Monday, April 26, 2010
Canadian wildlife so far...
Haha, okay, so no bears yet but I have only so far been to Montreal and Ottawa! (Ottawa by the way is really a very pretty city which I'll ramble on about in a bit...). Moose in Montreal, evidence of beaver activity in Iles des Soeurs (geez, check out what they can do!) and a gopher around Parliament Hill in Ottawa. I have also seen lots of squirrels (including black ones in Ottawa) and a deer off the highway!!!
I am now off into town to try out a beaver tail in Byward Market...
Lovely Montrealers
Eating and drinking with Jo, Alex and friends as well as making home made pizza and pics of the home brewery!
Butterflies go free
Have sadly always managed to miss the butterflies in London's Natural History Museum so just lovely to be able to see them here... Montreal has some great museums including the biodome and insectarium which I had hoped to check out but the staff were on strike! Oh well, next time...
ooh, I did get to wander around the Musee des Beaux Arts though and that's an beautiful gallery - I went to see the Tiffany exhibition which was fabulous too. I couldn't take photos but here's some already taken... http://www.flickr.com/photos/77163391@N00/4355770339/ ;o)
Inside the Basilique Notre Dame
Not so good at going inside buildings to check them out but heard about how the decorated ceilings inside here made you think you were under a midnight starry sky so thought it was worth a go... and it was! Really very beautiful.
Montreal views from above
Views from the look outs on Mont Royal and up the tower of the Olympic Stadium
Montreal views from the street
Wanderings around Vieux-Montreal, the Plateau, Montreal staircases (lots of houses built them outside to make space indoors...lovely to look at but perhaps a little treacherous in the winter!), downtown and Hochelega Maisonneuve
Bienvenue au Canada!
Leaving NYC was hard, I really fell in love with it. So thanks heavens for Canadians as I've had the warmest of welcomes ;o) Even the immigration/border police people on the train were really nice and laid back. As well as being able to see all those places in between, another great thing about slow travel between countries is crossing borders... it's so much more interesting and (has generally been) easygoing and enjoyable for me. The train took me through the airondacks which is very beautiful and the ride itself really quite comfortable. You tall types would have loved the leg room!
Borrowing friends and making new friends
In my 8 days in Montreal I sayed on the plateau (which is a very cool and buzzing area to be around) with Mariam and Alex who very kindly let me stay at short notice! And then further east around Hochelega Maisonneuve with Sylvie, my first couch host... and again in the same area with second set of couch hosts - Alexie, Jade and Cynthia.
Montreal is a very cool city. Wandering around the streets, it's full of colour and people who are passionate about being there. I took it in slowly and soaked up the atmosphere. There's a lot going on and even though it's not the biggest of cities, it certainly has all those big city aspects like diversity, a buzz and lots of different perspectives. It's been really interesting seeing the french and english dynamic and I really do wish I'd been a lot less rubbish at learning french! At times it felt like being in two different places but then - that's what cities do best! Montreal, however, has been all the more wonderful because of all the lovely people I've met and let me hang out with them ;o)
Mariam, Alex and Jane took me out to Casa del Popolo for my first Canadian beer (Jamie, your money has been spent well on a couple of Cream Ales) and learnt about where to get some of the tastiest food around the Plateau including quite possibly the best croissants I've ever had from their local bakery (almond AND chocolate...you really can't beat it!). I also got to hang out and make more borrowed friends mine going for drinks and food around St Laurent and then taking a tour of Iles des Soeurs with Jo and another Alex (popular name!) where they live. I have also been absolutely LOVING couch surfing. It's enabled me to see a Montreal that I wouldn't have got otherwise as well of course as reaffirming how fabulous people are. Strangers have welcomed me to their homes, really making me feel at home, feeding me, showing me around and letting me be part of their worlds. It gave me the chance to feel like I live there doing things like going to the local grocery store, being recognised at the local cafe (love Atomic Cafe on rue Ontario) as well as going to the local pool (which is free at certain times - yay!). With my couch surfing hosts, I've been out to a family dinner where we ended up watching Sarah Brightman sing La Luna, seen the views from Mont Royal, learnt all about local wrestling and the local community spirit as well as make home made pizza and watch the hockey drinking home made coffee stout ;o)
Borrowing friends and making new friends
In my 8 days in Montreal I sayed on the plateau (which is a very cool and buzzing area to be around) with Mariam and Alex who very kindly let me stay at short notice! And then further east around Hochelega Maisonneuve with Sylvie, my first couch host... and again in the same area with second set of couch hosts - Alexie, Jade and Cynthia.
Montreal is a very cool city. Wandering around the streets, it's full of colour and people who are passionate about being there. I took it in slowly and soaked up the atmosphere. There's a lot going on and even though it's not the biggest of cities, it certainly has all those big city aspects like diversity, a buzz and lots of different perspectives. It's been really interesting seeing the french and english dynamic and I really do wish I'd been a lot less rubbish at learning french! At times it felt like being in two different places but then - that's what cities do best! Montreal, however, has been all the more wonderful because of all the lovely people I've met and let me hang out with them ;o)
Mariam, Alex and Jane took me out to Casa del Popolo for my first Canadian beer (Jamie, your money has been spent well on a couple of Cream Ales) and learnt about where to get some of the tastiest food around the Plateau including quite possibly the best croissants I've ever had from their local bakery (almond AND chocolate...you really can't beat it!). I also got to hang out and make more borrowed friends mine going for drinks and food around St Laurent and then taking a tour of Iles des Soeurs with Jo and another Alex (popular name!) where they live. I have also been absolutely LOVING couch surfing. It's enabled me to see a Montreal that I wouldn't have got otherwise as well of course as reaffirming how fabulous people are. Strangers have welcomed me to their homes, really making me feel at home, feeding me, showing me around and letting me be part of their worlds. It gave me the chance to feel like I live there doing things like going to the local grocery store, being recognised at the local cafe (love Atomic Cafe on rue Ontario) as well as going to the local pool (which is free at certain times - yay!). With my couch surfing hosts, I've been out to a family dinner where we ended up watching Sarah Brightman sing La Luna, seen the views from Mont Royal, learnt all about local wrestling and the local community spirit as well as make home made pizza and watch the hockey drinking home made coffee stout ;o)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Actually getting out of the Apple…and back again
In three days and journeying for about 19 hours on various buses, I got out of the Apple. I went to Washington for the day, said hello to an imaginary Obama in the windows of the White House, dipped my feet in the fountain at the WWII Memorial, was too late for the majority of the cherry blossoms, reflected by the reflecting pool and highlight was sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial listening to Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech which one of the park rangers plays twice a day out of a ghetto blaster. Awesome.
Also spent a day in the quiet and absolutely away from any city in a town called Provincetown in Cape Cod. Hired a bike and cycled along the trails admiring the views and sat on deserted beaches looking at the sea. It was lovely.
On the third day, went to Boston amidst lots of rain which doesn’t help endear a place to anyone but did meet another couch surfer, Pete, who is also from London and has spent the last year living in Montreal and Halifax and LOVES it. So much so, the reason he was in Boston was to wait for his visa to be renewed. Anyway, because I’d been struggling so much with the thought of leaving New York, it was great to hang out with someone who only had brilliant things to say about Canada…particularly the East. So now I’m even more without a clue as to what my plans are when I get there! Also do now have a couple of people (proper Quebecers) who are letting me stay on their couches whilst I’m in Montreal. Brilliant. Didn’t quite get to do all I planned in Boston but we wandered around downtown (the sun was shining, yay!) and chatted to a few hockey fans and Pete’s suggested I become a fan and pick a team (reckons picking a colour and animal I like could do it!). Might just do that…
Back in the Apple for my last day, I spent it getting my hair chopped – something like 15 inches in total! I guess if it wasn’t for the fact I was donating my hair to Locks of Love, I’d have just had a trim or something really not worth mentioning. Still, how could I not knowing it’s for such a great cause ;o) I’m still trying to get used to it…not sure yet what to do with it and so far preferring it up (with the tiniest pony tail I’ve ever had but it will be great for me saving money on shampoo and conditioner!).
After the chop, I wandered around the East Village again sitting in community gardens and then walked along the Manhattan bridge to Brooklyn. On the bridge, spotted a lovely park on the river in between Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. So headed over, sat on the rocks, listened to the waves and watched the sunset with what I think might just be the best view in NYC.
Also spent a day in the quiet and absolutely away from any city in a town called Provincetown in Cape Cod. Hired a bike and cycled along the trails admiring the views and sat on deserted beaches looking at the sea. It was lovely.
On the third day, went to Boston amidst lots of rain which doesn’t help endear a place to anyone but did meet another couch surfer, Pete, who is also from London and has spent the last year living in Montreal and Halifax and LOVES it. So much so, the reason he was in Boston was to wait for his visa to be renewed. Anyway, because I’d been struggling so much with the thought of leaving New York, it was great to hang out with someone who only had brilliant things to say about Canada…particularly the East. So now I’m even more without a clue as to what my plans are when I get there! Also do now have a couple of people (proper Quebecers) who are letting me stay on their couches whilst I’m in Montreal. Brilliant. Didn’t quite get to do all I planned in Boston but we wandered around downtown (the sun was shining, yay!) and chatted to a few hockey fans and Pete’s suggested I become a fan and pick a team (reckons picking a colour and animal I like could do it!). Might just do that…
Back in the Apple for my last day, I spent it getting my hair chopped – something like 15 inches in total! I guess if it wasn’t for the fact I was donating my hair to Locks of Love, I’d have just had a trim or something really not worth mentioning. Still, how could I not knowing it’s for such a great cause ;o) I’m still trying to get used to it…not sure yet what to do with it and so far preferring it up (with the tiniest pony tail I’ve ever had but it will be great for me saving money on shampoo and conditioner!).
After the chop, I wandered around the East Village again sitting in community gardens and then walked along the Manhattan bridge to Brooklyn. On the bridge, spotted a lovely park on the river in between Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. So headed over, sat on the rocks, listened to the waves and watched the sunset with what I think might just be the best view in NYC.
Meeting couch surfers and making friends
So, since I signed up to the couch surfing thing, thought I’d give it a go for Boston…tho’ failed miserably. Still, managed to meet up with a fellow couch surfer, Leila (from Bristol) and her temporary flatmate Camilla who’s from Columbia and in NY working as a Psychologist for a year. We went for drinks at Brooklyn Bowl which was cool and then had food and more beer in the Surf Bar whose floor is like a sandy beach and has surf boards hanging up on the walls. They also had lots of fairy lights in the garden which I loved. Leila gave me the greatest tip and have spent a couple of days meandering around the many community gardens in Alphabet City in the East Village. They’re like oasis’ right where you wouldn’t expect them. Really very beautiful, peaceful and even more charming because they’re completely run and worked on by locals. Also met up with another couple of couch surfers – Tara and Chris who are from London but working in NY for a year (so jealous!). We all went to Moby’s book launch in DUMBO for the free booze (off the back of a tip from www.myopenbar.com) and then for the skinniest fries in the World at Superfine.
It's great only having you to think about so doing whatever it is you want but it is really the loveliest thing to meet fab people and hanging out with them ;o)
Check out:
http://www.couchsurfing.org/
http://www.myopenbar.com/
It's great only having you to think about so doing whatever it is you want but it is really the loveliest thing to meet fab people and hanging out with them ;o)
Check out:
http://www.couchsurfing.org/
http://www.myopenbar.com/
Coney Island
Gotta love that they have a 'shoot the freak' game... tho' perhaps it's no longer in use! Gutted to miss out on the sideshows by the seashore and still too nippy for me to join the polar bear club which are Coney Islanders who swim in the sea throughout the year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)