Week 4 - We’ve been here a month, now?

We're feeling settled into our work

This week, I feel like we are here and we are “home”.  It’s still nice to wake up in the morning and ask, “What should we do today?” rather than, “What do we have to do today?”

An easy week of going to the gym (for John) and when it wasn’t raining, I walked down to the Fullum Pool to swim (actually swim a few laps and walk laps in the water – it is sooo nice!). We are walking less to find things and are taking the bus often to go to the McGill Library for John and shopping for me.



McGill University



Two trips this week to McGill University and McGill College Ave:  John to the library and I walk down Avenue McGill College to the shopping malls that seem to be in huge “bank” buildings.  On the first trip this week, I found the art store, Deserres, in the Place Montréal Trust (a huge shopping mall on the corner of Ave. McGill College and St. Catherine St.)  I was looking for a store front on the street.  No wonder I didn’t find it last week.  Deserres, for those who are interested, is an art store that is an upscale Michael’s or Beverly’s.  Lots of scrapbooking stuff, children’s crafts as well as canvases, oil paints, watercolor and silk screen materials – not many printmaking things, but they have what I need.



On our second trip this week while John is in the library, I look for a light weight windbreaker or hoody for the rain showers.  I can’t seems to find an inexpensive, plain, light weight jacket in any of the stores in the shopping malls. I’ll have to get along with my warm jacket or a shawl when it rains for now.

Quebec Flags handed out at the Parade

The highlight this week for me was the “ Fête Nationale” Parade – Friday, June 24, 2011.   Fête Nationale is a big deal here in Quebec.  From what I can understand, it’s a celebration started by the Francophones of the province of QC.  On the news the evening before Fête Nationale a survey showed that only 14% of Canada actually celebrates the holiday - so, it seems that it’s mostly celebrated here in QC – being here in Montreal, one would never know that – everywhere you looked this day, there were QC flags – hanging on balconies, blue and white hats and caps, costumes made of the QC flag, umbrellas with the fleur de lis – fleur de lis tattoos painted on children’s faces (adults, too, to be fair).

Fête Nationale



The Giants waiting at Parc Baldwin

Since we sleep in most days, when got up, breakfasted and dressed, we noticed the police blocking off our street and no parking signs all along Rue Sherbrooke.  The Fête Nationale parade’s starting point is just at the park down the street two short blocks.  It is pouring rain, but the parade is still going to happen in just one hour! (We see this on the noontime news.) People are walking by with blue and white QC flags and hats and umbrellas. John is not interested in parades so, I grab my umbrella and jacket and I walk to the park where things are lining up for the parade along Rue Sherbrooke.  The parade is not like any I’ve seen before.  A Bride and Groom on stilts, dressed in white start the parade, followed by 12 foot-plus high figures that represent the founders of Quebec & Montreal.  I have no idea who the first person is that appears, but he walks (with the help of 4 people working his arms and legs) down the street making a speech about something, but I hear “Quebec” often as the giant figure and the loud speakers pass by.  After this man, many other “heros” from Quebec’s beginnings and recent history are escorted by bands, drill teams and street performers.  John was sorry he didn’t come with me when we watched the parade later on TV – “I thought it was going to be a little parade with kids on their tricyles – guess I was wrong.”  I think I would have learned more about QC if I understood the French speeches that were projected on the loud speakers as the giant figures glided by.



A Walking Orator



Mouvement Quebec Francais
bring up the end of the parade

On Sunday, we decided we would go downtown and check out Chinatown and have dinner.  We take the bus to the street I think will lead us to Chinatown.  We went a block too far and walked right into the Jazz Festival venue.  (The Jazz Festival venue takes up about 4-5 blocks square and lasts for 10 days.)  We walk around and enjoy the street performers that are strolling around.  We plan to go back for the free concerts during the week.

Chinatown

We then leave the Jazz and walk over to Chinatown just a couple of blocks away.  It’s not as big as SF or NYC, but it still has that same feel – funky shops, and a walking street filled with storefronts and kiosks hawking cheap souvenirs and one place that sells Dragon Hair candy, a cotton candy like confection wrapped around some chopped nuts.  We find a restaurant on this street that looks clean enough for John and we have dinner – I have a very good Chow Mein over deep fried noodles, John has an Asian Fried Rice with pork and shrimp.  Not a bad dinner and now know a little more about the area on the west side of town.

This last week was a very productive week and we are getting around pretty easily now.  We’ve made plans to go to Quebec City in a couple of weeks, going to start our French classes and we got tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s Totem at the end of the month of July.  Our schedule around here is starting to fill up.  We might have to stay a little longer to fit everything in that we want to do…