Montreal

My bus arrived on time in Montreal and I sat to wait for Maryna to arrive to meet me. It was so good to see her, she hasn't changed a bit. As I hadn't eaten all day we went straight to dinner and Maryna, star that she is took me to one of the restaurants on my "to eat at" list. Montreal is famous for two foods, smoked meat sandwiches and Poutine, we went to Ruebens for a smoked meat sandwich. I thought the sandwich was better than the one I had had at the Carnegie deli in New York. Again something else Darren would love. We managed to finished the sandwiches but not the cheesecake we ordered to follow so we took it home. I do like the whole "doggie bag" thing here in North America, it's such a simple, great idea. Once back at Marynas, Francis, Maryna and I started to catch up over some beers.
Maryna has only just moved to Montreal, she spent the last four months in Panama doing research for her PhD, then spent last week in Seattle attending a conference and moved into her apartment on Sunday. It was just as well that I hadn't arrived yesterday, I would have been something else for her to deal with. Over a leisurely breakfast all three of us discussed what we were going to do for the day. Maryna had to go to class, I had a list of stuff that I wanted to see and Francis would go back to Trois Rivieres, where he works. When Maryna and I finally left the apartment we went to a coffee shop, Maryna was adamant that she would work better there than at school. Once I had had my coffee I left her to it and caught the Metro into town. My first stop was the Hotel de Ville, or City Hall for us Anglophones, pretty much everyone that I've come across so far here in Montreal will speak French first and then switch to English if necessary. I can't tell you what the City Hall looks like as it was covered in scaffolding and under renovation. I did get to go inside but other than the main hall there wasn't much that I could see. I don't think that they do tours here. I walked down to the river, it wasn't a good day for walking, the temperature was around -10C. Montreal sits on the St Lawrence river, the river is huge and right now has chunks of ice in it. I attempted to go up the Clock Tower in Vieux-Montreal, but it was closed for the season, I guess I'll have to come back in the summer. Although from what I've read Montreal doesn't seem to have a good climate any time of year. It's either bitterly cold in winter or very humid and hot in the summer, there is no autumn or spring. A lot of the down town buildings are linked by an underground shopping mall so people can avoid the weather.
I visited the Basilique de Notre Dame, I know another church. The cathedral is not impressive from the outside, it's not memorable. The inside is a totally different story, it's stunning. The builder of the cathedral was said to be so impressed with it when he was finished that he converted to Catholicism. I didn't want to convert after my visit but I continue to be in awe of the works completed in the name of God. And I mean any God, not just the Christian one. I jumped on the Metro and arrived in the Plateau Mont-Royal area of town. This area is full of amazing houses in a network of small one-way streets, but I hadn't come to see the architecture here. I don't know why but I am not interested in the architecture of houses, just large,public buildings generally. Anyway I was in the area for food, specifically Poutine. Poutine is dish consisting of fries covered in cheese curds and gravy. It's good in taste, probably really bad for the heart and hips. I spent the rest of the day sightseeing, nothing too amazing but still more interesting than Toronto! Montreal has so many diverse neighbourhoods to explore. I met Maryna after her Spanish class and we went back to her place for dinner and beer.
Yesterday I had a relaxed day, I got my hair cut in the morning, it was getting too long and was starting to bug me. In the afternoon I went to the Fine Arts Museum and although I spent about three hours there I wasn't ready to leave by the time they closed. It's a seriously good museum and well worth a visit. Again I met Maryna from class, she has four classes a week and they are all at 5pm for an hour. She asked me if I wanted to go for a beer, I deduced that the correct answer was yes. We went to a bar called Benelux,where they brew their own beer. It was good and not too expensive. After we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner, again good and not too expensive. Thursday January 14th was my last day in Montreal, from there I would catch the bus south and try to re-enter the U.S. If I did get it in, it would be my last visa and should last me until my flight home in March. I took a short bus ride from Maryna's apartment to the St Joseph's Oratory. I had seen the oratory in a guide book that Maryna had lent me but thought that it was too far away for me to visit while I was there. I hadn't reckoned on Maryna insisting that I buy a weekly transit pass. It was one of the best things that I did while in Montreal, it made everything so much easier and quicker for me. And of course, because it was a weekly pass I used it as much as possible.
St Josephs is a Roman Catholic basilica which sits on the slopes of Mont Royal overlooking the city. The original chapel was built by Bother Andre but soon the congregation outgrew it and he decided to build something a little more impressive. It's the largest church in Canada and surprisingly modern inside. They are preparing to open the interior of the dome up to visitors, the view will be amazing. I am only sad that I wasn't able to go to the top, I miss it by a few months! From the oratory walked into Mont Royal park, as I was walking I thought what an idiot I was, it was so cold and the wind didn't help. Also I think it was a longer walk than I was expecting. The walk was well worth it, even in winter the park is stunning with expansive views across the city and the St. Lawrence river. The park was also busier than I had expected and not just with skiers. There were people walking, jogging and mountain biking among other things. I got to see some squirrels up close and personal. The park has set up bird feeding tables, designed so that the squirrels can't get to the bird feed. So what they do is hang out below the tables and wait for the birds to drop stuff down and then they just pick it up off the ground. Maximum return, minimum investment. I stood to watch the squirrels, I have never seen so many in one place before. Then the squirrels started coming up to my feet, I suspect that people feed them, not that they need it. They were all very well fed and a little portly around the middle. I got out my camera and pointed it down to capture the squirrel at my feet. As it usually goes with wildlife photography you don't get the shot you wanted. I got one better. The squirrel decided to climb my leg. In all I had four different squirrels climbing me and I didn't feed one of them!!
I went to the Olympic stadium. Considering how many Olympic cities I have visited in the past few years it surprises me that I have never been to an Olympic stadium. And I have still never been in one! Yes you guessed it, it was closed for winter! I'll try again when I get to Atlanta. That evening Maryna and I watched a hockey game in a local Irish bar. The beer was good and the local team won. Maryna says that almost never happens recently. The next morning we had breakfast together and she took me to the bus station. I was very sad to part from her. I know I repeat myself, but this is my blog and I don't care. I am sad to say goodbye to my friends as I have no idea when I will see them again.
Once I was on the bus the worries about getting back into the U.S. began to occupy my mind. Since my return flight home is out from New York, not being able to set foot U.S. soil could present a problem.