You know how sometimes you give someone a present that’s just as much a gift for you as it is for them? Happy Montreal Birthday Mr. Irishman!
The weather was beautiful and we were hungry, so naturally we headed over to the Jean-Talon market in search of delicious things to bring to the park. We couldn't even make it past the first stand without stopping for a snack.
And of course, no park spread would be complete without a last minute stop by the depanneur for the most unhealthiest of treats ….
Salut parc lafontaine!
A new friend was made.
After all that relaxing in the sun we needed a little nap at the hotel before dinner. We went to one of my favourite places, somewhere that satisfies all the prerequisites for nostalgic dining in Montreal - French, beautiful, and delicious - L'express
A little over half way through our dinner I looked out that big beautiful Express window and saw some cops in full riot gear walk by, then came what seemed like an endless stream of people of all ages walking down Saint Denis wearing little red patches and waving flags. If you haven’t heard about the Quebec students protests you can read about them here, here, and see what is happening here.
In all honesty I didn’t know much about the protests at that point, but that many people marching on a rather non-descript Saturday night along with the facebook posts by some of my Montreal friends peaked my curiosity. I can’t say I agree with everything that has been said and done by protesters. They are not without blame. At the same time, if you are pepper sprayed while having a beer on a patio, and as someone who is about to go back to school in the fall and take on some heavy debt for the first time, the more I read the more I think I would be willing to break a few wooden spoons with them.
The next morning I met up with some familiar faces for brunch at Lawrence.
... and then it was back to the park for Tam Tams and some more relaxing.
xo
