After waking up in a fog from a subpar slumber in the oh-so-classy Oscar Motel, Tom and quickly checked out and made our way into downtown Montreal to find internet. We ended up in a cool cafe near the University of Montreal, and decided it best to book a hostel to avoid a repeat of the previous night.
Less than an hour after booking two beds in HI-Montreal, we found ourselves in the most perfect hostel. This place was made for 20-something kids adventuring through Canada. After a much-needed power nap we found some "not-quite-food" as the hostel receptionist put it, then hit the bars.
We chose the "Cock N Bulls" as bar number 1. This bar was comprised of a sea of 30-somethings swimming in a sea of pre-St. Patricks Day drunkeness. After ordering our first legal beers, we decided we needed to meet people. Less than 30 seconds later, a middle-aged lady stares Tom down and caresses his face. Our first friend. She started telling us about the city when she points out her belligerently drunk boyfriend who we came to know as Crazy Pat. Crazy Pat came up behind us, grabbed the back of our necks, and began to scream at the top of his lungs in a poor attempt to sing. His girlfriend tried to remind him of the words, "Whisky...." but it was no use. Crazy Pat continued to scream into our ears until his girlfriend finally got him to stop. Needless to say, we had enough of the Cock N Bulls, so we began to hunt for an Irish bar called O'Rinnogens.
3 miles and 2 bathroom breaks later, we gave up and found a cool Irish Pub called Hurlys. After buying a few $9.00 beers, we found a room where an Irish folk band was playing, doing some cover songs. At this point, I'm not sure why, but when this 50-something-year-old Asian man stood up and danced an Irish jig alone in front of the stage, some part of my Irish heritage rushed back into me. Life-changing experience.
We met a few cool girls, Grace (the female version of Indiana Jones) and Valerie (who we met as a result of turning around as she showed Grace her underwear), who had been drinking since 9 am that day and were still going strong.
Back at the hostel, we made friends with Sam, a 25-year old guy originally from Mexico. When Sam was 18, he got bored of Mexico and decided to pack up his things and move to Vancouver. 7 years later (a week ago) he again got bored and traveled to Montreal with all of his belongings, which fit into a backpack and a duffle bag. He shared with us his two philosophies on life...
1. Things are not difficult. People make things difficult. People who make things difficult are idiots.
2. The World is like a book. If you don't travel, you're only reading one page.
We also met a group from UMass, Esme, Jake, Dan, and Matt, who were going on a similar Montreal adventure. We ended up trading cheeses at 1 am, which, at the time, was extremely important to this former-Deli-employee. The smoked swiss changed their lives.
So here we are, at a sauna of a hostel in Toronto after a 6-hour drive, about to go out and explore the city. Hopefully going to see the Hockey Hall of Fame, and maybe taking a ride up in the Space Needle.
Tonight, the adventures continue, and tomorrow, we venture to Niagra Falls for two nights
No comments:
Post a Comment