I feel like remembering Montreal today, so I shall be nostalgic. I did live there three years. It is funny how contradictory three years can both seem like an eternity and a short moment in time. When I look at all the works I wrote for class, thousands and thousands of pages that I ended up reading, the many languages that I leant, the travels I've done, the friends I met, the experiences I had three years can seem like such a long time. But then, I recall that all this time went by so quickly and cannot but wonder at the pace of time flowing by... And now it's done. University time is over and I feel sad not to have much left of those years, but good friends and knowledge. Some people would probably say that these two are the only real thing in life; they might not be wrong.
My flat was right up in front of this small park, on a one-way street, thus far away from Montreal traffic both morning and evening. I was quite grateful at the quitness of the surrounding, even though I was quite near downtown by subway. This park did not look like this before. It was an old school parc with a cute slide and an adorable sort-of-bird-you-sit-on-and-move-back-and-forth. I was really sad when they destroyed it. I had had memories of folling around in that parc with a guy I loved and I felt as if the parc being removed was part of my broken heart being tossed away. Isn't that silly?
Nevertheless, I really like this place and it's really one of my most vivid memory of Montreal, because I would literally see it every single day, and/or walk through it back and forth whenever I would go out.
A second view I have from my apartment, though a bit farther apart, is this restaurant Le Petit Bistro, a French restaurant, quite expensive, right at the opposite corner of the parc. I went there a couple of times with my parents when they came to Montreal.
Going down on Maisonneuve street past the Petit Bistro was my way to school, that I would do on foot, or by bus - when I caught it - in winter.
This looks like an old presbitary, that was right across the place where I would wait for the bus. I always told myself I'd get to go in one day to look at what was going on, but then, here we go, I never did. Shame.
McGill's Roddick Gate. I actually only used this entrance in the first weeks, when I got out at McGill station. I did not know better at the time. Figured soon enough that since all my classes were on McTavish street, it was way closer to go through Peel metro. Oh, what one can learn by being lazy... Still, I think the Gates are really pretty. I wish I had a camera that can take panoramic pictures...but as it is not the case, I went with the let's-just-take-a-picture-and-see-what-happens...
I like the buildings we ge tto see through this entrance. Since they moved the information center from the James Building to the one on McTavish, the whole street is blocked for cars - and the street is filled with flowers in the summer which is great - but before then, I already enjoyed walking up that street, because of the view on the old buildings.
Peel Street. I like Peel street. There is a nice little coffee place at the corner that makes nice coffes, with drawings in the foam <3 I definitely want an apartment on the top of the second building when I become rich... XD it looks like such a nice place. I hate rich people. They have everything. Right behind is Peel Plaza, where 4 good friends I made at school live. That street is also right accross one of the building I went for most of my classes: East Asian Studies. I love this building. Now that I think of it, I was silly not to take a picture of the inside. While it is quite an old and ugly place, I did spend hours of my time sleeping there between courses. Oh good old first year.
Papineau Metro. I am sorry for those who disagree, but this is MY metro. Period. I spent 3 years going back and forth on the green line, but when I get to Papineau Metro, I have a feeling I am close to home. I don't know if I'll feel completely lost if I ever stop there with the knowledge that my 'home' is not around the corner anymore. Weird, weird weird.
It's bad now, everything pretty much reminds me of Korea. I wake up this morning and I go in the front yard of the second house and I see my parents: without realizing they had put the exact same T-shirt....how's that with Korean couple-T culture? ha ha ha
