The Land of Canadia

So, I got back a couple of days ago from a week (give or take) in Montreal. Montreal is a gorgeous city. It seems very much like a European city. Being in Quebec is SO different from the rest of Canada. I've heard so often about drives for independence and the efforts to further separate that province from the rest of the country... Now having been to Quebec, I can see where they're coming from. The differences go beyond language.

It was a shame to not be able to see more of the city. Most of my time was spent inside the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, a gorgeous hotel in the heart of the city. This was not by choice. I was there for work and I was working HARD. (When I turned in my time sheet the other day, one day showed me working from 6:00 AM to 3:30 AM, no break... Whew!)

I did spend one evening atop Mont Royal, from which you can see the entire city. There were scattered clouds in the sky, and the sun was going down leaving a shadow of the mountian over the city, all of this giving a beautiful cityscape view:
I also (briefly) visited the Montreal Biodome [insert obligatory Pauly Shore joke here] which was beautiful. The former olympic stadium has been converted into enclosed environments recreating all of the different climate regions of the Americas.

I don't want this to turn into a long travelogue, so I'll just leave this post at this. I would love at some point to go back and be able to REALLY see the city. Becuase I'm a nerd, I particularly feel bad for having missed the rest of the "nature museums" (of which the Biodome is one). Ah well. Maybe one day...

Anyway, now that my work conference is over, regular bloogging can resume.