Montreal

The next morning in Quebec City it was pouring of rain, so I took advantage of the noon checkout to update the blog, all the while hoping it would clear up.

Sadly it didn't, so it was on with the rain suit and then time to set off. The drivers in Quebec are a bit nuts, it's exponentially faster here than anywhere else on the trip so far. Not particularly aggressive or threatening, but it is a wake up call after bimbling around. 

On the way to Montreal I stopped for fuel at a place with a restaurant next door, which had loads of dinosaurs in the area around the car park, plus a few monster trucks casually parked. This must be a huge hit with the kids travelling past, and the car park was full when I was there. The downside for then I guess is that wild horses couldn't have made me eat in there with all the hyper kids bouncing around.

By this time the rain had stopped and it was sunny and far too hot again, but I didn't want to stop to take off the goretex, as it would have meant unpacking the luggage to put it away.

I'd booked the hotel in advance as my cousin and I had problems getting a room last year, but now I had to find the place. I knew roughly where it was, but Montreal is on an island so getting across the correct bridge was important. I'd stopped outside of town to fuel up the bike and myself and check the maps on last time before setting off. In the end it was fairly easy, as I stumbled on the correct north/south road then just had to stay on it and hope I or the bike didn't boil at the traffic lights.

 Needless to say I arrive like the swamp thing, sweaty and smelly wearing full goretex on a fabulous warm sunny day.

Once showered and changed into my shorts and t-shirt I head out, and typically the heavens open and this time I get soaked. It was kind of like home with the rain bouncing off of the pavement, except the rain was warm, which I haven't experienced since Australia.

 Rue St Catherine is the main shopping street, plus it has clubs and such, so it's nice to walk down anytime of the day. There was a comical moment that night when six or seven men about town were wandering through and one decided to grab one of the trees and pull it. The passing cop car gave it's siren a twirl and the guy almost leapt into the air. He couldn't apologise fast enough, so the cops just let them go.

This diner is also on the same street, and I'd eaten there last year, so decided to go back. No meatloaf on the menu this time though.

 As if the rain the previous evening wasn't enough, the City send round these trucks with a remote control nozzle on the front to water the trees. They also have folk on smaller vehicles the trucks can't get down. just to keep the city pretty. It goes down well with the tourists.

On a bright sunny day like this it's hard to imagine the winters at 30 below, but beneath the streets there is an underground city of connected malls and subway stations running for miles.

 I'd walked all over the city last year, so I'd decided to take a bus tour this year. There were only five or six stops which was surprising for such a big cultured city. The first stop was at the cathedral, then on to the casino, where I did get off, but mostly to change bus as the driver was a muppet. The highlight of this part was passing the Molson factory.

This place was founded in 1786 by an Englishman who arrived with two barrels of barley and a book on how to make beer. Now it's the second oldest company in Canada and one of the largest brewers in the world.

 The other highlight was St Joseph's Oratory. It was started in 1904 by brother Andre who was later made a Saint for his healing.

The scale is immense as you can see from the size of the people and cars nearby. It's a common theme in the new world for people from all over to erect a church as soon as they arrive, and these structures are magnificent, even to those who don't follow the faith anymore like me.

 As well as lots of motorbikes on the roads n Canada and America, there are all kinds of three wheel vehicles. These are not like the choppers at home where a car axle has been grafted onto the back of a motorbike, but factory made machines designed this way. The one in the picture has motorbike panniers on the back for luggage.

Sometimes the two wheel axle is on the back, rather than the one pictured. I think they are made by the same companies that make the snow mobiles.

This photo was taken from a lookout point just beneath Mont Royal. The sloping structure in the distance is the site of the Montreal Olympics. You can travel up the ramp by a sort of cable car, but as I'd done it last year I didn't go back.

Mont Royal is a nice park, bought back from the rich families who had their houses there in the 1800's. Mostly Scottish, Irish and English as it turned out. An interesting thing I hadn't known was that the Montreal flag has a symbol for each of the nations which settled in the city.

There is the fleur-de-lis for the French, the Lancastrian rose for the Engligh (shame, I was always a Yorshire rose man), the thistle for the Scots and a shamrock for the Irish. I meant to get a flag to bring home, but as with the Nova Scotia flag I wanted, I didn't have time.

In all my time in Quebec I had no problems with the locals, all of them were happy to switch to English when my very poor French wasn't good enough. I really like this city, it's probably my favourite in Canada. Well, so far anyway.