Up to the Northen land

Our first day in Montreal, it may look like snow but it had been one of the driest years on record
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After New York we headed north to the frozen landof Canada. Our base was with Max’s distant relatives in Montreal, the countries playground. We traveled all day on a comfy greyhound coach arriving in the city centre in the early evening. Similar to New York Montreal expressed large buildings and bright lights on its grid-like roads. One comforting difference was the white blanket of snow which covered the scenery upon our arrival creating a chilled, relaxed atmosphere. We were picked up by Jim and Susan (Max’s second cousin once removed we think) at the station and promptly whisked away to there suburban house on the west end of the island. Our first evening was spent catching up and sharing stories whilst we enjoyed our first proper meal of the holiday so far, a home made pasta dish which was a delightful change to the fast food we’d survived on in New York.

Max looking as 'cool' as ever.
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Despite our early expectations of possibly skiing and other winter activities in Canada, the temperature had been unorthodoxly above freezing and there’s barely an inch of snow. So hitting the mountains was a no-go, however we managed to find many exciting things to see and do during our stay. Just to say, although the locals were in paradise over the 5°C, It was freggin’ Freezing! Most mornings involved a political discussion between Mike and Jim, a Poli-sci teacher at the local high school, followed by Max waking up some hours later. Pamphlets and map in hand, it was time to do some exploring by day. And evenings usually consisted of a delicious meal from sue proceeded by the viewing of one of Jim and sues 1642 movies.

A winter Wonderland
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Our first destination was the Olympic stadium over in the east side of the island, host of the 1976 Olympic Games, and site of the tallest inclined tower creatively named the ‘Tower of Montréal’. We ascended 574 feet up the structure by means of cable car, the top offering a fine outlook of the east and central region of the island, and a bird’s eye view of the Olympic facilities and big stadium. The inside of the stadium was eerie, empty and dated with little to see. Another admired destination was the ‘Mont-royal’ park which was found in the centre of the island designed in similar fashion by the same designer as New York’s central park. We had planned to go hiking through the vast greenery; however the harsh artic winds halted these plans and meant we could only view it from the warm comforts of Jim’s car, occasionally ducking out for photographs. Jim also took us to the summit which held an extensive cemetery. On the other side of the Mountain, was St Josephs Oratory, a shrine to the saint of miracles, St Joseph. To ask for a miracle people were required to walk up all the outdoor steps to show commitment and belief. We were tempted to pray for warmth but it meant spending to much time outside!

The Olympic village of the 1976 games, one of the uglliest buildings we've seen so far
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One evening was spent at the local water hole ‘Clyde’s’. This was a big facility which had a bar, dance floor and eatery. With the help of numerous pitchers of local beer and our secret weapon – the English accent – meant talking to the locals, particularly the girls, came naturally. The night ended with the realisation that Jim, who had kindly turned up in the early hours of the morning to spare us a long walk in the rain, taught a large majority of them. This was especially well received by mike who was getting friendly with one of his prime students, which wasn’t at all awkward the next morning.

Mike in the cable cart leading to the top of the Olympic tower.
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We also visited Old Montreal, the original French settlement of the City. Down by the City's docks the roads were stepped with history. This area was originally inhabited by the French, and this influence was clear throughout this district of town. The cobbled streets, and the café culture were reminiscent of an old French Town. This was probably the most beautiful part of the city and the contrast of the skyscraper backdrop only enhanced this. The sun was glistening, as tourists sipped their espressos, and enjoyed the culture and metropolitan atmosphere.

The Olympic dome, a 45,000 seater stadium that is being used for nothing.
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One of our favourite places was the lively downtown Montréal which consisted of your typical compilation of big shops, cafes, restaurants office and other city centre buildings. The one thing that set it apart from any other we’d been too was that it was both above and below ground. The ‘underworld’ was a 20 mile network linking all the popular down town locations such as universities, shopping malls, Chinatown, the old port and more. It was plastered with people mostly wishing to take refuge from the cold outdoors. We took the time here to look at the posh shops and watch sports in some pubs.

It didn't take Mike much persuasion to eat hear
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Having Sue and Jim as tourist guides we were introduced to many local delicacies, first we sampled ‘steamies’, hotdogs that had been steamed with their buns served with onions mustard, pickle and ketchup. Along with this we had some of the best chips we have ever had, a common theme throughout Montreal.( being at the start of our Canadian trip we daren’t have chips the local way, with gravy and curd cheese that they proudly name ‘Poutine’) Next came the delights of ‘Smoked Meat’, Sue drove us to a local pit stop known at Pete’s Meat. A wad of smoked beef served with rye bread, mustard and pickles, this was our particular favourite, as it was hearty but o’so tasty.