour and 45 uninterrupted minutes takes us from the son’s 10-year-old self to his forties. The story, the staging and the acting were superb, and the seats in the newly renovated theatre soooo comfortable! 🤩

I am hoping the forecast for tomorrow – currently light drizzle – will improve as there are some fun things that go on in Mount Royal Park, weather permitting. Ce qui sera sera. Jusqu’à demain.

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