i have arrived!

hey everyone! sorry i haven't updated in a while...it's been a busy past two weeks. let me fill you in.

after getting back from italy, i spent the whole week packing up my room and the things i wanted/needed to bring with me to halifax. that was a tough job, especially since i'm basically a pack rat! definitely had a hard time deciding which books i can live without for 2 years, and all my photo albums and stuff! not to mention all my cds and dvds...couldn't bring them all. =( anyway, i was also running errands, buying stuff i'll need (ie, laptop), and trying to say goodbye to all my friends. and there were even some people i didn't have time to see before i left (sorry!).

richeille and i left for montreal on saturday (May 27) around 00:30, so basically, friday night. got into montreal around 08:00, took the shuttle bus to the downtown central bus station, and then walked to the bed and breakfast where we're staying. that was a mistake, considering the 2 luggages, backpack, purse and jacket i was carrying! thank goodness for richeille, who didn't complain while i made her carry my stuff! ;) good thing we were able to leave our bags at the b&b, even though it was too early to check in yet.

since we got no food on the plane, cheille and i decided to have brunch at a pub on Rue Ste Catherine. afterwards, we thought we'd walk over to the tourist info office on Rue Peel, but that turned out to be a way longer walk than we expected (our b&b and the pub we ate at were around Rue Berri)! after getting an armload of guides/pamphlets/brochures, we headed down to the Imax theatre by the Science Centre to see Mysteries of the Nile. unfortunately, the movie we caught at 13:15 was in french, but that was ok since we were so tired that the dim lights and cool air conditioning basically worked to put us to sleep! not the film, though, which was actually pretty good. after the movie, it was mutual decision to head back to the b&b, get settled in, and take a nap!). about 2 hours later, we grabbed a quick dinner in Chinatown and headed back for an early night!

the next morning, after a delicious breakfast at our b&b, we walked down Rue St Laurent to check out Main Madness, which was basically a huge sidewalk sale, with people selling food and everything! richeille bought lots of souvenir gifts, but i didn't get anything (nowhere to pack them in!). a quick poutine snack, then back to the b&b for some rest and to wait for jocelyn to get in. hey, we figured since we spent lots of money on accommodations, we might as well get the most out of it!

after jocelyn got in around 16:00, the first order of business (after unpacking) was dinner! somehow, richeille agreed to have indian food for dinner, so it was back up St. Laurent for dinner (where we saw the restaurant). of course, we had to stop and do a bit of shopping along the way!

the day after was "museum day". we decided to get the museum pass for $39, which allowed access to 30 museums over 3 days, plus unlimited metro rides. first stop: biodome...where the highlights were fish and penguins! next was the insectarium, where richeille took lots of pictures, then a quick run through the botanical gardens before we had to leave to make it to the film we wanted to see at 16:00 (the montreal international film festival was on). the movie was boring, btw...should've stayed and hung out at the gardens! anyway, after briefly checking out the "underground" mall, we had a good but overpriced sushi dinner near Rue Peel and Rue Sherbrooke.

we were supposed to get more sightseeing done the next day, but once again, movie watching messed up our schedule. first stop was the archaeological museum at Pointe-a-Calliere, in old montreal, where they had an exhibit on Roman Gaul (yes, Rome and/or Italy is following me now whereever i go!). there was also a neat "multi-media presentation" on montreal history, then we explored the cemetery and underground excavations underneath the museum. then we had a nice lunch at a french restaurant in old montreal and some shopping (richeille again, of course!). we had planned to go to the Notre Dame basilica and see the exhibit on St. Paul and the Vatican (see, I told you!), but by this time, we had to go back to catch the movie of the day. it was worth it, though, since the movie was great!! afterwards, we walked down Rue Sherbrooke, around the museum quarter (ie, museum of fine arts, etc.) to check out the buildings and the shops (which were already closed, unfortunately). then, dinner at a portuguese restaurant on Rue Crescent before heading back!

for our last day (Aug 31), we decided to see the Notre Dame Basilica and the exhibit. i guess montreal was sad to see us go, because it was pouring rain that day! we were all soaked by the time we got to the cathedral. afterwards, we wanted to try and fit in the canadian center for architecture, but there was just no way. so, we had a quick lunch at a polish restaurant in old montreal, then ran back to the b&b to collect our things and take a cab to the bus station. we got there on time, but the shuttle bus didn't, so we didn't get to the airport until about 30min before my flight to halifax starts boarding! so, it was a panicky/stressful goodbye to jo and richeille at the airport before i got on the plane and on my way to my life for the next 2 years.

more on my moving adventures later!