montreal, part deux

Today's soundtrack:
Me, Myself and Us by Pascale Picard

After a rather lazy morning, I wandered up Rue Saint-Hubert to A La Tricoteuse Laine on Rue Rachel. I found some more sock wool for my ever-expanding list of Christmas gifts. The couple who works there, and I believe owns the store, were very nice but also very quiet. I think they could tell I couldn't speak French. They have every conceivable colour of Regia sock wool. Everything in the store has its place, which gives the impression that they don't have much stock. But they do. Its tucked into every possible nook and cranny under and above the shelves.

But afterwards, I still had a few hours to kill before the afternoon session, so I googled Starbucks and found that the nearest one was only a few blocks away on Rue Saint-Denis. Well, I thought, I guess it's time for some more sightseeing. Sans camera this time. So down Saint-Denis I wandered, passing a Spanish restaurant (closed and apparently oblivious to my desire for a good bowl of gazpacho), and lo and behold, I ran into a fellow Saskatooner (is that what we're called?). She was here for another conference. So we chatted and went our own ways, leaving me quite bemused about the fact that I ran into someone I knew in the middle of Montreal. Saint-Denis is the more vibrant area of Montreal and much more interesting than Vieux Montreal. Sure, the cobblestones have their charm, but I could plainly see that afternoons in July on Saint-Denis would be a riot.

Eventually, and with Starbucks in hand, I found my way to Rue Sainte-Catherine. Apparently, this is the trendy area. So I wandered past high-end stores and sex shops and inadvertently found myself on the edge of a protest against the Church of Scientology. I guess they've opened an office on Sainte-Catherine and these protesters, dressed in bandanas and V for Vendetta masks, were handing out pamphlets on the street corners. The cops were already talking to the ringleaders and things were starting to look a wee bit tense. As good a time as any, I thought, to head back to the conference.

Tomorrow it's back to Saskatoon and real life. Montreal has been interesting, especially since it's the most European-ish city in Canada. But honestly, I'll take Madrid any day of the week over Montreal. If I'm going to be in a European (or European-ish) city, I'd much rather be able to speak the language. Besides, the store clerks here aren't nearly surly enough to pass for European.