Moriarty

I've discovered that Canadians don't pronounce the name of the city as we do, and perhaps we can blame the recent popularity of Sherlock Holmes but at first I honestly thought they were talking about that arch-enemy not Montreal.
My flight here was quite pleasant and there we no exessively long stopovers, practically from one plane to another. I was sitting next to a lovely woman who chatted away to me half in French, half in English and wished me good luck with my studies. Nearing the end of the flight some where over the ocean between Greenland and Labrador  I felt the need to give my legs a good stretch. There at the back of the plane where there was a self service area, after originally staring out of the windows at the mass of clouds that could have been mistaken for ice plains I ended up gathering a collection of nationalities chatting away, again in a melange of languages. As the plain landed it was chucking it down - clearly a welcome to remind me of home but it was no matter for all I did was get a taxi to my hotel.
My apprehensions seem to have disappeared; now that I'm here I'm all excited again.
I was up bright and early this morning (which is better than i could say of the weather which looked positively grey) and ready to start my exploration of the city. Sadly there were many many roadworks going on; it seems the whole city is under renovation. It was only a hindrance to the extent that you can't remain on the same side of a road the whole way own it and that one of the things I wanted to see was well hidden behind fencing, machinery and all that jazz. However I took in the sights as I ambled around the old town, noting the slightly syropy smell in the air and the fact that it's hard to walk very far at all without finding a green space or delightful square hosting fountains and statues or a church nestled between modern exteriors of business centres or skyscrapers.

My first stop was the Basilisque of Notre Dame and there's nothing else to say but it is absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt one of the most stunnign things I've ever laid eyes on. I lit a prayer candle and after a good nosy, sat soaking it all in. It seemed a very apt way to start my time here in Canada. Even the eternal Christmas shop just outside seemed fitting, and made me wonder why celebrating the greatest event in all of history should be limited to just one day (not that I advocate the sale of christmas decorations or the playing of christmas music any earlier than it already is).
By this time the sun which had previously been hiding behind cloud was down blazing, making me wish I' left the jeans in my suitcase. I wandered down to the old port and through some pedestrian streets before stopping for lunch. It felt rather strange to be eating toute seule but then again I had a wasp for company. This lovely affair was followed by nipping in and out of little boutique souvenir shops. Who knew so much can be made from maple syrop! I also perused a Inuit exhibition/shop. It was fairly interesting though I did recoil when I realised the fur thing I was examining still had the head (with eye holes) and claws attached. The head of Ruby the moose wasn't quite so respulsive.
China town seems to call to me, no matter the city, and this one had a Sun Yat Sen square and since I visited his house in Guangzhou, I felt compelled to find it and stay there a while observing a young man doing tricks on a BMX and old men smoking pipes.
I sought out another cathedrale, this time of Mary, Queen of the World. Oddly I felt compelled to wander around barefoot. It was wonderful respite from the heat as well. It had reached late afternoon and due to the heat and my poor choice of attire I decided to head for the hotel stopping for an iced tea en route which is where I am now. I bought my ticket to Sherbrooke (the bus station is literally down the road which is most conveniant) and am now pondering where to go for dinner. I am positively starving!