July 8
End: Montreal
Miles: 0.0
Total: 4295.9
It felt nice to sleep in a little in the morning. Trail life was on hold for awhile and I was going to see Montreal. Catwoman and I had breakfast, then planned our day. We decided we would bicycle to Mont Royal, then she would go do a massage appointment while I went to a local church.
Catwoman was quite a good cyclist. I thought I could cycle fairly well but it was not easy to keep up with her. We stopped in at a local market first, which was fun. I had read about this market online and knew it was one unique part of the city.
There were all sorts of fruits and vegetables for sale. Everything looked good, but I was used to grocery store prices, specifically American grocery store prices, and Montreal fresh market prices just don’t compare. Catwoman bought some strawberries and we continued on.
It took awhile to get to the park, but finally we arrived. Apparently our cycling was not over, however. Catwoman led us up a long spiraling dirt trail to the top of Mont Royal, which was quite tiring. At the top we had a good view of the city and she took a picture of my beard and I posing at the summit.
We sat for a few minutes, then parted company. I headed for the church, and got there just as the service was beginning. I hastily changed my shirt and walked inside. I explained to a gentleman that I only spoke English, and he directed me to another building a few blocks away. When I arrived there I found out it was a Catholic Church.
I didn’t particularly enjoy the service, and left after awhile. It was impersonal, stoic, and nothing like what I was looking for. Catwoman texted me and said her appointment had been canceled. On the way to meet her I stopped at the grocery store to get some food for later.
I used to cycle around Houston, so it was fun to do this in a new city. However, I was reminded that it does take some time to cover a significant distance, especially if you are not familiar with the area. Finally we met and went to a nearby restaurant to have lunch.
The restaurant specialized in Poutine! Stinger had raved about this Canadian specialty back in Florida, and had talked about walking into Canada just to have some. Poutine is generally fries with a gravy sauce and any number of things on top. I ordered a Poutine with sausage and several other meats and cheese. It was incredible.
Afterwards we found a park and lay down to rest. I got out bananas and cookies and had a few of those. Eventually we left and saw a bit of the old town and Chinatown before heading back to Catwoman’s house. I was planning to sleep at Mont Royal since she couldn’t keep me at her place without talking to her new roommate, but she changed her mind and said I could stay another night. I slept comfortably on my familiar sleeping pad.
