Je Me Souviens…

My bike and I survived that storm and late in the evening I pulled into a parking spot in front the apartment of my CouchSurfing hosts in Montréal. My hosts, Audrey and Marianne, had spent nine months in Latin America in the past year. They seemed really cool. That night, Marianne loaned me her bicycle and I went with Audrey to a party at a friend’s house. I met some really awesome people there, and really enjoyed myself. We stayed out until 3:30am before returning home to go to bed.

Audrey called into work and took me out to see some of the city. We visited a cool café and then saw a movie (Le Bruit de Glaçons) in French at the Cinéma Beaubien. There were no subtitles but I think I followed along pretty well. Then she took me Marché Jean-Talon, a farmer’s market of sorts. We had some Tunisian food there and then returned home.


It was the first time in about four years I had been in a country where neither English nor Spanish was spoken. I experienced a little language/culture shock as I worked on communicating in French. Actually, that first night I got lost in Montréal and had to find some directions. It was a little difficult until I realized the trick: the younger a person is the more likely he or she is to speak English. I can understand lots of French that I read, some of what I hear, and I’m pretty rusty when it comes to communicating. But the Québecois were really patient and kind when I tried. In one restaurant, when I apologized for my bad French, a lady told me, “No, you’re French is very good. It’s better than my English!”

With my hosts, I spoke in Spanish and English, and asked them over and over how to say things in French. I now have a renewed interest in the language, and I think I’ll try to brush up before I head to Paris next fall.

That evening, Audrey had to work but Marianne cooked me a delicious dinner and then led me downtown for the first night of a free summer music festival called, Francofolie. I rented a Bixi for the night, as Audrey had taken her bike to work. I enjoyed riding through the city. The bike paths led us down city streets and through parks. A classic Quebecoise pop singer, Marjo, was playing at the festival and she was joined by some other current pop stars. She’s more than a little past her prime, but it was definitely a fun cultural experience. I left my camera at home but here’s a link to a clip I found of the concert: http://youtu.be/wDwStomdVYM

The next morning I left Montreal and headed for Québéc City. Along the way, I stopped and tried some Poutine at a place called Benny & Co. Poutine is a regional comfort food of sorts. It consists of fries and topped with gravy and lumpy white cheese. Those are the basics, but restaurants serve them in all sorts of ways, adding bacon, sausage, veggies, and more on top. I got mine with chicken at Benny & Co.

I arrived at my host home in Quebec in the early evening. I met my hosts, Alexandre and Gabrielle, and also Gabrielle’s brother Emile. They were super welcoming and suggested we go do a barbecue in a local park. We put both parts of the barbecue grill in my saddlebags, and I carried some charcoal in my backpack. I left for the park on my motorcycle, and my hosts arrived not too much later by bicycle.

The following day, Emile had to work but Gabrielle and Alexandre had time to show me around some Quebec. They took me to the old city and many other interesting sites, telling me about the city history and culture as we went along. We shared some pizza in a park in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day.



That evening, my hosts prepared dinner and we had some good laughs and conversation. Then they joined me later for a couple of drinks at a really interesting local bar, Le Sacrilége. The bar had a small patio with stone walls on each side and trees that had carvings in them.

The next day, I headed back to Montreal for one more night where I was hosted by a really kind and friendly guy from Belgium, Grégoire. We went to the Montreal World Beer Festival (Mondial de la Bière) with a friend of his, Geneviève. The festival took place in an underground gallery hall that connected to the subway system. I sampled some beers from around the world, and also ate an assortment of French cheeses. We also caught part of a Canadian battle of the bands.


Then we went out to walk through a beautiful park on our way to find some more poutine.


Grégoire explained that this restaurant, La Banquise, was supposed to be the best place for poutine in the world. I ordered some with mushrooms, peppers, and onions on top.

I got some good rest that night, and met up with Audrey one more time for some delicious coffee in Little Italy before I headed for Ontario.

I absolutely loved Québec and didn’t want to leave. It was beautiful, and I loved the energy there. Maybe the city was super alive because it’s so cold for so much of the year, and the people are just invigorated by the warmth and sunshine. I thoroughly enjoyed myself there and I’d love to spend a summer there in the future