Pages

Un Petit Sejour à Montréal






HELLO ENCORE UNE FOIS!

We're nearly up to date! Weeelll, we're nearly up to getting past Toronto. Weeelll, there might be one more I forgot about. 

Anyway.

One week before I left my lovely second home, Brandon, Dorna, Shell and I had a little weekend in Montréal. It had to happen. Mostly because everyone had left me by this stage I refused to leave the country without having been there. A little random step into Québéc-part-of-Ottawa-that-is-not-Ottawa does not count. I came here in a attempt to get muchos acquainted with French Canada, and it was going to happen at least a little bit, dammit.

So, as always, here's a little bit of explanation with your pictures.





Spent the Friday night at Brandon's house - he has an adorable little apartment in the middle of some Toronto place somewhere where we cooked up a storm and watched people falling over. Or something.

MAN OF THE HOUSE.
His birthday card from us takes prime spot :D (I hope it's still there, cher)






Christmassy things!


In Canada, you don't make cookies from scratch BECAUSE THE LOG OF BOUGHT COOKIE DOUGH TASTES LIKE HOMEMADE ONES. I HAD AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS AT THIS REVELATION.


Dinnerrrr.


More delicious things.




Getting up at 4am and 5 hours on a train later...



We got to Montréal in about -12 degrees with snow piled up on the side of the road from days ago. Because it's so damn cold the stuff doesn't even melt and die.

Montréal is also strangely full of young, good looking people. It's like the university and club city or something. We seriously saw a total of about 7 people over 50 over the weekend. Very odd.

Moving along - SUNLIGHT. And coldness. 



et le ciel bleu. 






Adorable Montréal subway. A bit on the dodgy side because the entire system was assembled in less than a year for the Olympics. 



LET'S BE NATURAL AND LOOK LIKE TALLULAH DIDN'T JUST TELL US TO POINT AT THE MAP.
IT'S ON WHEELS!



Moar French things.



Same story, different language.


Tiny trains - about 2/3 the size of a normal subway. 


Went to the hotel first - problems: THE WORKERS WERE ON STRIKE! Oh, France-like-places, what are we going to do with you. It actually worked out quite well, because it meant everything was a bit chaotic and not quite going with the rules, so we got to move in way before the check in time.

Go France-like-place, go.






Operation 1: POUTINE.


Cold, cold, cold.


Bloody, bloody cold, cold, cold (also Québécois Starbucks, hahaha).





No bueno. (this one from Michelle)





Beautiful day, at least. Deceiving though. Deceivingly effing freezing.


Greetings!



The amazing and famous poutine place is called La Banquise - best poutine in Montréal i.e. the best poutine in the world because Montréal IS poutine.



Had to wait a bit to get a seat. Chaotic mess of a place. It was brilliant. ALL THE POUTINE FLAVOURS AND TOPPINGS.

For those who don't know (tsss), poutine is slightly overdone chips smothered in cheese curds and gravy. It's so unbelievably disgusting, it's basically the most amazing thing you will ever have the pleasure to consume.




Also: burger. Because if you come this far you may as well go all the way.




Found: Australian wine!





Christmas Québécois!






Religious quota of the trip fulfilled.


Montréal mall!

It was here I bought emergency scarf things. Necessary.

Now we shall not freeze!





Christmassy things.




Emergency fancy tea in order to not die.


More walking around...this time into Old Montréal. Purdy.



Slight detour - FRENCH SIMPSONS! 
Okay, here's the pretty.






Proof I was there. In case you thought I googled that stuff.



















Adorable Québécois number plates. It means kind of...I remember myself. I don't know how to make that not dicky in English, but I hope you understand how that's a really lovely thing to have on your province's number plate. 




ALL of the Old Montréal street shots.


More evidence.






















We then went to Montréal Casino which was...interesting. Here we found the older people. 







The next day: MORE SNOW. MORE. YISS.






























Squee!
















SNOW FLAKES! I thought they were big as coins, but...apparently they're microscopic. DETAILS. 




REALLY EXCITED BY THE SNOWFLAKES.














Okay here in this little (freezing) square was a tiny market bit with something very French Canada - maple toffee. It's hot maple syrup drizzled onto ice, then you kind of roll it up on a stick. It kinda melts and goes all gooey as you eat it, and it's nice, but v sweet and sickening after a while. 










Omnomnomagon.



Refuge taken inside a little souvenir shop.


Nativity!


BUT WHERE IS BB JESUS!?


Down by the water. Didn't quite go to the water though. Why? BECAUSE TOO COLD.


Back up into adorable cobbled lane ways.




We found a native Indian art gallery, which had two giant dead polar bears on the ground, then a tea break.


Oh hai.


Still snowing, still v exciting.








You might've noticed a theme of Dorna always waiting for me and me taking a photo of Dorna waiting for me.




Gratuitous photo of outside the Notre Dame that was featured above - BECAUSE THEY WANTED $10 TO GO INSIDE. Morons. Thought religious people were supposed to be all charitable.




There was also a tiny little Christmas shop...


d'aww.
With some...interesting items.



Look! Black Jesus and White Jesus!


ALSO RACISM.


Pretty baubles.


Dorna took this one. I'M BEING USURPED. 
















PHOTOBOMB.


We spent out last in Montréal finding a bar down the road - required walking down roads covered in pristine dry snow. SO PRETTY. 

The weird little Australian embarrassing herself in front of all the Canadian people. 





White on black and black on white.




ALL THE NEW SNOW MUST BE STEPPED ON.


ALL OF IT!

Ahehehehe.








Voilà beautiful Montréal...


...next time, we'll whip over to New York City. You'll get to come alone and see everything, without the horrific US customs! Aren't you lucky!

Until then. 




No comments:

Post a Comment