9:20pm – 5,431 Kilometres Travelled:WOW! Today has been the best day of the entire trip, and one of the best days I’ve ever had on any trip. We grudgingly woke up early with

everything covered in it’s usual dew in Voyageur Provincial Park, Ontario. Just a quick mint-chocolate protein bar and we were on our way out of Ontario and into Quebec! Of course the first thing one notices when crossing into Quebec is the French signs (I’ve been teaching myself French the last couple of months so this is a bit of a language test). We then progressed from mosquitos, wet tents, and the annoying bits of nature, to the gleaming historically modern urban delight that is Montreal.

I could tell almost immediately that I’d like this city. I usually really dislike the outlying bits of a city containing the outlet centres and big box stores unless I’m buying something there. Montreal’s box store area was different in that it was clean, modern looking, and not cluttered. Then looking from the highway towards the city one can see a colossal cathedral dome behind a greenish rolling urban sprawl. Entering the sprawl we first went through the residential areas, which looked like a great place to grow up and raise a family. Then finally, we enter the downtown core in which our first and only hotel of the trip; LHOTEL is situated.

This hotel is my second favourite that I’ve been to, with Hong Kong’s Island Shangri-La as my number one. The walls and floors are covered in unique art in the form of original paintings and sculptures. The staff are super friendly and everyone is extremely good-looking, which is really refreshing after camping in rural areas for the past 10 days. I love our room, it smells like clean linens instead of our signature soggy tent and dirty human scent we’ve been rocking too. My bed is a cushion of paradise, compared with a yoga mat separating me and the cold hard lumpy dirt. Everything about this hotel seems absolutely perfect to me now. In short I’m floating on cloud nine; and I love it.

We had one of the best dinners of my life at a fine French Bistro called Laloux. Kevin was wooed by the description of pickled vegetables so he ordered the Assiette de charcuteries maison et légumes marinés as an appetizer. Little did we know it was essentially an assorted fine meat platter (the last thing we’d order) but it was surprisingly great. Then I had the Saumon Esqu du Nouveau-Brunswick, couscous israélien à l’arroche de mer, sauce à la bisque et plantain de mer, which was parfait. Then we had some really good cheese, and finally dessert. We ordered the Fraises du Québec, passion, mousse yaourt, brioche, sorbet fraise et baume de mélisse which was an amazing finish to an amazing meal.

I had huge expectations coming in, but it is so much better than I thought it’d be. Everything is either historically beautiful, a modern technological masterpiece, or both fused together. Le métro is a perfect way to get around the city. The underground city is the perfect place to escape too. The abundant cafes and bistros are the perfect place to get an afternoon espresso fix. Le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal is the perfect place to immerse oneself in peaceful creativeness (and it was free! And extremely impressive…). We walked through the downtown McGill and Concordia campuses and they seem like perfect places to get educated. If it’s not clear by now, I should clarify that I really do love this city from just the small bits that I’ve seen.

Loads of people I’ve talked to about Montreal mention the language problem. I see no problem at all. In fact I love that Quebec speaks French. I really do think there’s a vast misapprehension between the English and French Canadians. I think the English-only speaking Canadians show a lot of disdain and hate simply because they are uncomfortable with how foreign and distant they must feel within their own country because of a language divide. I can almost see why, as it’s intimidating to be in your own country yet not know the principle way of communicating and taking in information. Yet this problem is relatively easy to solve and born out of ignorance. The French probably feel animosity towards the English mainly because the English are irrationally hateful from the reasons above. It’s a circular problem, and one that is born out of ignorance.

The English hatred can be remedied by simply learning a basic understanding of the French language before you go to a French-speaking place whether it be in Canada or somewhere else in the world! It’s not impossible, and well worth it. Most of the French speakers know fluent English before they embark upon the rest of Canada and the English world, so maybe the English speakers should try learning even just the basics before going into Quebec. Just the small amount of French I’ve learnt with really casual self lessons for the past couple months have gotten me so far here. All the French speakers I’ve talked to on this trip have been some of the nicest strangers I’ve ever met. I don’t feel foreign, left out, or uncomfortable because of the language divide at all.

People have no idea how lucky they are to be living in a bilingual/bicultural country. It’s a perfect way to add that variety and dynamic to one’s life that’s just too short too miss out on. Because of the French, visiting Montreal and Quebec feel like an international and cultural getaway, and I cannot believe more Canadians do not take advantage of this and simply embrace the astounding fact that there is a different language and a different culture within their own country just waiting to be explored.

I do hope to one day master the language and live here. I plan to study law at McGill, then after who knows.

Tomorrow we are bound for Quebec City, and to sleep in La Pointe Campground still within the walls of Quebec. Today has been a great day!