On and on and on
Yesterday I saw the first rainy day in over two months if I remember correctly (not: it rained last week), since that rainy weekend in Istanbul. I had totally forgotten about that phenomenon, and especially that it makes me (want to) stay at home. In those moments, I miss my place a little. You get distracted […] Read More
Fireworks over Saint-Laurent
Another event, twice a week, over the Saint-Laurent river: The Montreal fireworks competition, L’International des Feux Loto-Québec. I finally made it to the river and watched it from the Village Éphémère again. Until the start of August, six teams from around the world compete for the Jupiter trophy with a 30-minute show. Founded in 1985, the Montreal Fireworks […] Read More
Village Éphémère
I went to Village Éphémère again, with Joel and his friend Max, and ran into a number of his friends there. It’s really a cool place, and this time I brought my camera, so here are some proper pics of this place. There’s always a DJ playing cool tunes, you can sit in the sand or in one […] Read More
Lachine
Lachine is a little suburb of Montréal, earlier its own city but of course long been swallowed by the spreading city. It sits along the Lac Saint-Louis, where the St. Laurence river widens to form this lake, and along the Canal that was dug to circumvent the rapids in the river. It got its name, Lachine, in […] Read More
Montréal Murals
Montréal has an alternative feel to it, and many parts of the cities are covered in smaller graffiti. There are not many of my beloved street art stencils, but the murals are impressive. So impressive, Montréal actually now has a Festival for them – but then, they seem to have a festival for everything! The Mural […] Read More
Meet the HugTrain
I ran into the HugTrain the other day. Well, not the train itself, but the guy who runs the HugTrain across North America. You might have seen it before, people who give out free hugs in public, at festivals, at train stations, in the street. Arié went on his first hug tour across the US […] Read More
Return to normal
Since I arrived in Montreal, basically since I sat down with Brandon for a beer, 30 minutes after arriving, Montreal has been one big ride… beers, festivals, DJs, restaurants, friends, dinners, more music, road trips… I am a bit out of breath. Lisa, Brian and Marisa left Sunday morning for NYC, and Renato, Dennis and […] Read More
La ville de Québec
We decided to get up early and head the 225 km up north towards Québec City, the capital of the region. It is the oldest French settlement in the area, founded in 1608, and later on the Capital of Nouvelle France. Once we left Montreal, the country became all flat. A few massive mountains around […] Read More
Countryside
As Renato and Dennis had a rental car, we decided to make a road trip out of Montréal and into the Quebec countryside, towards the US border. There, Quebec starts to become anglophone, and has a rich history between the US and Canada. Some of the towns there were founded by English loyalists, who were […] Read More
Piknic Electronik
It’s an institution on Sundays, on Île Ste. Helene in the middle of the St. Laurent river. Piknic Electronik, a Montreal outdoor party tradition with DJs playing house, techno music and other genres. It is held in Park Jean Drapeau from May through to September, right underneath a massive modern art metal sculpture, with a view […] Read More