Saturday - July 22, 2006

Today was dedicated mostly to driving, but it ended with a great evening. We got up, chatted with the motel owner who was keenly interested in the distance we'd traveled, the roads we'd taken, and the places we were visiting. Then, we saddled up and returned to the 401. The day was dark, dreary, and rainy - and we decided to make the entire trip, all the way to Montreal. We'd make occasional stops for gas or sustenance, or just to stretch our legs, and then we'd return to the road. Our lunch was at Harvey's, a Canadian burger place where counter attendants stack your garnishes in a manner that may be compared to Subway. Want some more pickles? Just ask.

On the road, the speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour, and going 110 we were usually the slowest car on the road. I kept thinking that locals must have known something about how the cops function that we didn't. But I wasn't taking any chances. We turned the radio to CBC and listened to Canadian comedians mixing universal themes about dealing with in-laws and the joys of raising teenagers with local referents to the Quebec succession movement, alcoholism among members of the "First Nations," and that wacky prime minister of theirs.

Passing through Toronto, we found a United Nations of radio programs. I was particularly fascinated by the Russian language show. At least, I think it was Russian. Entering Quebec about three hours later, we discovered that the occasional smatterings of French we'd seen alongside the road had been replaced by full-scale immersion. We were in a Francophone region of the world that happens to tolerate English speakers. We stopped at a tourism office and were treated to free maps, guides, and help with reservations. We figured we'd get a cheap motel on the edge of town without realizing how difficult that would be in a sprawling and congested city like Montreal - on a Saturday, no less. Happily, a very patient tourism office guide suggested a backpackers hostel that charges less than we've paid in far less impressive surroundings. She even made the reservation for us.

With evening traffic, we took about an hour to reach Montreal's city center. Driving through town, we were hit with a cosmopolitan explosion of street fairs, club kids, music festivals - and more sex shows than I've seen in New Orleans. Like any large city, traffic can range from frustrating to nightmarish. But we managed to negotiate the city without excess crisis. Eventually, we found our hostel and parked our car nearby in the parking lot of the newly built Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec (seven bucks Canadian per 24 hours on the weekend, not bad!). A light rain began to fall, but Vienna and I couldn't wait to hit the town.

We walked around a bit, enjoying the music from a nearby African festival. The city contains its share of woe; seemingly every large doorway was filled with clusters of homeless people and their dogs. And I could tell that at least one pickpocket was roving the street. But our spirits remained high. Vienna was particularly delighted to wander through a city in which French, not English, is spoken by nearly everyone. I did my best to recall my high school lessons in that language, and we practiced a few phrases. Yet when we had dinner (Italian, for some reason), our efforts to thank the server came out in a jumble of Spanish and clueless English. Afterward, we found a cafe and I enjoyed an espresso while we split some carrot cake. We both agreed that the food here is pretty marvelous.

We returned to the hostel. We have a shared bathroom with our floormates, but the room is clean, quiet, and comfortable. And it's located along a busy axis of the city near the Metro that will help us navigate this fascinating place. We also just discovered the free wireless internet connection. So Vienna chronicled her adventures with her friends back home while I watched Canadian news about local issues I'd never heard of in the States. Tomorrow the clouds are expected to break by mid-morning. So, as soon as we get up, we'll grab some breakfast (also free in the hostel) and grab our all-day Metro passes. We've got a town to explore!