Vertical gun portals dice rust-tinged walls and mute cannons aim toward the river. Over the years, industrialist David M. Stewart amassed a collection of artifacts covering four centuries of Montreal history. His trove of maps, firearms, navigational instruments and other treasures resides in a museum at the fort. Others re-enact military camp chores, which include tailoring clothes, repairing weapons and baking bread in outdoor ovens. Leafy trees canopy much of Ile Sainte-Helene, giving the illusion of a thick forest hideaway.
Families picnic in the shade, their meals flavoring the air with scents of charcoal and beef.
Birds flutter and chipmunks scurry, hoping to snatch a quick handout. On the opposite side of the island stands the Biosphere, one of the architectural signatures of Montreal. It began life as the Unites States' pavilion at Expo 67. Designed by Buckminster Fuller, the geodesic sphere rises 20 stories without any internal supports. Sheets of translucent acrylic once covered its tubular aluminum skeleton, but a fire in 1978 destroyed the outer skin.