The Good Stuff!

So now all the introductions are out the way, I can get to the good stuff! This weekend I had planned to do a bit of exploring and sort myself out a little but as tends to happen, things escalated pretty fast!

Friday night was the homecoming Canadian Football game- McGill Redman versus the Concordia Bumblebees. Concordia is another university in Montreal and also McGill’s biggest rivals so the game was pretty hyped up! The atmosphere was awesome and I learnt some of the McGill chants (none of which are appropriate enough to repeat!) and shared a few beers with my new flatmates. I won’t pretend I even begun to understand the rules but the atmosphere was amazing and it was a win for McGill so a good night all round!

Saturday afternoon took me to my first Quidditch practice- yes Quidditch! I initially went along as my friend Derek is on the executive board and he was keen to recruit new members, thinking that I would go, have a laugh and probably never go again. However, I had forgotten to take into account my competitive nature and found that I actually really enjoyed it. Yes, it is slightly ridiculous. Yes, you have to run with a broom (or mop or branch) between your legs. But, it actually involves a level of skill I had not anticipated! The best way I can describe it is as a combination of netball, football, rugby and dodgeball. As a Chaser you have to run and catch the ball and eventually shoot it at three hoops at the end of the field, all the while dodging the tackles of the opposing team and the bludgers that the Beaters send your way. I’m heading down to tryouts tonight, and hey, if I’m successful I might even be in with a chance to compete at the Quidditch World Cup- every young Harry Potter fan’s dream! (Pictures to follow!!)

In the evening, after all our delicious pancakes at the flat, I headed out to meet some of my exchange friends. I was lucky enough to be put in contact with Aissa, a friend of a friend from Edinburgh, and through her have met some equally lovely exchange students. Since it was my first Saturday night in Montreal we headed out to St Denis, a very cool street at the top of the Latin Quarter. There was a festival going on there all weekend and the entire road had been painted by the public. The street was alive with people and music and we ended up dancing the night away on the top floor of a very cool bar. However, my favourite part of the night was on the trip to St Denis. Dotted across Montreal there are public pianos that anyone can play at anytime. As we passed by, there was a guy who I’m pretty sure might have been homeless playing the piano surrounded by a circle of semi-drunk people all singing along. Of course, this was an opportunity not to be missed so we joined in for a seriously off tune and rousing rendition of ADELE before heading on our way.



On Sunday, I woke up early and ventured to rent a bike for the day. Just like France and Spain, Montreal offers a bixi bike system, which allows you to pick up a bike in one place and drop it in another which can be very handy since a lot of bikes are stolen in the city. The sun was shining so Ruth (another girl from Edinburgh Uni) and I grabbed our bikes and decided to cycle out to Jean Talon fruit market to meet her flatmates. The whole place is amazing! Rows and rows of fruit and vegetables all under massive awnings and enough free samples to feed a small army; I’m sure they love it when the students come to visit! I’ve found the food in Montreal pretty expensive so far but it was good value for money at the market, and plus everything was so fresh, so we stocked up on enough vitamins to combat all the beer and burgers we’d been consuming at the Open Air Pub! Lunch was of course delicious- the freshest homemade bruschetta I’ve ever had!

In the afternoon we headed to something called Tam Tams, which is essentially a mini festival that goes on every Sunday (weather permitting) at Mont Royal. People bring down guitars, drums, saxophones, pots, pans and anything else they can make a noise with to jam on the grass in the sun. Anyone can get involved and even better, no one is an outsider at Tam Tams- anything goes. 

LARP-ing

Across the park you’ll find people slack-lining, practicing acrobatics, having picnics and even taking part in LARPing. Live Action Role Play is something that I have seen occasionally on the meadows in Edinburgh but never on a scale like this! People meet, dress up as warriors, pirates, cowboys or romans, and take part in battles- it’s a little like watching a live and very ridiculous video game. Again, it is of no importance how old you are or what you do during the week, everyone can be a soldier at Mont Royal! I am convinced I saw a few people who were “Bankers by day, Warriors by night”.

To make the most of the weather we also decided to climb Mont Royal, said to give you some of the best panoramas of Montreal. We were not disappointed! From so high up you could see right across downtown and beyond. The city of Montreal is actually located on an island with several smaller islands making up the periphery which was a lot easier to appreciate from this vantage point. This weekend was a pretty good start but this little trip has made me realise how much more I have yet to see! 

Downtown Montreal