15-26 October, 2014
G'day all!
We've just finished up in Canada, and here's some photos and information to prove that we were actually there. Yep. We haven't been hiding in my mothers spare room for 7 months, we've been traveling. Honestly. And can you believe it? 7 months? Wow, time flys. Only 2 more months of extravagant meandering throughout the world before we return to Australia on the 23rd December. Scary.
Before I get too deep, here are the highlights from Montreal and Quebec City:
The highlights
Montreal
- It got cold, and fast! The first two days were balmy 20 degrees, and them overnight it dropped to 6, with the following 4 days never passing 8 degrees. We wore everything we had each time we went outside!
- However, despite the cold, our lifestyle was easy. We had an incredible apartment right in the middle of the action on Saint Laurent street, would sleep in, drink coffee in bed, make breakfast, and finally be ready to start the day around 12. Kath would do Moksha Yoga most days, and I even went for a jog. We would also cook like crazy, creating dishes from fresh produce bought at the local markets. Each day would finish with a cheeky drink at one of the cool bars on our street before doing it all again.
- We also did activities, like checking out a local band - Austra, participated in an improvisation workshop, going on a walking tour, checking out our man Greg lay an acoustic set at a local pub, climbing the "mountain", seeing Chinese lanterns at the botanical gardens, and just general meandering around the streets like, well, tourists.
Quebec City
- If we thought Montreal was cold, Quebec City was next level. The wind would literally tear through you (not literally of course, more metaphorically). So our wandering around was continually interrupted with coffee and cocktail breaks, in order to seek solace from the cold. Yep. For self preservation. No other reason.
- In Quebec City, we really embraced local life. Our room mates (and their cool cat) were awesome, local Quebecians. We ate traditional meals (I'm talking maple pie, bison pate, homemade french toast cooked by our hosts and more pumpkin beer). We learnt their history at the museum of civilisation (where I even made a video - ), and wandered around the historic battle ground Plains of Abraham. We even did the cliche thing of staying up late talking politics and social economic issues with our hosts.
The Summary
Weather: Chilly! It started warm, about 20 degrees, but dropped to -3 overnight and didn't pass 8 degrees for the rest of our time in Canada!
Activities: Improvising on stage like a local, mountain climbing, walking, jogging and yoga.
Food: We cooked like rock stars (if rock stars cooked that is, which they probably don't, because they're rock stars), including properly stinking our Montreal place out with salmon. We also had a couple of good meals out, and ate the local flavours of poutine. Mmmm.
Beverages: We are hooked on pumpkin beer! A seasonal beverage made with the goodness of pumpkins. Try some. Then thank me. You're welcome.
People: We met a very charismatic and chilled dude Greg in Montral, and plenty of others along the way, including our awesome hosts in both Montreal and Quebec City.
Accommodation: Very nice. With no major issues either, somewhat a first for us using airbnb!
Budget: Pretty good, we ended up under on both cities. Winning!
Fun fact: (yep, 7 months in and we're adding a new metric.) Did you know that in Quebec City, everyone must speak French and to get into a non French speaking school, your parents must have been to said non French speaking school themselves, regardless of their origins. All signs must be in French, and all businesses must have French websites!
Overall: We've always wanted to come to Canada, and we were not disappointed! Amazing colours, awesome people, and all the fun times. Canada was everything we thought it was going to be and more!
Enjoy the pics and stay tuned for the next update!
Damo (and Kath)
Montreal
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| Incredible huh! The view from the top of the Montreal "mountain" which is probably more like a hill. However they get upset if you call it a hill. Sorry. |
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| Participating in the standard tourist stuff - a walking tour. Failing at fitting in like locals. |
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| Yhe architecture is awesome. This is one of the top hotels in Montreal. Rumour has it that when the Rolling Stones stayed here a couple of years ago, they rented the entire hotel. For like a bazillion dollars. That'd be nice. |
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| Underground cities are how Montreal deal with ridiculous winters. An elaborate network of tunnels and a tube. Although pretty quiet when we were there. |
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| Getting our dance on at local band Austra. Rock n roll baby! |

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| And here's the band doing their thing. They're awesome. Kath has a girl crush on the lead singer. |
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| The markets were awesome. Fresh produce galore. And plenty of mushrooms. Made cooking a whole lot more interesting. |
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| Just grooven at the markets. Being cool, naturally. |
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| It's like snow made of leaves. So bright and colourful! This is on the "mountain" where you can basically make your own tracks. Being careful not to get lost of course. |
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| Pinball. In a bar. Enough said. |
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| Board games in another bar. We're getting all our culture! |
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| I can't remember who won (which usually means damo lost). |
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| If you've seen the show Black Books, then this is the set! Books piled high with no apparent order. Plus stray cats roaming like miniature lions. And an old guy trying to inject method into the madness. It was nerdy anarchy! |
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| The traditional cuisine. Poutine. Essentially hot chips drowed in gravy. We were assured it was good for us. By the shopkeeper. Sounds legit. |
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| During October they put up these incredible lanterns at the botanical garden. Just awesome. |
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| We did an improv workshop which resulted in me getting up in front of strangers to try out improv. Being the incredibly shy and reserved guy I am, I did it anyway. What?? |
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| Our man Greg rocking out at a local muso bar. |
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| Nailing the home cooking! This is with all the fresh produce from the markets. |
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| Perfect apartment, in the thick of Montreal. Loved it! |
Quebec City
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| Old Town Quebec City. Very old. Very impressive. |
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| The famous Fairmont Resort. Standing proud on a hill. Don't tell anyone, but we snuck up into one of those attic windows for a cheeky awesome view of the city. |
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| Our gracious hosts, Jimmy and Emilie. Made us feel very welcome! |
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| The playful cat that would pounce on Kath whenever she tried to do yoga. |
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| Kath re confirming her age. |
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| Yep, it was cold! But the streets were enticing enough to brave it. |
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| Very colourful and colonial esq streets. Kath wearing pretty much every piece of clothing she has just to stay warm. Very different to Central America! |
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| I'll let you insert your own dirty joke. |
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| Heads up!! Maybe I do have special powers?? |
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| Whilst the photo doesn't do it justice, these are the smallest buses I have ever seen! |
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| Coffee with a view. Ina a rotating restaurant no less. Another Quebec City must. L'Astral. |
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| Ever had a Bloody Cesar? Similar to a bloody mary, but instead of tasting like rubbish, it's actually quite good. Thanks to Jeff in Toronto for introducing us to the magic of this drink! |
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| One restaurant had old school games at the table. We're talking Alex The Kid, original Street Fighter, even Sonic The Hedgehog! Goodbye conversation over dinner. Hello my childhood! |
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| They really embrace Halloween here. |
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A little speakeasy to escape the cold. Can you see the wallys?
Clue: they're a reflection of themselves. |
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| The local micro brewery offer a tasting carousel. Incredible! |
