"HOCHELAGA" Montreal by RafaelTheSecond

When a very young french Captain Jack Cartier came to this land, he would never imagine that this settlements would be the largest city in North America, and for sure he would never thought about that a single tropical brazilian like me would be so in love with this incredible land called MONTREAL.

Before coming to Montreal, he set foot in the beautiful coast of Gaspé (yes my friends one day I must go there!!!), he was lucky it was spring time, May 1534, if he could go there in January he would find out that winter in France is as ghastly hot as the Sahara....Anyway, some weeks later, through a big river he reached Stadacona (uff..Quebec), and met some indians which made possible his expedition to a place called Hochelaga!!!! And WOW, then he made Canada in my opinion!;) But he just reached Montreal one year later!

The first European to reach the area was my friend Jacques in 1535. He reached the area after speaking to a Iroquois chief in present-day Quebec City who told him of a shiny stone upstream from his village. Cartier listened to him, and believed he was describing gold, which lead him to the village of Hochelaga, on the Island of Montreal. The local Iroquois took him to the top of Mont Royal and Cartier planted the first of the mountaintop's famous crosses in honour of Francis I, his sponsor. Unfortunately for Cartier, the shiny stone turned out to be quartz (or perhaps Pyrite, also called Fool's Gold) not gold.

Too bad, but it was nice...thanks to that, we all have Montreal :)))) but only after Champlain, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, Jeanne Mance that this village was known as MONTREAL (1653), before that it was also called VilleMarie, in honor of the Virgin Mary, since that time Canada always have been VERY catholic!;)

Today the Brazilian Explorer Rafael Torres Lopes set foot on Dorval Area on the 18th of January 2005, and since then, a new found land was established....

MONTREAL became LA CITTÉ DU RAFAEL.

Something that you would love to know, if I could choose a place to live in Canada, this place would be Montreal!

From Cartier to Rafael, Montreal will always remain in people's heart and best memories!

My friend Pierre and I in Saint Hilaire

He is not a Algonquin but he has the agriculture knowledge of that people, just have a look in his garden in the house and the vegetation around the chalet in the Laurentides....He is not a Iroquois but he likes to keep peace among people, and he is the one who bring harmony to his friends, he is the peacemaker. And he is not a Huron but his strengh to fight for life has the courage of a Huron. But Pierre is a native of Montreal!

I would say that Montreal has the honor to have Pierre in the city, a real great Montreal lover, someone who we can see in the eye his great fondness and respect to the city where he was born!

Nothing that I did in Montreal would never be possible without the help and knowledge of this Montreal's citizen!

He made me be MR. CANADA, because he got graduated as MR. BRAZIL in his 3 weeks adventure in brazilian lands! He survived the summer and I survived the winter!

MR. CANADA AND MR. BRAZIL ARE GREAT FRIENDS AND THEY DREAM TO CONTINUE THIS EVERLASTING FRIENDSHIP AMONG THE YEARS....

Thanks Pierre for your big heart, for your endless smile, for your help, and for all your kindness, thanks also to have introduced me so many wonderful people, and thanks above all to hold this incredible love for your land! So much love for his city, made me love that city too.

And AUJOURD'HUI I feel at home in Montreal, and Montreal is my favourite city outside Brazil.

Actually my favourite cities in the World are Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Petropolis, Montreal Madrid and Punta del Este :)

Tony Bennets left his heart in San Francisco, I left my heart in Montreal! :)

Madam Jacqueline and Rafael in Montreal

Actually it is not cold in Montreal during the winter...IT IS FREEZING!!! But people are still in the street, people go out in the weekend, anyway, people just live!

Every single day I spend in Montreal everything were white, snow here, snow there, so much snow that I got used, and now I am missing the best winter experience in my life!

Winter, Spring, summer or Fall, Montreal is one of the most interesting city in the World;Montreal is the second largest Canadian city. With a population of 1,812,799 plus my Friend Pierre!

Montreal is one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world. It is also the largest city in the Americas where the majority of the population is francophone.

So if you do not speak french, it is always nice to start any conversation with Excuse Moi, Pardon, Bon Journee, the people really like it, and then they will decide to speak english with you, mostly do! :)))))

Montreal has a substantial anglophone minority and you can find them around Pierresfond and Senneville and an increasing population of allophones (those whose first language is neither English nor French). LOTS OF VENEZUELANS THERE, FEW BRAZILIANS UNFORTUNATELY, the brazilians prefers Toronto, thanks God, I stay with the minority! :)

In our way to Cap Saint Jacques we stopped to see the Prairies River, and Jacqueline was with us, and we all have a great time!

• Pros:It is a whole world in one city!
• Cons:It can get really dirty with the melting snow, but it is GREAT ANYWAY!
• In a nutshell:It is my house too, so I will always be back!