We have spent a wonderfully relaxing two weeks with Tessa's sister Susan and brother in law Paul at their home in Cambridge (rd or rue), Baie D'Urfe just outside Montreal. After the rigors of world travel, trains, buses, taxis, hotel rooms, not speaking the same language as everyone else or indeed not being able to read signs, Montreal and Canada as a whole has been very relaxing. All we have suffered is a few sharp looks from French speaking Quebeckers and a bit of a problem with a video about an interesting artist in the Museum of Arts. The film was all in French too complicated for us to follow and we really would have liked to know more about him if the language police had allowed some sub-titling.
What have we done? Well not a great deal really, learned how to play a domino game called 'Mexican Train', watched the Stanley Cup round of ice hockey matches which currently grip N America, eaten lots of nice food and drunk quite a lot of wine and beer. We have been shopping, visted Duane and Carol in Ontario, been to local sites of interest and had a few shortish walks and cycle rides and been into Montreal three times, twice to museums and once today to the wonderful Botanic Gardens and Insectarium. On the whole the weather has not been kind, though today is lovely, bright sun and a gentle breeze blowing away the rain clouds.
We have visited a few museums including the Musee de Beaux Arts which had a special exhibition 'Imagine' on John Lennon and Yoko Ono - the most famous 'bed-in' having been held in a Montreal hotel. The exhibition had attracted large crowds of course but really suggested to us that here were a pair of rather shallow self-indulgent celebs posturing, but hey that sounds a really up to date thing to do does it not? Much better was a more local exhibition just along the lake shore which included an artist potraying West End Kids (that's the West end of the island) in 360 degree portrait series.
Hard to believe we pack up and catch our final flight tomorrow evening - but we are looking forward to seeing family and friends even if we have to admit that we have never been homesick.
Brian and Tessa
1 comment:
Well, it's a 'Good Thing'(tm) for the end of a long journey to be a leisurely relaxed affair. It's far better to wind down gently than to get back home in a heap and wondering what just happened!
Yes, from your last few blogs, it seems as though the 'Canada Massive' have been looking after you well and making sure that you stand a chance of arriving back home looking as though you'd actually been on holiday! A big thanks to all out there!
According to the forecasters, the weather is set fair for the next week, so at least we'll have some decent weather to welcome you back home!
Safe journey and we'll see you later! :)
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