The Purpose of Life is to Enjoy Every Moment: J'ai trouvé une morceau de Humboldt

Jean-Talon Marché

During my visit to Ottawa, our 'tour guide' (more like some dude who talked to us about random things during the bus ride) mentioned a handful of things that we had to do and see while in Montreal. I was half paying attention and half trying to block out the obnoxious drunk(?) Brazilians who were singing/chanting/clapping in the seats right behind me. He mentioned "Jean-Talon Marché" and I wrote it on my 'to do list'.

The entrance

He said the best day to go was Saturday, so naturally I went on a Saturday. It was fabulous!! From the moment I walked through the doors I felt this overwhelming rush of happiness and tranquility. I felt like I was back in Arcata/Humboldt, California. All I could think was, "Finalement, j'ai trouvé une morceau de Humboldt ici à Montréal" (Finally, I found a slice of Humboldt here in Montreal)

In the summer, the market is outside like a typical farmers market - but since I went in the dead of winter it was inside, which was fine by me! Jean-Talon is also considered THE most important open air market in North America! Apparently, people come from all over the world just to visit it. I guess I fit into that category too.

Des pommes!

Des poivrons colorés

Des fleurs

Des légumes et des fruits

Plus des fruits!

Des champignons

Des tomates

De la laitue

The atmosphere was warm and welcoming; the food was mouth watering with it's bright colors and surprisingly large selection for winter; and it was bustling with smiles and families.

Crème glacée: expresso et sirop d'érable! Yum!

I enjoyed my experience so much that I have went back every weekend since.

Le Métro de Montréal

Living in Montreal has really been quite an experience so far. I always thought of myself as a 'small town' girl but I have grown to really enjoy many aspects of cities, Montreal in particular. My favorite thing has got to be le Métro de Montréal (The Montreal Metro) - it makes getting around so easy!

There are 4 main lines and several bus routes that will bring you pretty much anywhere you want to go! On the website you can also find a link for a public taxi service, but I haven't used that. A monthly pass, which includes unlimited use of ALL forms of transportation is only $77. They also do daily, weekend and weekly unlimited passes as well. If you visit the city - get one of these passes!

It was news to me that most if not all major cities have a metro system, this was the first time I have used one. I think it is a wonderful idea - mainly because such a large form of public transport cuts back on so much pollution from every single person driving their own car. During the weekdays, especially between 8:30-9:30am and 4:30-5:50pm the metros are PACKED! No where to sit, no where to put your things and sometimes there isn't even room and you have to wait until the next one comes. (Weekdays they come about every 5min and on the weekends its about every 10-13min)

I know I'm not the only one who hasn't taken a metro, so I made a quick video to show you want its like. Some of it was filmed on the weekend (very slow, mellow and not busy) but I tried to get my camera out for the busy rush our times as well. Hope you enjoy it!

Je t'aime en chocolat

Last weekend (February 8th-10th) was the 2nd Annual "Je t'aime en chocolat" (I love you in chocolate). It is also known as le nouveau rendez-vous des amoureux du chocolate (the new chocolate lovers get together). This event showcased the most popular chocolatiers in the region. Did I mention there were free samples?

I saw the most detailed and exquisite (and expensive) chocolate that I had ever seen in my life. A box of 10 chocolates was between $15 and $20.

Les petits gâteaux

Many different kinds to sample for FREE!

Macarons!

Bouquet of chocolate :)

Very detailed and intricate chocolates. Each one hand made!

I definitely left with a stomach full of sugar. I was sure to floss twice before brushing that night.

Bharati...Il était une fois l'Inde (Once upon a time in India)
Friday night I celebrated Valentines Day by taking myself to see my first Bollywood play at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier theater in Place des Arts in Montreal. The venue seats nearly 3,000 people! भरती = Bharati, meaning in search of light, is more than a show! It's an exquisite blend of dance, music and Indian traditions! A smile of satisfaction never left my face as the story of unraveled guided by the narration of one man (he was the only one that spoke - the rest was singing and dancing). An Indian engineer who was raised in the US moved back to India for a job assignment. It was there that he met and fell in love with Bharati. The story shows him battleing another man who also wanted to marry her and also obtaining the approval of Bharati's father to take her hand in marriage. It is a journey that uncovers the hidden treasures of the vast country. It would take more than one night to visit India but Bharati gave me a glittering glimpse of the astonishing cultural richness of India.

I wasn't allowed to take video but I found a great preview of the show on YouTube, please watch this...it is magical!!

I had pretty good seats and managed to get some photos, but they will never do justice for actually being there - feeling the drums beat in your heart, darting your eyes from one side of the stage to the other and seeing over 1,000 brilliantly colored costumes throughout the show! On the left side of the stage they had a band of 7 members playing all of the music. There were 4 singers who mostly stayed on the right side but were sometimes placed throughout the stage. Then, at any given time, there were between 2 and 30 dancers twirling around the stage! It was an outstanding and breathtaking performance. I was very happy with my decision to go :)