Hello from Montreal - A Delectable Outside Lunch at the Cafe du Chateau, and a Massive Thunderstorm

My stomach was in desperate need of nourishment, and I was considering whether I should plunk myself down at one of the appealing terrace cafés on Place Jacques Cartier, as much as the walking tour through Old Montreal nourished my senses and architectural sensibilities. Then, off to the side of the main square, I practically came across this lovely small park, Place De La Dauversière. I had to go check out a small gate in the southeast corner of this place that seemed like the entrance of a garden because of my insatiable curiosity.

The vista opened out into a lovely French-style horticultural sanctuary: the Governor's Garden, a more than 200-year-old example of garden design from the New France era. The best part is that admission is always free, and the expansive garden provides a pleasant oasis of nature in the midst of Vieux Montréal's stone structures.

The garden is organized into three sections: the kitchen garden, an orchard, and a leisure garden, with the majority of the plants originating in New France. Benches enable you to sit and relax while taking in the tranquilly of this beautiful place. A ramp leads up to the "Café du Chateau," a restaurant with a spacious terrace covered by an umbrella and wooden tables towards the back of the garden. I'd located the ideal setting for a lunch break.

So I sat down and began recording my thoughts in my travel journal while perusing the menu, which includes a selection of salads, sandwiches, desserts, and beverages. I went for a light meal and ordered an endive salad with goat cheese balls topped with walnuts, pine nuts, and miniature croutons, followed by a fantastic Quebec cheese plate with three different types of Quebec cheese, fresh grapes, cut-up green apples, and a paste made from dry dates and bread.

The dinner was very spicy, and the three cheeses' distinct tastes, along with the sweet flavor of the fruit and date paste, provided an unusual variety of tastes to my palette. I was eating my meal when I noticed the Bonsecours Market's cupola peeking out between the old buildings from where I was sitting.

My peace was broken when the skies opened up and a massive thunderstorm began to pound the city. Instead of waiting out the storm on the Café du Chateau's patio, I opted to spend my time exploring the museum in the adjacent building.

The Chateau de Ramasamy was erected in 1705 for Claude de Ramasamy, the governor of Montreal. It was taken over by the French West Indies Company, which made it their headquarters forty years later. The British occupied the building after the conquest in 1760. General Richard Montgomery and Benjamin Franklin, among other notables, are known to have visited the Château.