Montreal, Canada
We arrive in Montreal around 10ish, grab a quick bite and head for the subway. We quickly realise how French Montreal is. Everything is written in French and not necessarily translated to English. Gulp.
A short ride and treacherous walk through the icy streets later and we've found our airbnb accommodation. We have to walk down the moderately sloped driveway to get in. It's completely covered in ice and we pretty much skate our way down.
We're staying in the garage of a two storey house which has been converted into a studio type apartment. It's a really sweet place and mostly importantly warm. We hop into bed, Jeff practices some more for Vegas and Courts watches some interesting French TV
Day 2
Our first proper day in Canada. We take it pretty easy and have breakfast. We aren't in a massive hurry because we know its gonna be so cold out there.
The news from the night before was all about this Polar Vortex and how ridiculous the weather is. A top of around -12 is expected today. With the day temperature off -15 with wind chill down around -30. Not really a sight-seeing day, as such.
Nevertheless, Jeff is keen to check out a few things that are "walkable" from our place. We layer up and head on out. For the first minute or so it doesn't feel so bad. Maybe just a little cold on the cheeks. Within minutes though, the gusts of wind are sending shudders down the spine. We can't feel our face. Courtney says she is feeling hot, which is a worry. Jeff takes his fingers out of his gloves for a photo and spends the next 2 minutes blowing into hands to get the feeling back.
This is obviously the coldest weather we have ever experienced, and will likely be the coldest we ever experience in our lives. Even the Montrealer know not to come outside today. The streets are very quiet.
We take shelter in the super market and stock up on tinned food and bottled water (Ok, only joking, but seriously...). This has been a mission. I now know what Mawson was going through in Antarctica.
We make it home, cook some pasta, have a few drinks and hope that tomorrow's weather is less Polar-Vortexy.
Day 3
The weather is supposed to be a little more bearable today, so we make plans to head out and see as much of Montreal as we can in case it actually freezes over tomorrow.
There is a big park containing Mont Royal just by downtown. That's where we head. Of course stopping for a coffee on the way.
Montreal has some massive cathedrals and other old, religious buildings (sometimes there is a random, old church right next to a new skyscrapper).
We spot an entrance to the park/mountain and make our way up. The entire place is covered in white. The walking track is just a path that is more ice than snow, allowing you to walk on it.... just. It's very slippery, especially in the old Tigers. They have done me proud so far.
We come to a spot where you can actually see the path - except its covered by a thick layer of ice, like our driveway. We have a great time trying to get up the slight incline. Jeff thinks its will be a great idea to run and slide down this natural slip and slide. He does. It's much more fun that it looks and worth the frozen butt.
Onwards and upwards we go. We walk past people on skis, people running with spikes in their shoes with cold dogs running after them. We spot another ice rink in the distance and what looks like the Montreal equivalent of a water (ice) slide down into a frozen lake. This place is incredible.
We reach the top and there is a chalet at the top welcoming us with a fire. Before checking out the views we need to defrost.
Ok, out into the cold again to admire this fine city. The mountain we are on is not super high, but it is very close to downtown Montreal so the views are awesome. A few pics and our hunger starts to kick in. Time to head into town.
We head back down the mountain. On the way we see some guys skiing down stair case rails and being extreme. Seemed pretty legit, they had 3 people filming them.
We make it into town. Only one slip over so far, which is pretty good going considering everywhere is covered in ice. We head towards the Japanese Ramen place but find it doesn't open for another 30 minutes. We take shelter in a nearby pub and have a beer and some poutine and hotdogs. Poutine is the Canadian signature dish. Essentially chips in gravy with other goodness mixed in like cheese and some other sauces. A great way to warm up, that's for sure.
The Ramen place was ok. A little pricey and not as good as what we have on Leigh Street. Adelaide Asian cuisine stands up again.
It wouldn't be a trip to a city without a quick trip to the casino. Jeff plays some poker but doesn't win. But a few more chips go into the collection.
We get the subway home and get back into the bunker to see out another cold night.
Day 4
Another day, another -10 degree forecast. We wake up late and spend a lazy day hanging around the apartment. We finally decide to layer up and leave the warm and cozy apartment. We take the subway to Downtown and try a couple of local beers at a microbrewery. The place has a really warm and cozy decor, a perfect respite from the blustery weather.
We walk back up the street to another microbrewery and sample some tasty beers and another poutine. Hey, what else is there to do in this weather?
Time to check out a bit of the nightlife. We head to a punk type bar/dive that offers dirt cheap beers. Much more our seen. It's like the Canadian equivalent of Shotz. The beers are cheap and the toilets are covered in graffiti.
We notice people lining up for some live music in the venue upstairs. We hang around for a bit, play some pool then head back to the safety and warmth of our apartment, but not before doing some snow diving on the way home. -10 degrees is practically summer here after all.