vaneramos | Montreal: Day 1

Yesterday I figured out that this is my first long trip since before Marian was born (British Columbia in 1991). Traveling is one of my neglected passions, so I'm enjoying my first real experience of Montreal.

Les and I took turns on the long drive from Toronto yesterday. We had picturesque skies with strange billowing monsters and dark atmospheric demons, a few blasts of rain and finally a series of rainbows guiding us along the last stretch of highway to our destination.

Danny and I quickly checked in at the Best Western and dumped our things before heading with Les for an evening walking tour of the Gay Village. It's far more lively and interesting than Toronto's ghetto. Eateries, bars and lounges stretch for many blocks along Rue Sainte-Catherine. They make better use of vertical space, too. Second and third floor windows offered enticing overviews of the nightlife. But we didn't explore the bars much last night.

We did enjoy an excellent dinner at a Thai restaurant. I had sautéed calamari with lightly fried spinach and peanut sauce. After that we stopped briefly for a drink at Campus, a male strip club much more interesting than the one in Toronto. We didn't stay long, though. A long day had tired us out.

Today we spent a sunny, hot afternoon exploring Old Montreal and the Old Port. I took quite a few pictures, some of which will be posted when I return home. I have never seen so much activity. Festivals and vending fairs are going on everywhere. The streets are brimming with people. Just now rain has started to fall and people are darting around under umbrellas. Hopefully it will wash away some of the humidity.

Now Danny is resting, but at 6 we're meeting a few Guelphites to go out for dinner. Funny thing: we have already bumped into three of our own choristers on the street so far, but so far no friends from other cities. Gotta run, my purchased time is running out soon.