July 05, 2006

Montreal


fashion ... fashion ...

shop!

Jazz at night on the streets near the Contemporary Art Museum

One of the stages on the waterfront, warming up for the evening show.

a small market near the Metro

Part of the Canadian Olympic Team down on the waterfront

DH getting jazzy with the camera

closed on Sundays but lovely to look at through the glass...

So much to see, so much to do, so much relaxing time in a beautiful friendly city! What a wonderful long weekend we had exploring McGill University and the city which holds it in the palm of it's hand.
Growing up on the Canadian border in Vermont, Montreal was the city we went to for our serious shopping excursions and I remember feeling as warm towards the city then as I do now from our past weekend's trip there. Yes, I could let my baby live and study there and still feel comfortable five hours away. (did I just actually SAY that?)
We didn't know the Jazz Festival was going on when we left on Friday... but had the time of our lives when we found it each day and night in the streets. There were festivals galore scattered around the city too including a Francophile one with traditional dancing and music and an international culture celebration embracing the vast diversity which lives in the city. The fact that it was Canada day too was a bonus! Fireworks and extra merriment...
We also visited the Museum of Contemporary Art to see the current works of Brian Jungen
which are nothing short of astounding. Check out the link for more of his plastic lawn chair whale bone sculptures and his Air Jordan Nike sneaker masks. Truly mindbending. The little shops and design firms as well as the galleries are enough to keep you there for months in exploration mode. Favorites which we visited were Galerie Orange with the friendliest directeur Stephane Cauchies on Saint-Paul Street and the Gala Galerie d'Art on St.-Laurent st.
The food was nothing short of amazing as well as the music. We had some of the best Indian food we have ever had,( yes, including London), and very affordable!
The trip was well needed, save for the huge blister I got on the ball of my foot from all that walking about... strange, I THOUGHT I was wearing sensible shoes. Anyway, make Montreal a destination if you have not been there, it is most assuredly one of the finest cities anywhere.

The word for the day is ... soak ... as in your sore feet, and soak up the culture or the wonderfulness of being alive.

13 comments:

Funky Finds said...

It looks fabulous! Glad you had a good getaway!

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos, glad you had a splendid time! And such timing, its always fun to join in another countries celebrations! Sorry about your blister, bet it was worth it though...

Tongue in Cheek Antiques said...

Thank you for the tour of this lively city!
"Five hours away"...I keep repeating that line...next year my daughter graduates...I will be feeling the "five hour away" feeling you are talking about !! Oh my!

Lady K said...

I'm so glad you had fun in Canada and especially on our birthday!

Soak is a fantastic word for today! I'm never quite sure why your words of the day are always so applicable... You must be psychic.

My french cousins went to McGill. Nothing but good things to say about it.

Sarah .B. Scott said...

It looks like such a marvelous trip! I am salivating over the pic with all that jewelry! So colorful! I love beaded necklaces!

Willie Baronet said...

I love Montreal! :-)

Anonymous said...

What a fun city to make a college visit in !! Yes it is so hard to think of them five hours away... but they come home
after that first year so grown up and full of energy and ideas... it is so much fun to see them grow !! Your photos
are so enticing... makes me wanna pack my bags !!

LadyLinoleum said...

Very cool! I need to go to Montreal. My family originated from there don't ya know. Anyway, so lovely to live vicariously thru you!!!

angela said...

oh susan... you just made me miss montreal so much reading this post. isn't it such a beautiful city?

the life, the flair, the passion, the shops, the people, the culture... i can't believe it's already a year since my last visit. and i honestly can't say when i'll be back there again.

oh sigh...

so, how are you and grace going to decide?

oxo

andrea said...

I've only been to Montreal once but would love to go back. My dad graduated from high school there and one of my best childhood friends teaches art history at McGill. What does Grace intend to study?

Anonymous said...

Hope to go someday ! Looks like you had a blast ! :) Great pics !

Mary Anne Davis said...

Welcome home. Looks like a lovely weekend. I can't even begin to imagine my son leaving, but he's only 11. I guess I have time to prepare, although maybe you're never ready. I have a feeling she'll do great...

Anonymous said...

Montreal is such a great city to visit and I hear it's even better to live there. Your daughter is going to have such an awesome time should she decide to attend McGill. Glad to hear you had such a great time during your trip.

I saw a piece by Brian Jungen in an issue of Canadian Art Magazine this past Spring. His work is really good, isn't it? There's a Canadian-ness to his work that I love.