North America Trip Parts Cinq, Six et Sept: What's Cooler Than Being Cool? Ice Cold.

Em and I had an early start to our final morning in New York, no time to savor one last look around the city, we had a train to catch and that meant being at Penn Station by no later than 7.45am. We were facing an eleven hour train trip through upstate New York over the Canadian border into the francophone province of Quebec and it's largest city, Montreal. So it was goodbye hot dogs, the stars and stripes and the Rangers and bonjour to poutine, le fleur de le (and the maple leaf) and le Canadiens.
The trip through upstate New York was gentle and rollicking, if not somewhat boisterous due to the bucks party group who were on their way to Montreal for a weekend of debauchery and hockey. The scenery was beautiful as we went throu places such as Ploughskeepie and the capital of New York State Albany Snaking alongside the Hudson river. It was around Albany where we got our first glimpse of what was to be something we would see a lot of, but never really become accustomed to, in Montreal: snow. The further north we went, the heavier the snow got until it was at full on snow storm level by the time we got to the Canadian border. Around the lakes of upstate New York there were groups of people ice fishing on the frozen surfaces, trees with limbs bowing due to the heaviness of the snow on their limbs and rustic little houses that looked like something out of Fargo.
The crossing into Canada was interesting to say the least. Em and I had no issues, we are after all nice Australians with the cool accents, however others on our carriage weren't so lucky. All in around half a dozen people were taken off the train at the border and driven back to the United States to be put on a bus home. This held up the train for what seemed like an eternity and everyone left on board was very happy to finally get moving again. Upon arrival in Montreal there was another delay as the doors of the train had to be de-iced.
Arriving in Quebec was an eye opening experience, it's part of Canada yes, but could easily be a stand alone country. Bienvenue Montreal is the first greeting you get, which is a uniquely French Canadian way of saying welcome to Montreal. The first person who asked where we were from immediately corrected my English pronunciation of 'Australia' to the French pronunciation of 'Australie'. Most people speak French first whoever the majority are also fluent in English. Hearing their voice change from the oh so European sound of their regular speech to the regular Canadian accent when they switch to English was also a bit of a shock. Everything is signed in French first, usually (but not always) with English available as well.
The next morning I headed out towards Viuex Montreal (Old Montreal) while Em stayed back at the hotel. She had bravely battled illness throughout our time in New York, but the sub freezing conditions in Montreal finally got the better of her. So while I was sipping coffee at the Old Montreal Port, Em was visiting the doctors. I went to Old Montreal on foot and the bitterness of the cold hit me like a sharp icy punch to the gut as soon as I walked out the hotel door. The high temperature for Montreal that day was to be a balmy -17°c. Still, braving the cold was well worth it. The Americans call Montreal 'Paris without the jet lag' and wandering the streets it's apparent why. Le rue's of Montreal are spectacular in their beauty, especially when they have a layer of snow on their roves and window sills, it was like walking through a city from a Dickens novel, especially in Old Montreal with it's narrow cobblestone streets . After a few stops at local squares and of course at Basillique de Notre Dame to take in the breathtaking beauty, it was down to the port area for a café laite (served in a bowl!) and a chat to the staff. Apparently we had arrived in Montreal during their first real snow storm of the season, hence the transformation into the winter wonderland city it appeared. Montreals cafe scene was very reminiscent of the Melbourne cafe scene, very casual yet with a classy, serious take on the coffee they serve. Also while in Old Montreal I was encouraged to try the Quebec local dish poutine, which is chips, gravy and cheese curds. Poutine verdict? C'est magnifique!
We had a quiet evening watching the NFL playoffs which sadly door Em saw the Denver Broncos get a lesson in playoff football by the New England Patriots. After a good nights sleep (much needed for both of us) and a breakfast of croissants, we headed to the Olympic precinct, where the 1976 summer games were held. Le Stade Olympique used to be home to Major League Baseballs Montreal Expos before their shift to Washington DC. We however were there to go to the Biodome, the former Olympic velodrome turned into a sort of indoor zoo. It featured four different environments, from a south American rainforest featuring sloths, macaws and alligators through to a Canadian maple forest with otters, beavers and a lynx, to costal and arctic environments with puffins, penguins and sturgeon. We headed back to Old Montreal for lunch and more sightseeing before calling it a day and heading to the hotel.
I am writing this now in the departure lounge of the Montreal airport awaiting our flight to Cleveland. I have found Montreal an interesting place and seeing massive amounts of snow around the streets was an experience I'll never forget. I even think my French improved a little! So au revoiur Montreal, and Canada, with your loonies and toonies, Tim Hortons and hockey obsession. This has been a place I shall never forget.