This is Montreal (part 1)

When I first came to Japan, I had a return ticket due for in six months. Six months was the "trial period" I had allocated myself, and, upon make a few friends and getting involved with my job, I had then decided that I would be staying in the country for a lot longer than that. And so I pushed my ticket back as far as I could be allowed to, and it just so happened that the allowed period between entry and return was one year. It's been one year now since I've left Montreal for Japan, and here I am again in Canada, the land of greasy fries, Chinese convenience store owners and potholes sized like they're meant for you to hide your babies inside.
 I wasn't really going to blog about Montreal at first, but it occurs to me now that there are probably, like, two or three of you who're reading this blog from Japan. So here's a quick run through of a firs set of things you can see and do while you're in Montreal.

Courtesy goes to Ken for most of these pictures. I don't take many touristy pictures of the city I was born and raised in, so that'll fall upon him. Oh, and yeah, Ken did come to Montreal with me. That decision was made by him on a drunken night. Possibly one of the only ways a decision to come to Montreal is made.

 You can do the following in Montreal.

1: Eat Poutine

The steamy mass of lard and soggy french fries is something I have attempted to find in Tokyo with disappointing results. Poutine is served everywhere in Montreal. It's kind of like the Magna Carta when it comes to figuring out the local taste in food amongst the commoners. It's greasy, vulgar, unapologetic about its own existence, too much exposure to it isn't good for your health at all, but you find yourself going back to it more than you'd like. Kind of like Montreal people.



2: St-Joseph Basilica

It's the biggest domed church of its kind in North America. To me, the Basilica inspires a bit of a sense of awe, if for nothing but its size and the quietness inside. I won't go into its history too much, but a small chapel behind the basilica itself displays an impressive number of crutches left behind by people who claim to have visited St-Joseph Basilica and to have been healed. Today, it's considered to be one of Montreal's signature landmarks and can be spotted easily as you approach the city by highway.


3: Go Raccoon Feeding

Actually, few Montrealers even know about this, but on top of Mount-Royal (which offers a nice view on the city, by the way) the raccoons come out every night and are fed by a handful of people. They come out in droves and will actually eat from your hands. So long as you have food to offer, they don't mind if you pet them and are actually very docile. Reportedly, rabies has been eradicated here in Montreal, but keep safe and sanitize your hands afterwards.


4: Old Montreal

Montreal's not the most beautiful city in Canada (that would be Vancouver) but it is the most interesting one, which can be accounted for due to its cultural heritage. Old Montreal offers a lot of 16th and 17th century European architecture, complete with brick roads and horse carriages. You can also drop by the Old Port, which is nice and scenic especially for the elements noted above. On weekends, performers come out and act, juggle, play music and do acrobatics. Bring a date here.



There's actually a few things more, and I'll be periodically posting about those during my stay here in Montreal. I'll be back in Japan on the 29th.