Monday, August 21, 2006
Montreal, Day Three
Kondiaronk Lookout on Mont Royal
Started the day on Mont Royal. This mountain, merely a short walk from the hotel, overlooks downtown Montreal. The park encompassing the mountain is fairly large; Nima and I were able only to walk its eastern half.
Nothing beats ice cream on a summer day
What you lookin' at? Raymond Mason's sculpture The Illuminated Crowd (corner of Ave. McGill College & Ave. du Prèsident Kennedy)
After climbing down the mountain we took the Metro to Parc Jean Drapeau. This is a park on two manmade islands in the St. Lawrence River. The park's highlights are a geodesic dome, a Formula One racetrack, a casino and an amusement park (which we missed). There's even a beach made for suntanners, which was inexplicably desolate on this bright day. Paths that cut through lovely gardens connect these sites.
Biodôme gives new meaning to the word "egghead"
Background: L'Homme by Alexander Calder. Foreground: bicycle racks by Montreal Parks Dept.
In the early evening we left the islands and took the Metro to Rue Crescent. We had dinner and a pitcher of sangria at Café Republique. We were served by a spunky waitress named Amanda. As it was a slow evening so far, Amanda had some time to chat with us. We learned that she returned to Canada a few weeks prior, after a few years in London and Greece with her then-husband. (We never found out why they split up.) She seemed to take this abrupt change in her life's direction in stride.
After a pitcher of sangria, almost called the apartment rental number
Nima was to leave Montreal the next morning (I was staying another day), so we spent our last night together at, you guessed it: Rue St-Laurent. This time we passed the glitzy joints before Avenue des Pins and wandered into a neighborhood-looking bar on the corner of Duluth named Blizzarts. The place was packed on this Monday night. We had a great time. Nima made the acquaintance of one of the bar's employees. I talked to a couple of friendly folks who, as it turned out, were from Australia. (Australia happens to be the next destination in my travels.) I got some good tips for my next trip from my new friends, and I offered to help them plan their upcoming travels (to New York and Europe). Look how travel can bring people together!
