Montreal

When we returned to Montreal, we visited the site of the 1967 World Fair, Man and His World, and the site of some of the Olympic venues on two islands in the middle of the St. Laurence River. The Biosphere, which was the US pavillion during the World Fair, is now the site of an environmental museum. The dome used to be covered by acrylic, but in 1976 a welder was repairing the frame and accidently caught the surface on fire. It all burned in 20 minutes. Now there is an environmental museum inside. This view shows the Montreal city skyline through the frame of the dome.
The dome with the museum inside. There were various very interesting exhibits. We saw a film on six screens (you sat on stools that could be turned) about endangered species. There was a hands-on, interactive exhibit about the St. Laurence River and the Great Lakes. There were wonderful photos of boreal forests. The top of the museum has examples of many of Buckminster Fuller's inventions (he's really a Renaissance man), including cars, a needle rowing boat, domes of various varieties, etc. In the center was an explanation of wind power (very interesting now that there will be a wind farm just outside the Cottage). The museum uses bogs to clean its waste water and has wind generators inside.
From the Biosphere we went to the Montreal Botanical Garden, a huge place with wonderful green houses, a Japanese and Chinese garden, an aquatic/bog garden, an insecterium, model gardens, etc. There were two wedding parties with photographers going around having their photos taken (lots of dragging little kids and bridesmaids with sore feet). This orchid was in the greenhouse.
The Botanical Garden is near the Olympic Stadium. The removable dome designed for the stadium did not take account of the snow loads in Montreal and has been replaced numerous times. Montreal was paying for this stadium through a tax until 2005. This shows the tower with the lines connected to the present roof (which is also removable).

We also walked around the ethnic section of Montreal (St. Laurent street), visiting a 50 year old bagel bakery where the bagels are cooked in a wood-fired oven.