Lachine is a little suburb of Montréal, earlier its own city but of course long been swallowed by the spreading city. It sits along the Lac Saint-Louis, where the St. Laurence river widens to form this lake, and along the Canal that was dug to circumvent the rapids in the river.

It got its name, Lachine, in mockery of its founder and owner Robert Cavelier de La Salle, who explored the interior of North America, trying to find a passage to Asia. When he returned unsuccessful, he and his men were nicknamed les Chinois. The name stuck.

The city went down in Canadian history with the Lachine massacre, part of the Iroquois Wars. 1,500 Mohawk warriors attacked the 375 inhabitants of Lachine by surprise in the morning of August 5, 1689.

My friend Fabio took me there for a walk, to discover the park along the river and the promenade lined with restaurants and cultural venues. It’s a perfect getaway from Montréal.

Next week I’ll rent a bike to go there, the bike path runs from my house through town and all along the canal with its locks. It’ll be a nice day trip, maybe even further along the lake.