Week six, and my French-filled week in Canada, are complete. I’ve hit my stride as a traveller in the last couple of weeks, passing a few milestones, recovering from a three-week long virus, and crossing the invisible line between holiday and long-term travel.
Week six began quietly, after my overnight flight, airport interrogation, and being kept awake all day Monday I definitely needed rest. My friend and host for the week Caro suggested I take a day off and I’m really glad she did. I did next to nothing and how nice it was. I hadn’t expected the constant change in time zones to have such an effect, but it really did. I counted seven time zone changes between leaving Australia and arriving in Montreal five weeks later. It’s no small feat, and no surprise it showed up as exhaustion eventually.
Day two of the week I was feeling much more alive and got out to see the city. I started with a couple of hours borrowing wifi from Starbucks before taking a walk around Downtown Montreal. I walked the length of Rue Sainte-Catherine, which currently has a food festival set up as well as the Just for Laughs festival, so it was a hive of activity. I followed this with a walk to Old Montreal, which I named France and refused to call it by any other name in the days that followed. More than any other part of the city this area looks like parts of French cities. Really the only thing that obviously gives it away is the signs for poutine, and less obviously the French-Canadian accent. Wednesday ended with pizza and sangria with Caro.
Day three I headed straight back to France to walk around the streets properly. I walked up and down every one of them just absorbing the beauty of it. French architecture has a certain something, and Montreal is lucky enough that many of these buildings have retained that feel (unlike those of New Orleans, for example, which in general looks nothing like anywhere I’ve been in France). I went inside the Notre Dame cathedral, which is worth the reasonable $5 entry fee. It’s one of the more stunning and decorative Catholic churches I’ve seen, completed in a blue that contrasts beautifully with the dark wood throughout.
Day four I travelled on the metro up to the Olympic Park and Botanic Garden to the East of downtown. I spent the day strolling the gardens, which were thriving in the warm summer air, before heading to the Biodome. The Biodome is a bit like a small indoor zoo, but each room is carefully climate controlled to replicate a different region and comfortably house the animals. The highlight by far were the sloths. I nearly squealed like a child when I saw they had sloths. Meeting a sloth is on my version of a bucket list. They don’t move much during the day (or at all) but the mother and baby they had were raised in captivity, meaning that sometimes they are comfortable moving around in daylight. I was so lucky to watch mother and baby climb out of their cubbyhole for some food and a stretch, and I can say looking into the dopey eyes of this gentle and perennially happy creature was every bit as fulfilling as I hoped. The experience brought tears to my eyes and I know more than ever that I want to see more of sloths. after this I strolled my way back to the city through the Gay Village, which throughout summer is decorated with hundreds of pink baubles strung up above the main street. It’s a very vibrant area and certainly lively at night.
Day four didn’t end there, with a planned night out on the horizon. My instructions to my friends here were simple: I want a great night out in Montreal. We gathered a group of eight and headed to La Tulippe, which is an old theatre converted to a nightclub. The music was 90s and so much fun – we danced and danced and danced until the lights came on. The night ended with my second try of poutine, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Apparently a night of drinking and dancing exponentially improves one’s enthusiasm for poutine.
Day five was spent sleeping. No surprises there. In the evening once everyone had recovered a few of us headed to see a Colombian band play in the city. After the Friday we had it was not a big night, but fun nevertheless. Montreal has quite a thriving Latin community and it was a taste of what’s to come for me in future months.
Day six we headed for brunch (it was Sunday, after all) followed by another trip up to Mont Royal and a visit to the cathedral of Saint Joseph. The cathedral has an impressive presence on top of a hill and you get a small workout getting up to see it. The view from the top is certainly a good one. Another of Caro’s friends was visiting by coincidence from Australia, so we repeated the list of must see tourist haunts. Driving around the city again I recognised streets and understood directions. Familiarity is such a wonderful feeling, and one of the many benefits of staying in one place a little bit longer. The evening was spent with Caro’s friend Luz, who was celebrating buying her house by providing us with dinner.
The last day of week six we spent again driving around with Caro, starting with the Old Port, then to Boulevard Saint-Laurent, which stretches several kilometres along the city. We were specifically heading for Schwartz, which is famous for another Montreal food speciality: smoked meat. Usually served on a sandwich, it’s what Australians would most likely call corned beef, and is sliced thin and piled high. It’s quite delicious but definitely something to consume on an empty stomach. We drove nearly the whole length of Saint-Laurent, which at its northern end is Little Italy, before heading to Caro’s parent’s house for some Chilean hospitality. I got to try a half-beer-half-fanta drink which is common in Chile and it was pretty tasty if you like sweet drinks, which I do. Our day ended with strawberries and some Australian wine at my new friend Vicki’s house. These kind of relaxing days with friends are very valuable and made Montreal feel like a home away from home.
I could happily stay longer in Montreal. As an Aussie, the culture and people in Canada are very easy to be around. On top of this Montreal has something extra from the French legacy which makes it a special place to be. I spent the week surrounded by people so open to welcoming me into their homes and lives. This is something that I know I will find other places and actively seek out to avoid homesickness and keep having fun on this journey.
women of the world 