Goodbye Montreal, Hello Halifax

Sep 23rd. After saying goodbye to Simon and Kim (And thanks for a great time guys), I check in for my flight to Halifax which is in the Maritimes and I finally will reach the East coast of North America. The flight is its usual uneventful self (I am now up to 17 flights I believe on the trip) and I get the shuttle to downtown Halifax. The place itself has a great atmosphere - unfortunately I am doing my washing as the baggage carousel at the airport had something spilt on it and my bag landed on it. This transferred onto my trousers and my bag has a slightly strang smell which I am trying to get rid of. The weather here is sunny and warm but it is now officially Autumn (Fall) so I expect things to cool off.

Bagels, Smoked Meat, Curry, Shots and Beer

Sep 21st. Montreal has lots to offer - The bagels are unique which has all to do with the water supply and also a local favourite is the smoked meat. I gave this a go and I wasn't impressed - it is like a poor mans pastrami. Anyway, it is friday and my evenings activities have been planned out by Kim - It is off for a Ruby and then we are heading to the Go Go Bar. The curry rates in my top 2 of the world tour and the bar is a lot of fun. Simon and I decide to go for 10 shots and then we enjoy the mix of 80's and 90's music that is played in the place. It is a really funky bar and gets packed after 11 - well worth visiting - A good time was had by all.
Pictures (Left) - Shot Cam, (Right) - Simon and Kim - Guess which one was drinking!

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

On Notre Dame Island is the Montreal Formula 1 circuit so I have a look and decide to have a crack at breaking Ruben Baricello's lap record of 1 minute 13.622 seconds. He may of had an F1 car and I am on foot but I didn't let it daunt me. I strolled up to the Starting grid, pictured how I would tackle the 2.71 mile circuit and pretented to hear Murray Walker in the commentry booth screaming 'Watch for the lights - Go Go Go'. After a slow start, I reach top speed and cruise down to the first corner, lots of cyclists, roller bladers and cars have overtaken me but I press on - I take a great racing line into turn 1 and carry on round. Unfortunately I get stopped to be asked for directions which scuppers my chances of a record. My final time 51 minutes, 14.3 seconds - A seasons and personal best but I could definitely shave off some time by maybe shaving my hair off and running. It was cool to walk on the hallowed tarmac and maybe I trod on Ayrton Senna's skids.
Pictures (Left) - Startfinish straight - note the speed limit of 30kph!!, (Right) - 'Watch for the lights!!!' - (Bottom) - Ayrton's skids (maybe)

The Expo Dome

Sep 21st. After lunch, I head to John Drapeau park to wander around and have a look at the huge sphere that was erected for the World Expo in Montreal in the 60's. It is pretty impressive to look at - it isn't enclosed at all but looks cool from across the water on Notre Dame island. There is something to see inside it to do with plants and stuff but I couldn't be bothered.

Le Mont Real

After a not so gourmet lunch I head up to the top of Royal Mountain which is an extinct volcano which gives the city its name. The view of downtown is spectacular and it is another beautiful sunny day. I head over to see the Montreal Cross and I have to say it is the worst cross on top of an extinct volcano I have ever seen. I was not sure what I was expecting but it is tacky and looks like it was knocked together by some art students and some light bulbs were fixed to light it up at night.

Ascendez le tour Olympique

Alors, I get the funky funicular up to the top of the Olympic tower which offers cool view of the surrounding area and city some 4 kms away. The old Velodrome is shaped like an old cyclists helmet and has a few workmen sunbathing on the roof. Looking down on the Olympic Stadium itself is cool with all the wires holding the thing up.
Pictures (Left) - View of the city and Olympic Stadium, (Right) - Velodrome (Now the Biodome), (Bottom) - The funky funicular

Le Olympic Stadium

Sep 20th. I get up and head over to the Site of the 1976 Olympic games. Most of the facilities are still there although some have been converted - the Olympic village is an old folks home and the velodrome is a Biodome which houses penguins amongst other animals. I take a stadium tour which is cool - the stadium is quite impressive with its funky roof which was beset by all sorts of problems initially. The city has finally paid off the stadium as well after 30 years - they did this by putting a tax on cigarettes so Montrealers say that the smokers paid for the place but they aren't allowed to smoke inside it. The tower that holds up the roof wasn't completed till 10 years after the games and it is the highest inclined tower in the world. Total number of gold medals won by Canada - 0.
Pictures (Left) - The tower, (Right) - Inside the stadium, (Bottom) - Gold medal winners (David Wilkie GBR) one of 2 golds for us this games

A Day Off

Sep 19th. Time off for good behaviour. Slept in, got up, went to buy some lunch, had an afternoon nap. Read some of my book.

Hockey Night - Canadiens 2 - Penguins 5

While not technically Canada's national sport (LaCrosse is!), Hockey seems to run in everyones blood here and are passionate about their teams. The season is about to start so there are quite a few preseason games and I manage to snag a ticket to watch 'The Habs' (Montreal Canadiens) play the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre which is 5 minutes walk from where I am staying! The Canadiens are the most succesful franchise in North American sports and Le Ville certainy is Hockey. The match starts badly for the Habs as there Netminder has a shocker and concedes 2 sloppy goals in the first couple of minutes. There features some sloppy play from both teams as some of the more young players are getting there chance to show what they can do before the real season starts. Penguins go 3-1 up and as we enter the 3rd Period it looks bleak as the Habs are a man down due to a Penalty. A rare occurrence happens then - the Habs score a shorthanded goal to make it 3-2 and the place is rocking - such an amazing atmosphere and it gets better when a Penguins penalty means that Montreal have 2 minutes with a man extra to try and tie the score at 3. Well it didn't happen and just as the Penguins got their man back they scored on the break and after that the game fizzled out with another goal by Pittsburgh. Anyway it was a lot of fun and Hockey is a cool game to go and watch, there was even some sweet fighting as well.

Pictures (Left) - Teams warm up before the game, (Right) - Face Off, (Bottom) - The refs jump on a coupld of fighting players trying to break things up.

Random Animal Pictures #83

One of my favourites of the tour - Pigeons and other birds enjoying the fountain in the Place D'Armes opposite from Notre Dame in Montreal.

Notre Dame (In Montreal)

It basically is a smaller version of the one in Paris but smaller can sometimes be better. The inside of the Basilique is absolutely spectacular - The altar area is amazing in the detail of the sculptures and also there are some fine stained glass windows throughout.

Cathedrale Marie Du Monde

Some pictures of the inside of this Catherdral. For those of you who have been to the Vatican and seen St Peters will notice the similarity with the dome and altar.

Montreal

Sep 18th. After enjoying the luxury of having a double bed and room to myself and lying in, I venture out for a wander around Montreal. Where my friends Simon and Kim live is perfectly located downtown so within 15 minutes I am in the heart of the city. I head to Cathedral Marie Reine du Monde and have a look inside. It is based on St Peters in the Vatican City - just a smaller version, after this I head towards the Old town, passing lots of churches, statues along the way - Montreal has a really nice mix of modern city with the older style of buildings as well as a really nice vibe and atomsphere. I head to Basilique Notre Dame and go inside here as well which is pretty stunning and then carry on wandering for the rest of the day. The town hall is by the old part of town and Charles de Gaulle made a speech about Quebec being free in the 60's which fuelled the seperatist movement. Right by here is a version of Nelson's column though which seems a bit odd.

Pictures (Left) - Marie du Monde Cathedral, (Right) Statue with best graffiti on it ever, (Bottom) - Town Hall

Le Coach to Montreal

Sep 17th. I spend the morning taking care of a few mundane issues like extending my travel insurance and also changing my flight back to the UK and then wander to the coach station to get the coach to Montreal. This should take just about 3 hours and thankfully there are no small children onboard so I might just get a nap as I have a seat to myself. My nap time is short lived though as we have to pick up passengers from a broken down bus and I get some guy sitting next to me who has a laptop out and thinks it is OK to elbow me so often. Bit of a pain to say the least. I have to resort to guerilla tactics and push him back onto his side and eventually he puts the laptop away. What a pleasant way to spend 3 hours of your life. I arrive in Montreal safe and sound and then get the Metro to where my friends live who are very kindly putting me up (or up with me if you prefer) while I am in town.

The English Language Police

In Quebec, the subject of language is a controversial one - All signs must be in French and the french writing has to be larger than the English (if it has English on it at all). The rest of Candada has signs in both national languages but in Quebec most are just in French only. There are actually Language Police that go around and check this out and this has resulted in businesses being shut down in the past. Anyway, I am taking it upon myself as the self pronounced 'English Language Police' to take pictures of badly translated Englsh. The worst example was seen straight away in the hostel where the above sign is by the check in desk. Also, did you know that Slush Puppy is 'Slush Puppie' in french.

The Seperatists

Click Here for the history of Quebec and the sovereignty issues that the place has faced. I notice graffiti dotted around the place anyway and I have been asking people's opinions all along my travels in Canda. One thing that is sure, The Quebecois are very very proud of where they come from.

Notre Dame (in Quebec)

While it doesn't look like too much from the outside, the Catherdral of Notre Dame in Quebec City is mighty impressive from the inside. I caught mass earlier in the day and return later so I can take some pics of the inside. The altar piece is spectacular and dominates the whole place. There are some pretty cool stained glass windows too.

A Day in Quebec

Sep 16th. After having a brief wander around the previous day after arriving, today the weather is better and I have a full day to wander around and get lost in the charming place that is Quebec City. In terms of attractions there, the whole place is the attraction - just wandering around the cobbled streets and seeing the old buildings and churches is a great way to spend the day. I actually catch a bit of mass in Notre Dame as it is Sunday, then see various Statues, The town hall and wander through the Battlefields park where the French were defeated by the English. I practise my rubbish french a few times but as soon as someone tries to speak back at me, I am basically lost.
Pictures (Left) - Statue with Chateau Fronteneau in the background, (Right) - The town hall, (Bottom) - Statue of Joan of Arc in the park.

Coach Rides and Screaming Kids

Sep 15th. Time to leave my jail cell behind in Ottawa and head to Quebec. This consists of about 6 hours on 2 coach journeys with a brief stay in Montreal inbetween the two. The first journey is uneventful - I manage to doze a bit which is beneficial and then I arrive at Montreal. After a slight panic when i thought I had lost my wallet and a bite to eat, it is all aboard the Orleans Express to Quebec City. Unfortunately there is a small baby who just is generally unhappy and cries most of the 3 hours to Quebec (Just one of those things) - impossible to nap anyway. After nearly getting off at the wrong stop (Couldn't understand what the French driver was saying) I finally arrive in Quebec City. It was just like stepping into a provincial town in France.

Picture - A street in Quebec City

Canadian War Museum

A slight way away from downtown is the Canadian War Museum. This features history on all confilicts that Canada has taken part in. A lot of these conflicts were in the aid of Britain so the history is quite similar, just given from a Canadian Perspective. There is a new exhibit on Afghanistan which is a controversial subject for the Canadian people. It does feature some of the phone called by people stranded in the Towers on 911 which are pretty horrible and moving. The main features in the building are the Great Wars and also some of the more historical wars in Canada's early history. There are lots of exhibits and also some people with old 19th Century rifles and doctors bags with all the equipment they used to hurt soldiers some more. I particularly didn't like the look of the saw used for amputations (without anaesthetic of course!). There also is a memorial Hall which has 1 of the Unknown Soldiers graves in it and not much more.
Pictures (Left) - Gravestone of the Unknown Soldier from WWI, (Right) - Postage Stamp showing the British Empire!, (Bottom) - Flags outside for each of Canada's provinces.

More Ottawa

After a fine Sandwhich for lunch from an Italian Delicatessen, I carry on and continue my walk. I have a look at the outside of the Art Museum with its huge spider at the front and then also have a look at Notre Dame Cathedral. The Catherdral doesn't look like much from the outside but the inside is very nice with a huge stained glass window and finely decorated ceilings and walls. I had done enough walking at this point to have an ice cream so after that it was time to head to the National War Museum.
Pictures (Left) - Giant Spider with Notre Dame, (Right, Bottom) - Inside Notre Dame

Random Animal Pictures #82

A veritible feast for Random Animal Picture fans - Right by Parliament is a Stray Cat Sanctuary which features little homes for cats and lots of free food. All the cats are neutered apparently and they are all quite plump. The only action I saw take place was 1 cat eating and then going to lie in the sun. The squirrels also enjoy the huge bowls of food on offer as well.

Memorial Chamber and Peace Tower

After the tour around Parliament, we are free to head up to the Peace Tower (The main clock tower) of the building and also have a look in the Memorial Chamber. The memorial Chamber houses books which list all Canadians who have given their lives in various conflicts over the years. The book for the 1st World War has 65,000 names in it. I arrive just in time to witness the 'Turning of the Page' ceremony which takes place at 11:00 every day. A soldier goes round and salutes every page, bows his head and turns to the next page in each and every book. Ascending up the Peace tower offers views of the city which are pretty cool.
Pictures (Left) - View of the East Block, (Right) - The WWI book with stained glass reflection

Parliament Tour

After making it through the Airport style security OK - Thankfully my trousers didn't fall down when my belt was removed! - We are shown round for an hour and are told about the architecture, history and current politics that goes on in these buildings. We have a look in to the House of Commons (Green like the UK), The long corridors, The Senate (Equivalent of the House of Lords) and also the recently renovated Library. There are lots of fantastic sculptures everywhere and also paintings of all the English Monarchs. There are many of the same traditions here as in the UK parliament and whole tour lasts 1 hour - If you head to Ottawa then do this - it is free too!
Pictures (Left) - Queen Elizabeth II and her father in the hall where the monarchs live, (Right) - The ceiling in the hall outside the house of commons, (Bottom) - The Senate