Breakfast was at Fruit Folie - on St. Denis Street. Site of many post drinking binge 2 PM breakfasts because it was literally around the corner from good old 284 Pins. Home of the incredible fruit sculptures, the best eggs benny east of Vancouver, and a guaranteed-to-run-into-someone-you-know patio. Sure enough we are joined by the Seattle Marrieds who are conspicuously toting Everest expedition packs but that is another matter (just amusing trying to fit the packs onto the patio - crammed in between umbrellas and chairs).
After breakfast we decided to head out for a walk - we had some random, vague destinition in mind (I think we wanted to see my friend's lab)...but it was a hot summer day...no one was rushing to be anywhere. We head out across Carre St. Louis. I adore this inner city park...everything about it. It is sandwiched between St Denis street, and the pedestrian/BYOB section of Prince Arthur. It is small, perhaps only a block square and surrounded by the quintessential, colourful, picturesque Montreal walk-ups. There is a beautiful fountain at its center and a small gazebo-esque building that sells icecream in summer. I lived a block away from this park for 2 years. I have danced barefoot in the fountain during a torrential downpour, sprawled on the lawn countless times, have walked a dog around it even more. Every now and then, the Just for Laughs Gags are filmed in that park, which is always good for a laugh. But more frequently, the people in the park provide for even better entertainment. There's a guy who bathes in the fountain in neon pink bathing trunks, and another one with a crazy long beard who rides around on an adult-sized tricycle.
The best thing about this park is the random stuff that happens (truth be told, it's the best thing about Montreal, in general). And on this day, the random thing was an exibition of some sort of performing art group. At various places around the park there were groups of musicians, dancers, singers, performing for the entertainment of passers-by. And at the center of the park, in front of the fountain, was a sort of dance, performed to the music of a single flute. Perhaps it had a name, or perhaps not...I think it is probably most aptly referred to as, "the kiss." Because that is what it was.
I took dozens of photos...these are but five of my favorites. I'm considering blowing one up and hanging it in my house because I think that they are just so incredibly beautiful. Bear in mind that this was one long, uninterrupted kiss. The colours...the passion...and then the memory of the single flute playing. It was a very odd experience...and a very odd performance (I mean who thinks this stuff up anyways)...but the photos are just beautiful.
Afterwards we headed over to McGill through the Ghetto...to check out the lab of my friend in one of the ancient hospital buildings (I think it's the Duff building)...stopping on the way at garage sales and sorting through hundreds of old LPs for a dime a piece or some silly thing like that. and then we strolled down into the heart of the McGill campus. Ahh...this was home of OAP, the rumored home of the bones of James McGill (under the big statue in front of the arts building), the set of Battlefield Earth or whatever that Scientology movie was. Of the three university campuses I have spend oodles of time at, this is by far my favorite. There were frosh groups everywhere...drunk, chanting, shouting, half-naked...ahh...I remember it like it was yesterday. Harkened memories of my first visit to Peel pub.
And then we strolled down St. Catherine's street, stopping for Pho in a steaming soup kitchen. There was an International Film festival and banners everywhere, and then, we walked past something very interesting. A Graffiti Event (perhaps contest, or something similar). In an alleyway, just off St. Catherine's Street they had erected scaffolding and there were dozens of people with masks and aerosol cans, painting elaborate murals on the wall - graffiti style.
The art was really good, some of it exceptional even. This is the sort of thing you would never see in another city. Graffiti is generally considered to be pollution in other cities...but here, not only is it condoned, but celebrated. Just an interesting difference.
The day ended with drinks at a variety of bars on St. Denis, including the best summer time bar of ALL time - Saint Sulpice. This bar has the most enormous patio and is built in this lovely old house. Then we hiked back up the hill and got a mess of poutine at Lafleur's which we ate perched atop one of the statues in none other than Carre St. Louis.
And so, our loop through Montreal was complete - and I had spent another perfect, interesting, beezarre day in one of my favorite cities in the world.
2 comments:
I love that I did pretty much that last summer with Tom and some of the others. That park and fountain was the epicentre of one of the best days I had last year.
I absolutely adore Montreal. It has an air about it that no other Canadian city does, and I'm still sad I never found a good reason to move there. I'm still trying to figure out if I am sufficiently bilingual to do my internship there.
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