Imagine an amalgamation of the most divine colors caught in a silver prism – orange, red, yellow, green, and blue…that’s Canada for you.
Presenting my ditties of a romantic encounter with Montreal (Canada): the beautiful town of the maples, bountiful rivers, and a piebald atmosphere. Part 1 (26th October)
Flight FrenzyI had one of the craziest whirl-arounds (and this one literally took me round the globe) to reach Canada. I took the flight from Mumbai to Chennai, and boarded the late night flight to Paris. The connecting flight over the Atlantic took me to Montreal, my destination. And in the process, I saw one of the longest days in my life. Night evaded me and I could catch glimpse of its velvety splendor only after 30 hours of daylight.
Hilton HeightsIt is the height of comfort and luxury outta here in Hotel Hilton (where I am put up now), with a good measure of impeccable room service. You wish things were half as organized in India as it is here. This makes me want to stay here forever!

Canada Clime
It is not as cold as I had expected it to be. Since I am carrying the paraphernalia of warm clothes with me, I am doubly disappointed with the clime. The temperature here is between 10 to 15 degrees which is pretty tolerable. Snowfall is expected next week. I am waiting for the day when I would clap my eyes on the tiny snowflakes that would shroud the Montreal town. I have read about the ice-capped mountain peaks and the vaulted houses with the snow packs on them and this has always reminded me of the cream cones. A delectable view would that be, isn’t it?
Food n Flavor

And yes, I love the food (how can I forget writing about it). So, I went chomp-chomp on the fresh buns, croissants, pastries, muffins, and peanut butter ( I had this calorie-rich delicacy for the first time!). I also tasted the berries of autumn, plums, and a huge green apple. I was transported into the world of Hiedi (one of my fave novel characters) who stayed up in the green Alps and had fresh n tasty bread, fruits, and cottage cheese. Afternoons are salad times, and this introduced me to something they call ‘Tofu’ (It is the Canadian version of soya bean.) And, I was surprised that they have rice too (I thought, rice was very much Indian) and they cook it with beans and flavors like our Biryani. Another delicacy, that I heard being raved about is the maple syrup, that is served with almost everything. (For people who don’t know, Canada has a picture of the maple leaf on its national flag.) And on Sunday, a maple-heavy breakfast has been planned and so is a jaunt to the downtown Montreal. So here I am, waiting for the outing and the snow. More on this later…
Part 2 (28th October)
Chilling out in the Cold
Today, I visited some parts of downtown Montreal and lived through the coldest day of my life ever. The temperature was around 1 degree and the icy wind lashed out as I and my friend walked down the streets of Westmont and Sherbrooke. We went to a local coffee shop which was all decked up for the Halloween. Again coming back to my fave topic, food, I had a Jewish delicacy that had omeletes, sugar-coated potatoes, and fresh fruits thrown in together and maple syrup all over it! Slurp...slurp... People here know how to mix the food and light up the taste buds for sure! I watched the film Ratatouille yesterday, which was replete with some awesome one-liners about the art of cooking, and I am strangely very gung-ho about trying some of cooking myself. Let me wait till I get back to India. I did some mini-shopping today. I have got home a huge French loaf of bread. Now, I am wondering how am I going to eat that gargantuan stuff.
Part 3 (31st October)
Halloween Horrors
It is supposed to be the time when the spirits roam around untamed and pay a visit to the earthlings. I read up that stuff in a write-up which someone gave me. Scary, isn't it? I mean, I never knew that Halloween is meant to be scary, I thought it is the time when children get their candies, and frisk about in fancy costumes. Well, I did see one of the scariest Halloween costumes (look here) donned by one of the waiters in a coffee shop.

I was adviced to stay indoors after 7 :( and wear strange costumes so that a ghost takes me to be one of its kinds (As if I don't look like one already!). The Halloween horrors apart, I toted up another dish to my fave menu, when I went out for lunch today. We had an annoying wait of an hour before we got our orders served. To compense for that we got a huge cake and dollops of ice-creams from the hotel owner. So the wait was for good! I had spagetti with basil sauce and it tasted divine. I am gonna try some new dish at the hotel today (everyday I have something with a grosteque name). Let's see what horrors they cook for Halloween today.
Part 4 (3rd November)
The Old Montreal Odyssey
It was supposed to be the last weekend I was spending in Montreal and that was my best. I savored the myriad sights and smells of the good ol' Montreal known for its architectural wonders and great eating joints. We went to Biodome, which had replicas of the ecosystems like the Tropical forest of America, St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem, Laurentian forest, and yes....hold your breath..the Polar world! It was difficult to believe that what I descried was merely an exhibit as each of the environments had real-life hills, trees, and a variety of animals ranging from macaws, to the lynx, and penguins as well as different kinds of fish.

We then went to Loblaw, a huge grocery store from where I picked up some real swiss chocs and a can of maple syrup [can't stop talking about it :) ] This was followed by a trip to the City Hall which looks like our Victoria terminal, with its remarkable stone dome, turrets, and pointed arches. We went to a cosy Italian food joint for our lunch and here I had wine-flavored rissoto (Italian rice) for the first time, downed it with a cup of Cappucino.
Next, we traipsed along the cold cobbled streets and visited a church with some beautiful interiors. The day ended with a trip to the movie-land, where I saw the movie Death at a Funeral. And yes, I also went to an Indian restaurant and had the spicy vindaloo, Kashmiri Pulao rice, and a gulab jamun. I quite liked that place, particularly, because it played some romantic Hindi numbers and had a quaint Indian touch to it.
Part 5 (7th November)
Last Day in Montreal
They say I am lucky to have seen the snowflakes on my last day in Montreal. I went to see Montreal downtown for one last time, and this time my friend took to me to a movie first and then to a Lebanese hotel. Whoever thought that the Lebanese delicacies are all meat and chicken, should come to this place, for it proffers some of the best vegan delights, I have ever tasted. Some of the menu highlights for the foodies: Creamy chickpea paste and the fried falafa (that reminded me of our samosas!)
Bidding Adieu
As I bid my farewell to my friends in Montreal, I felt a twinge in my heart, for I had fallen in love with the place already, and wished to stay longer, sigh!
Lastly, I would like to thank my guarding angels in Montreal who made my trip most memorable. If you are reading this, I would like to tell you that it has been a pleasure knowing you all. Thank you again and wish you all the luck in life.