montreal

having just returned from montreal, i thought it might be appropriate to post a couple of pictures from my very cold sunday down in old montreal and the old port.

montreal is a city of such magic for me. the people know how to really enjoy life, the men make eye contact, history is present and there seems to be much less of an emphasis on the race through life that i see everyday in toronto.

having grown up in alberta and having lived the past 15 years in toronto i can say that the cultural differences found in montreal are very evident and very wonderful. anyone who claims that quebec is not a 'distinct society' has clearly never made the trip to la belle province.

i think, however, if i were to drive in montreal, i would feel very differently about it all! the stories of horrific montreal traffic and drivers abound. a store clerk in old montreal was so excited to hear that we were visiting from toronto - she kept marveling about how big and wide the highways and freeways are there. she thought that there must be lots of room to move on them. seems she's never experienced rush-hour in toronto....

it was such a cold, damp and windy day.... you'd have to really want to be alone to sit here...

regrettably, i don't know what these buildings are - but they really help to capture the feeling of old montreal...

the clock tower on st. lawrence river...

another building i don't know the name of or the reason for - but damn, doesn't it look cold!

and of course, the reason for the trip was the david show on saturday. as always, the show was a highlight beyond description and well worth whatever it takes to actually get there. next, new york city on friday morning!

[music david usher, "too close to the sun"]