jazz and raspberry beer

notre dame
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what can i say... i'm back in Montreal! Great timing too. The International Jazz Festival is taking place. Last night I headed up there and it was amazing. The whole atmosphere, the music and the night were beautiful. I watched a band from BC for a while then went over to where all the action was. The Neville Brothers were performing on the centre stage and people were crowded far back into the street, up on the stairs and the upper walkway and all around the fountain which looked like a blue swimming pool. With the whole city lit up and all the crazy lights everywhere it was just the best vibe.

This evening I went with a friend back to the festival and we drank wine with some nuns. We didn't know they were nuns till later. A big rainstorm started crashing down on us all and drove everyone home. Just minutes before this it had been hot and sunny and this person dressed up in a papier mache costume wearing a beak was going around sneaking up on people and crashing maraccas near their heads. All very random. Like yesterady I was walking up St Catherine St and it was quiet for a moment, then I heard a strange noise and saw a man in full Scottish traditional dress belting out the bagpipes.

Montreal rocks

Tonight I'm going to see the Cat Empire play, then next week Ani Difranco (which will be my birthday present) and then a week later - Peaches!! So it has made up my mind that I will live here, or at least try to. There is a gazillion things going on and I don't have to travel to find bands, they come here! I can't speak much French so it will have to be a job where I don't need it.

Today is Canada Day. I don't know if they really celebrate it in La Belle Province but I'm going to go to where the nuns told me there is a parade and free cake. Yay, free cake!!