Sunday, February 28, 2010

Figureless skating / Patinage non-artistique


ENGLISH

It had to be done. Winter lasts too long here to not partake in winter sports. So, as we watched honed skaters performing endless camel spins, bracket turns and quadruple twizzles, we strung up our skates and wobbled onto the ice at the parc Mont-Royal...
As you'll see in the videos, we've invented a whole new style of skating.

FRANCAIS

On s'est dit qu'il fallait s'y mettre. L'hiver dure trop longtemps ici pour ne pas essayer les sports d'hiver. Donc on a commencé par (ce qu'on esperait) le plus simple: le patinage dans le parc Mont-Royal...
Comme vous le verrez dans les vidéos qui suivent, nous avons su inventer une nouvelle école de patinage. Avant de vous moquez de ce style très particulier, essayez d'abord de vous mettre sur glace!


Julie shows she was born skating backwards /
Julie fait preuve qu'elle est née en patinant en arrière :



Rich performs an Olympic-winning 360 turn /
Rich exécute un 360 médaillé d'or :



And finally a faultless performance: Julie performs a triple axel with double spin /
Et enfin une performance sans faute: Julie fait un triple axel avec double spin:

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Le canal Lachine



VERSION FRANCAISE CI-DESSOUS


ENGLISH

The 14km long Lachine canal was an important trading waterway for Montreal back in the 19th century. Steel foundries, flour refineries, and all manner of factories sprung up all along its banks, and the area flourished until 1959, when the opening of the St Lawrence Seaway heralded the end of its transport monopoly. Long left to abandon, the canal has recently become the focus of a major urban renovation project, with a cycle path (currently a cross country ski track!) constructed in the late 90s and a number of old factories now converted into offices, restaurants and housing. But the area still holds a derelict, industrial charm, its sprinkling of ramshackle factory ruins serving as a gentle reminder of a bygone era in Montreal’s history. The following photos were taken on two visits to the canal. On occasions, the setting is positively Lowry-esque.

FRANCAIS

Les 14kms du canal Lachine étaient au 19ème siècle un passage incontournable pour le commerce maritime à Montréal. A l’époque, les rives du canal étaient bordées par des fonderies d’acier, des raffineries de farine, et des usines en tout genre. Le quartier a connu une belle époque… jusqu’en 1959, quand l’ouverture du fleuve St Laurent l’a relégué au second plan. Laissé à l’abandon pendant des années, le canal est devenu l’objet d’un grand projet de rénovation : une piste cyclable (voire une piste de ski de fond, actuellement !) a été construite fin de années 90, et plusieurs usines ont été transformées en bureaux, restaurants et appartements. Aujourd’hui le quartier garde malgré tout une ambiance d’autrefois, les immeubles industriels en ruines témoignant d’une époque presque oubliée dans l’histoire de Montréal. Les photos qui suivent ont été prises lors de deux visites au canal. Avec les usines en briques rouges et les grandes cheminées, il y a de quoi rappeler les peintures de L.S. Lowry et le nord de l’Angleterre qui l’a toujours obsédé.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

A taste of home / Un goût de France


ENGLISH VERSION BELOW!

FRANCAIS

Une visite au Marché Atwater ce weekend nous a assuré que l’on peut bien trouver de la bonne bouffe française, si jamais on est en manque. Les spaetzle Grande Mère d’Alsace, les confitures Bonne Maman, les gâteaux et les baguettes préparés par un boulanger français, et un choix exceptionnel de fromages français au lait cru ! Il y a même une presse avec des rayons de journaux et magazines français. Je saurai où acheter L’Equipe au mois de juillet…

Et, si jamais je suis en manque de la bonne bouffe britannique (et oui, ça existe !), il y a même un boucher vendant une gamme épatante de saucisses farcies au cheddar, au bacon, aux épinards… bref et à tout ce que l’on peut imaginer.

Toutes les images ont été prises au marché Atwater et au marché Jean Talon, autre grand marché Montréalais. Il semble que, en été, il y a même un marché ouvert 24/7 à côté de chez nous. Des fruits et légumes frais à 3 heures du matin… si jamais l'envie de cuisiner te prend à une telle heure !

ENGLISH

On Sunday, we visited the indoor market at Atwater, just five tube stops from us. Composed of different stalls and boutiques, the market is a great place to stock up on French food – just in case we ever need a taste of Europe. Among the tempting foods on offer were French jams, patisserie and baguettes made by a French baker, plus authentic (ie: unpasteurised) French cheeses. There was even a newsagent selling French papers and magazines. I know where I’ll be heading to get my dose of Tour de France news in July...

Even better, one stall proffered a range of British-style sausages that would put most Brit butchers to shame. Plus, some great cuts of streaky bacon.

The photos in this post were taken at the markets at Atwater and Jean Talon , which is the city’s largest permanent market. Apparently, when the snow melts, we’ll have a outdoor market in our neighbourhood open 24/7. Fresh fruit and veg at 3 in the morning, anyone? It’ll sure make a change from the post-pub kebab ;-).

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Festival des Lumières


ENGLISH VERSION BELOW!

FRANCAIS

Samedi, nous avons goûté à notre premier festival québécois avec des nouveaux amis Montréalais.

La Festival des Lumières sous la neige à Montréal, ça ressemble pas mal à Noël chez nous. Des sapins illuminés, des sculptures en glace, des chutes de toboggan, des concerts en plein air, et des grands spectacles de feux d’artifices – ça pourrait presque être les fêtes de fin d’année en France. La différence, c’est peut-être l’ambiance – plus familiale et détendue.

Le Vieux-Port a été transformé en fête foraine (avec spectacles, jeux et Grande Roue gratuite, même si ça caillait grave en haut !). Et après des feux d’artifice sur le bassin devenu grande patinoire, nous avons assisté au concert de Nadja, Québécoise à la grande voix (et au grand corps) qui reprenait avec brio des chansons R&B des années 50/60. Vu qu’il faisait -5C avec de la neige qui tombe, tout le monde bougeait avec enthousiasme à la musique – même pendant des slows !

ENGLISH

On Saturday, our new Montreal friends initiated us into the city’s famed festival circuit.

As it turns out, The Montreal High Lights Festival is not unlike Christmas in Blighty. Christmas trees are strung with flashing lights, ice sculptures are dotted around the site, sledging tracks are laid on for kids, and there’s a range of open-air concerts and grandiose firework displays. You could almost be at a New Year’s party. Except for the atmosphere, which is less boozy, more laid-back and, above all, much more family-oriented.

We arrived early evening to find the Old Port transformed into a funfair. There were shoot-‘em-up stalls, fry-your-own-sausage food vendors and a free Ferris wheel (which was absolutely *bleeping* freezing at the top!). After the splendid firework display over the skating rink (which, apparently, becomes a pedalo pond in summer), we watched a free concert from local singer Najda, whose big voice only just outweighs her imposing body. She soon got the crowd moving. Although, given that it was -5C and snowing heavily, everyone was looking for any excuse to warm up. Heck, we even boogied to the slow numbers.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Let it snow


According to the locals, it’s a mild winter in Quebec this year. In the ten days since we’ve been here, it’s averaged a mere -5C.
On the streets, people can be seen strolling around gloveless and hatless, as if they’re finding the current climate a bit balmy. To boot, it’s not even snowed in over 3 weeks!

Nonetheless, snow is everywhere – and it’s a major part of everyday life. Our flat lease has a special clause about snow clearance: the driveway, stairway and entrance are the responsibility of the owner, while it’s up to us to shift snow from the balcony. The local council, meanwhile, has an annual budget of some $50 million to clear snow from the roads and pavements. Its fleet of snow-clearing equipment comprises 160 road snowploughs, 210 pavement snowploughs and 110 snow blowers. And every year, these machines jointly clear away an average of 7,500,000m3 of snow. (All these stats were gleaned from a recent visit to the informative if somewhat randomly-organised McCord Museum of Canadian History.)

Unsurprisingly, the Quebecois have learned to embrace the snow. The winters here last six months – and that’s a very long period indeed to ‘just try and get through’. A weekend trip to the Parc Mont-Royal – Montreal’s biggest green (or rather white) space – showed us just how Montrealers make the most of their severe climate. In the park, you can ice-skate on the lake, toboggan on specially crafted tracks, snowshoe and cross-country ski in the woods, or even take a ride on a horse-drawn sleigh. What’s more, parents here don’t push their children in prams; they use mini-sledges to pull their kids along.

Intriguingly, though, there’s a complete lack of snowmen and snowball fights. I guess such activities lose their appeal when your hands freeze on contact with the snow.

Ice hockey here is the equivalent of football in most other parts of the world. Indeed, table football here has a distinctly different look.

Canadian kids don’t dream of being Ronaldo or Messi; they want to be hockey heroes (can’t actually name any just yet, but give me a few months...). You see them clinging onto hockey sticks on the buses, wearing the attire of the local team (the Montreal Canadiens), and practicing their skills on the local ice rink after school. Just about every park or sports field has a free, open-air ice rink, and many rinks are refrigerated for use in the summer. No wonder the Canadians are so confident of Olympic hockey glory in Vancouver this year.

I’ve also noticed what might be termed ‘car tents’ outside houses. Presumably, these temporary garages are designed to protect vehicles parked in the driveway from snowfall.



One road I passed looked like a veritable camp site for cars.

In the city centre, you can shelter from the cold by using the RESO, a sprawling network of underground and overground tunnels that allows Montrealers to completely avoid contact with the outside world. This indoor city is the largest underground complex in the world, although I was rather disappointed to discover that it’s basically a very large shopping mall. Almost every square inch of the walkways is lined with shops, coffee houses and eateries.

There’s still at least another two months of winter to go, and I’m just hoping we don’t experience anything significantly colder than now. Even though I’m intrigued to know what -30C would feel like, we’re not yet equipped for it. And it’s proving distinctly tricky to buy decent Canadian winter-proof clothing. Most of the shops are already stocking their spring collections, despite the fact that the mercury is unlikely to rise above zero for a while yet. For the sake of winter sports, let it snow - but let it not get too much colder!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Montreal in pics

A few photos of Montreal, taken this week.
Quelques photos de Montréal, réalisées cette semaine.

Place d'Armes - the centre of Old Montreal / le centre historique du Vieux Montréal:

Ice-skating by the St Lawrence river / Patinage aux bords du St Laurent:

The Quai de l'Horloge at the Old Port / Le quai de l'horloge au Vieux-Port:

Mont-Royal park / Le Parc Mont-Royal:




And a panorama of the city from the park / Et une vue panoramique de la ville depuis le parc:

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Our Hood: Côte des Neiges

Voici quelques premières images de notre quartier, Côte-des-Neiges.
D'abord, la nouvelle chez nous (1ère étage) :


Notre rue, à 3 minutes de l'hôpital St. Justine, ou travaille Julie.


C'est un quartier très multiculturel, avec un bon quota de restaurants asiatiques.








Et, bien sûr, de la neige et tout ce qui va avec...












Des plus jolies photos de Montréal à suivre...