“Je reviendrai à Montréal,
Dans un grand Bœing bleu de mer
J’ai besoin de revoir l’hiver…”
– Robert Charlebois (Je reviendrai à Montréal , 1976)
Somewhat disingenuous perhaps as my French, and particularly my Québécois French, is generally appalling, but it translates as “I will come back to Montreal, In a big sea-blue Boeing, I need to see winter again“… and while the Boeing was predominantly white and the month April, it certainly felt a touch wintery with temps in low single digits after the relative warmth, and abundance of green and flowers of spring in Cornwall. These days the time I spent in Montreal represents a bit less than 15% of my life as measured by the years I have now, yet represents so very much more of my being when weighed in treasured friendships, shared experiences, and memories.. and I do miss the bitter, snowy winters – much fun was had. Time for a visit was long overdue, and after what turned out to be a generally horrible winter at home, the opportunity to simply catch up with friends, kick back and enjoy good food and wine, and reacquaint myself with what is an unquestionably special city, has been a marvellous restorative for my jaded soul. It is with some difficulty that I leave behind the abundance of wonderful hospitality to turn east for the journey home tonight, with my only regret being that I left it so long to visit. That however is a lesson that can be learned.
I did of course have a camera in my pocket, and, despite the persistently wet weather, enjoyed some opportunities for a spot of street snapping… which ultimately is the point of this post; it’s just a way of being in the world that makes me happy. Without further ado then, a few random moments encountered along the way, if you can stand the absence of a bicycle in this story.
I’m not much of a “nature and landscape photographer” however some days spent in good company beyond the streets of Montréal in the Eastern Townships, and to the west around the Rivière-Rouge presented some opportunities to have fun pointing my camera at other things…
Apple trees approved by Dali! Great pictures as always, bike or no bike!
hehe, thanks!
Material for an exhibition!
haha, cheers, you’re too kind sir!
Wonderful seeing you in Montreal again Mike. Amazing stuff! the city never looked so good.
Cheers Jean! It was fabulous to be back and in such good company. See you soon!
Lovely set, Mike!
How’s the bicycle scene there?
hey, cheers! as for the bike scene, yeh it’s pretty good. the current mayor of the city is very pro-cycling so loads of new cycle lanes are going in… the thing I struggled with while living there was being ‘trapped’ on the island, and while it’s easy enough to get off it, you have to go a long way to find interesting riding. the urban cycling scene seems strong tho