Think Creative.

I had a great sleep last night. Slept like a log. I went and had a quick shower. Twenty minutes later, I was climbing down the winding stairs with fifteen pounds of weight on my back from my camera bag and tripod.

I went and picked up a traveler’s map and got an egg salad sandwich for my brunch. I then headed towards Av. du Mont-Royal.

I hiked for five hours at Parc du Mont-Royal. Part of the reason for that long a hike was that I was lost. Lost but not desperate! I had surrendered myself to nature and loved every bit of it. My map turned out to be useless because it did not list any trails. I continued walking on trails that went around in circles. On countless occasions, I saw the same people that I encountered before, now walking a different trail. At some point during my hike, I reached the summit, or that is what I felt like by the time I got to Chalet du mont Royal. The city looked beautiful from that vantage point. Although my back was killing me from carrying all the camera equipment on my back, I loved every bit of what I was experiencing.

I took a few pictures on the trails and some panoramic images from the Chalet.

After the Mont-Royal experience, I was ready for some downtown fun. I walked down Rue Peel, made a wrong turn but ironically ended up at the tourist information center. Note to self – visit the tourist information center before you do anything. I quickly checked my email and I loaded myself with all the touristy brochures and maps of the city. All that information will come in handy when I return to Montreal after three weeks of fun in Atlantic Canada.

I started walking in the wrong direction on Rue Sainte-Catherine and stopped at a Lebanese Restaurant for some Shawarma. Good old Middle Eastern food! The Shawarma was okay and I gave it a 5/10 on my rating scale.

Finally I was on my way home…err…couch! This time my sense of direction did not betray me. I decided to walk up Boul. Saint-Laurent. The street was blocked off for some street festival. But then rain happened and all the vendors scurried back to their corners. I walked in the middle of the road, enjoyed the rain and took some more pictures. I crossed over to Rue Clark and I finally got back to my couch after 8 hour of fun.

I did some photo editing, the results of are displayed in my photo gallery. And here I am at a 24 hour internet café typing away my life!

Tomorrow evening I leave for Halifax on VIA Rail. It is a 20 hour ride and I am really looking forward to it. I will write my next entry from Halifax!

Cheers…!