Montreal neighbourhood architecture

Besides the exuberant use of colour, as I showed you in yesterday’s posts, older Montreal neighbourhoods are marked by a wealth of architectural detail — especially, but not only, balconies and exterior stairs. Not even the ubiquitous white plastic deck chairs on the balconies can detract from the charm. And everywhere green leafy goodness!

What you can’t tell from my photos is how vibrant these leafy neighbourhoods are — I tried to keep the camera on the down-low, which was a bit tricky as so many homes had people standing outside chatting to neighbours, young moms watching their children, lovers walking along already entwined, barely waiting to get inside . . .

What a different vibe these neighbourhoods have from just a few months (weeks?) ago, when they were clearing the sidewalks of snow and ice.

Here’s my favourite shot of all — that stairway will be festooned with grapes before long — gardening in the city!