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Experiences History, Culture, and Politics Pictures Tourism

Historical Re-enactment

It’s been a busy end-of-Summer. We’ve had some visits from out of town, and work has been taking up a lot of time.

A few weeks ago, Manon and I managed to get away to the Pointe-à-Callière 18th Century Public Market event.… [Read More]

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Pictures Places

Parc Maisonneuve Revisited

It’s been smoky and hot here in Montreal, and there hasn’t been any significant rain since July 17th. After last year having a very wet summer, this summer is shaping up to be very dry.… [Read More]

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Experiences Only in Montréal

The Deedle-Eedle Truck

(or, “Wakey Wakey, Mfers!”)

Sylvain and I have long heard legends of the snow removal siren–an eardrum-crushing klaxon that sends Montrealers staggering into the street to move their cars before the tow-trucks and snowplows come through.… [Read More]

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Only in Montréal Places Très Intéressant

Arboriculture

I haven’t written much about Parc Maisonneuve, the giant park that neighbors the botanical gardens and is a short walk from our apartment.

Aerial view via Google Earth… for scale, those two intersections at the top left and top right are 1km apart (0.62 miles)

It’s a funny old place.… [Read More]

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Experiences Pictures Très Intéressant

Fireflies

In Mont Royal park, there are fireflies! I haven’t seen them there in past years.

On social media, folks are saying they’ve never seen it like this before.

Doesn’t do them justice…

(Try clicking on the “full screen” button on the video for a more immersive experience).

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Experiences Only in Montréal Très Intéressant

Le Rêve

What’s this? Emerging from the Mont Royal metro station, we countered a line for this installation.

Naturally, we had to discover our dreams!

It’s not the library that’s offering us a dream

After waiting in line for a short while, we got to a machine where we could place our hand upon the cutout.… [Read More]

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History, Culture, and Politics Only in Canada Places

Rock On, Canada


Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, photo By NASA – NASA Astrobiology Institute Library of Resources: Sulfur biogeochemistry of the Early Earth at the Wayback Machine, Public Domain, Link

Rocks found in Quebec are possibly the oldest on earth, formed around 4.16 billion years ago during the first days of Earth’s geologic formation (you know, back when the planet was all volcano-y and melty and stuff).… [Read More]

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Only in Montréal Pictures Places Très Intéressant

Parc de la Louisiane

Three years ago, I wrote about parks in Montreal. Not only are there a lot of parks here, but they vary considerably in size, resources, and other qualities.

Within a kilometer or two of where we’re living in the Rosemont arrondissement, there are several tiny parks (Parc Raymond Lévesque, an unnamed park on Rue de Tonty, and Parc de la Cité Jardin) , three or four big parks (Parc Joseph Paré, Parc Sainte-Bernadette, Parc Étienne-Desmarteau, and Parc de la Louisiane), and one massive park (Parc Maisonneuve).… [Read More]

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Pictures Places

A Laurentian Jaunt, Part. 3

Nature

It was cold and rainy when we were at Mount Tremblant. Well, “cold” — it ranged between 8C and 15C (46ºF to 60ºF). As mentioned in Part 1, this was actually a good thing, as it kept away the mosquitos.… [Read More]

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History, Culture, and Politics Only in Quebec Pictures Places Tourism

A Laurentian Jaunt, Part. 2

The Resort

The eponymous mountain is one of the tallest in the Laurentians, with an elevation of 932m (3,058 ft). The Algonquin name for the mountain is Manitonga Soutana, usually translated into English as the “Mountain of Spirits.”… [Read More]