They say, "No Pain, No, Gain." I must have gained a lot, my calves are in PAIN from all the walking. Rita is fine, except for an upset stomach from, she claims, Swartz's smoked beef.

We have a reservation for a Hop-on Hop-off tour we have to redeem today. It's a distance away, I hope I can make it. I don't think I will book anything ahead of time in the future unless it's absolutely necessary.

Made the 2.5 Km. walk to Dorchester Square, redeemed our voucher and were tagged with wristbands. The tour bus passed right in front of our apartment and stopped about 2 blocks away. people were getting on and I noticed they weren't wearing wrist bands. Talked to the fellow in front of us, who just boarded the bus with his wife. He said the hotel told them to just board the bus and they will come along to collect the money. I thought "GOSH DARN".

Dean mentioned yesterday, that he didn't understand where the money came from for all the Murals and other artwork on the streets. There are a lot of them here in Montreal. The tour bus commentator  mentioned that 1% of the money spent on construction, according to the bylaws of Montreal, must go to art. Later we found out that the art has to be publically accessible 24 hrs. a day. That is why they are put outside of the buildings. Otherwise they would have to have the building open 24 hrs. a day.

Got off the bus at St. Joseph's Oratory.

Rita had to go really badly. I told her we should go up to the Oratory, they probably have washrooms. Hundreds of people were walking up the stairs. Rita wasn't willing to take the chance. Walked around a building by the parking lot, no luck. Walked down the street to Charcuterie Atlantique. Rita was relieved.

Quite awhile later she emerged and told me it was just good manners to buy something when you use the bathroom. So she went back in. Looking around I noticed that the Charcuterie was also a Poisonnerie. She walked out with a loaf of Rye Bread. I don't particularly like rye bread, I'm not going to question Rita's motives, but I will avoid this loaf like the plaque.

Went back to the Oratory and boarded the shuttle that went up the hill to the bottom of the building. A short flight of stairs and we were at the entrance.

There is a beautiful large chapel at this level,

It was dimly lit, but I managed to get a good picture.

Went up 4 long escalators to the Oratory itself. It has the second highest dome. Only St Peters in Rome is higher.

By the way, there are washrooms everywhere. There was no reason for me to carry that poisonned rye bread in my backpack all over Montreal. But then Rita has her reasons.

Went back down on the escalators and shuttle and boarded the bus. Went back to Dorchester Square. There were 3 buses there, so we disembarked from our bus and boarded the bus that was next to leave. Went in front of our apartment but decided we should see the Latin Quarter and we stayed on the bus.

Got off at the Latin Quarter. There were blue umbrellas hanging on wires strung across the street. Thought this was another street decorating motif, after we had seen the Pink Balls in the LGBQ district.

Noticed the sign in front of the theatre. They were playing Mary Poppins.

Found an interesting shop I would have liked to browse around in. The ladies fashions looked interesting. More interesting than even Lilly's.

Thought better of it. Rita, for sure, would force me to eat that loaf of rye bread she bought at the Poisonnerie if I did.

Walked around to Boulevard St. Laurent. I thought we were near Swartz's and the Hungarian deli. We discovered we were not far enough East, because the stores were familiar to us, and as I remembered there were about 4-5 blocks more to walk. We weren't that interested in the Hungarian Charcuterie.

Returned to the corner of St. Denis and De Maisonneuve and boarded the bus. As we were driving by Boulevard St. Laurent, as on the tour before, the commentator was mentioning that the Best Montreal Smoked Beef Sandwich Charcuterie was a few blocks up the street, along with the best Bagel Shop in the world. "SWARTZ'S" and  "BAGELS ETC.". Swartz's, according, to the commentator, is owned by my favorite female singer Celine Dion. She sure knows how to sing, she knows nothing about making a great smoked beef sandwich, as far as I'm concerned.

Went around the rest of the circuit and the bus stopped at Dorchester Square. We had intended to stay on the bus and disembark at our apartment. No such luck. The buses stop running at 4:00PM.

Carried Rita's poisonned loaf of rye bread all the way to the apartment. Looked for a grocery store on the way, no luck. Came across a wedding or a photo shoot. Don't know which. But the bride and the groom were in a precarious position, almost getting hit by passing cars.

Something good came out of our long walk though. We found a SAQ (LCBQ in English.) kitty-corner to Notre Dam a block away.

The building on the right, is supposed to be a smaller version of the Empire State Building. The commentator on our tour mentioned that it was supposed to be a copy. But it was built in 1929, the Empire State Building in1931. It looks like a taller version of Vancouver City hall to me.

When we got back, we decided to walk down Rue St Paul, just around the corner to our apartment. There are a lot of restaurants, and there is a market down the street that I found on the internet.

Decided not to walk to the market, but to have some health food instead. So I went to McDonald's on the corner and bought some burgers and fries. A treat, for me, after Swartz's smoked beef sandwich last night. A double treat that I didn't have to eat the poisonned rye. Went to bed early. Turned the air-conditioning fan off, because it bothered Rita last night. It was quiet except for the loud laughter coming from the outdoor restaurants on Rue St Paul, and the idiot who was blowing a horn.