As noted in prior blog posts, Canada Day was Friday July 1st, most businesses were closed, and the City sponsored lots of holiday events (flyovers, music, cake!)
It was still a workday in the U.S. though, so we didn’t join in–nor did much of Montreal, for whom July 1st is Moving Day.
However, good ol’ American Fourth of July fell on a Monday and we had the day off, so we decided to use the holiday to take a wander and look at the Lachine Canal, a popular strolling/biking/kayaking place south of downtown.
It was a pretty day, and quiet, because not a holiday in Canada.
Look at that air quality! No stopped traffic and closed roads all over our neighborhood! No fireworks at three a.m.! I can’t say I missed the Fourth in L.A., which has become a literal waking nightmare due to the incessant blasting of fireworks trolls.
We also took a quick jaunt through the Atwater Market, which reminded me of Seattle’s Pike Place Market but with fewer touristy bits.
Atwater Market one of three major historic market buildings in Montréal (remember, winter is fierce here so indoor markets are a must). Lots of butchers, same with cheese shops, lots of produce stalls, TONS of garden purveyors and plants encircling the entire building.
We didn’t buy anything because it was crowded and I’m pretty covidphobic still, but it was fun to see. It’s the only place here I’ve seen Slap Yo Mama for sale, a core ingredient of one of our favorite vegan dishes, so I may have to return on a buying trip soon.
After we got hime, we tried to rouse that good ol’ Fourth of July spirit by watching some Americana on Netflix–you know how they always have “The Music Man” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and
“Independence Day” in the rotation for the Fourth?–but Netflix Canada didn’t have anything like that.
Which felt weird. It was like Independence Day didn’t exist….which it doesn’t, except in USian heads. It’s a form of collective propagandistic madness we experience every year, whether we want to or not. Canada’s silence on the Fourth was both pleasing and disquieting.
(Yeah yeah, we could’ve used a VPN to tunnel into U.S. Netflix if we really wanted to, but we watched “Hair” on Canada Netflix instead, which seemed appropriate).
In summary: it was weird to spend Fourth of July completely unimpacted by the usual “patriotic” trappings and noise, but pleasant to have a day to walk around and look at things without explosions and jingoism. C’est tout, now we’re back to work.
