Salvation through Harmony in Montreal

“Salvation through Harmony” is Montreal’s motto and appears on the city’s coat of arms intended to illus­trate that differ­ent commu­ni­ties have co-existed in harmony for nearly 400 years: a fleur de lis for the French, a rose for the English, a thistle for the Scots, a shamrock for the Irish, and a beaver for the Canadians.

First, the Amerindians and the French coexisted — then the British, the Scottish, the Irish, the East Europeans, Italians, Greeks and now people from every conti­nent … and today the Montreal School Board welcomes children born in 188 differ­ent countries. Talk about interoperability!

History, music, food, archi­tec­ture, univer­si­ties, churches, museums, islands, water, shopping … Montreal has it all. Despite the cold and the snow and the ice and the slush in early January, the city has a palpa­ble vibe of fun and friend­li­ness. It is extremely acces­si­ble — and if you don’t mind bundling up in winter — it’s a great place for walking.

By the way, the 31^st Festival International de Jazz de Montréal will take place June 25 to July 6, 2010. The festi­val will be a carbon-neutral event through the help of Rio Tinto Alcan.

Check it out! Here’s a great clip from the 2007 festival: