Week 1 in Montreal - The Beginning...

Tuesday, June 7, 2011: It's been a week now  that we've been in this little, sweet, lovely apartment.

Apartment - the "balcony"

 

Bixi Bikes At Parc Mont-Royal

We've walked the neighborhood and Parc La Fontaine every day, learned how to use the Metro and the Bixi bikes, found the grocery and produce market(s), drug store and, oh, yes, the BANK(S)...

Papineau Station - the Metro

Trying to pay our rent has been the most challenging task so far.  John thought we could just write a check to deposit to the "landlord's" account.  Of course, there were many "conditions" for depositing from a US checking account to a Canadian checking account - after many phone calls to and from the bank to Ian (the landlord, who is in Saskatchewan) and Ian to the bank, we've decided to just withdraw the cash from the ATM and deposit the rent in daily deposits (since we can only withdraw so much a day).  An excuse to get out of the apartment, I guess.

We've yet to find a French class, but seem to be able to get along okay.  It would be much easier if we knew what all the signs said, tho.  We will find one soon. In the meantime, we struggle along with our little dictionary and the TV programs.

The "neighborhood"

The weather has been pleasant and varied - seems like it's different every day.  Humid and warm, windy and cold, windy and warm, cool with chance of sprinkles.  Today it's warm humid and the sprinkles are threatening. We are finding our Kindles quite a nice way of entertaining ourselves either in the apartment or on a bench in Parc La Fontaine.

Nothing really earth shattering is really happening, we are settling in to this new way of life.  Groceries every day for meals (can only carry so much at a time), walking whereever we want to go or take the Bixi bikes accross town or the bus and subway to go father.  I think we are in the right place to prepare us for "living abroad" where no one speaks english.

More to come...