In a misty morning, on the edge of time

I woke up this Sunday morning around six. The person next to me asks me if I want to go and look at the sunrise on Mont Royal. I have never been asked this question before but I immediately knew that as long as I live in Montreal there will be one answer to it and it will always be "I do". I check my phone and see that sunrise will be at 7.03 am, so off we went.

The story of the illuminated cross on Mont Royal dates back to 1642. Paul Chomedey the governor and founder of Montreal, is afraid that his Fort of Ville-Marie (now Montreal) will be destroyed due to sever flooding of the Saint Lawrence river, he prays to the holy virgin and promises to plant a cross on the mountain if he gets to keep his new colony. His prayer is answered and the 6th of January 1643 the cross is carried up by the man himself. The current cross was constructed in 1924 and illuminated the sky of Montreal for the first time on Christmas eve.
This morning there was nothing illuminating the sky of Montreal. 

We did not see the sunrise, we didn't even see the city.

This picture was taken at the same exact spot about a month before so a more winter version of this is what we should have been seeing. 

     

We might not have seen much on our misty walk this morning but we got to enjoy a more mysterious side of Montreal.

I kept on having this song in my head.

"In the misty morning, on the edge of time

We've lost the rising sun, a final sign ...

As the misty morning rolls away to die

Reaching for the stars, we blind the sky"

                                 (Black Sabbath)

Frustrated female sipping on her tea

I don't know what is the worst about having a flu; how you feel, how others make you feel or the amount of tea you are forced to drink? I'm all of a sudden surrounded by highly opinionated doctors. Everybody thinks that they have the magical recipe to fight off a flu and I'm just a looser sipping on my tea not doing it right. All these; you should do this and you shouldn't do that, just brings out a large amount of frustration that is hard to digest for a coffee drinker like me.

I'm however starting to feel that the worse is behind and that I'm probably going to feel okay when weekend arrives. I'm asking myself if I shouldn't try to escape humans for a while. 

I'm gazing at the sky from my apartment looking for ideas.

Sometimes clouds forms funny figures and can help your mind on the right track or some track. I'm not sure it has to be the right one. I'm not like these opinionated doctors. I'm sure there are many ways to do things, just pick one you believe in. If you find a friend who think alike, good for you but don't force your opinion on anybody. Don't force them to change their mind. Amen

While I have been this frustrated female with a flu, some changes has happened around.We have been lucky enough to embrace that winter I was forecasting. We got to enjoy our first snow. So here I am on the same bench with shorter hair than when I was embracing this years fall. 

I'm happy about winter. I'm happy that my flu is almost over. I'm happy that thanks to my flu I spent more time in bed surfing on my computer and found this splendid series. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee by Jerry Seinfeld                                                http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com

I'm a huge fan of Jerry Seinfeld and this mix with cars, coffee and conversation is just splendid. Especially the episode with Sarah Jessica Parker just made me feel so warm inside, it almost cured my flu. 

I remember back in the old days when I used to have a TV, Lipton had this advertisement for their tea. It was a question. Got the right attitude? They however spelled it out atTEAtude. I always used to answer "no I don't, I'm a coffee drinker". 

Monumentalove

"Your current safe boundaries, were once unknown frontiers" 

Fear is no reason for not doing it, what ever your "IT" might be. It will eventually become a familiar play ground. There is always a first time to everything but it will hit you hard only once. 
My first days in Montreal, when I had just moved in to my "one room with only a mattress on the floor" place, were filled with a lot of "oh dear, what have I done". It was however summer and everybody who knows what winter is in Finland/Canada knows that during summer hell might fall over you and you still just keep on gazing up on the clear blue sky and thank the sun for hanging out with you. 

I kept on zooming in the sky, Montreal and its very wonderful landmarks. Letting myself slowly and gently feel welcomed to the city.

This is why I totally and utterly fell in love with Jane Hellers art, the first time I saw it. It was in forms of postcards and magnets. I needed to cover a ugly electrical cabinet in my second place here in Montreal.

Later I decided to upgrade and cover my Iphone with her art and get bigger pictures up the wall.

She is an artist who once saw these same Montreal landmarks for the first time, based her art upon it. We are the lucky ones who still gets to enjoy them. She struggled and passed away of breast cancer. 
         http://monumentalove.com. More of this great artist and these heavenly landmarks of Montreal.

The phantom of the flu

I have had this idea that I wanted to go climb up the Mont Royal during the night to get to enjoy the great view of Montreal covered in darkness and lit up by its own lights. Ever since I came to this spot during day, I wanted to discover it by night.

I however know that I'm living in a city with 2 million people, some normal, some crazy, some insane, some absolutely insane and others just pure dangerous. I realize that it is pretty dangerous for a woman to walk up alone. Better to get in safe company before heading on this nightly adventure. A tall handsome date, to sweep me up the mountain...

So this week when I got greeted by an unexpected guest…a shitty flu, the kind that hands you a dizzy fever and hugs your throat so hard you can barely breathe. After my boss hands me a bottle of Buckley's and

tells me, "It taste like shit but it really works".  I realize I'm in pretty wicked company. 

I start my late evening journey to my buddy the the bridge. I stand on Jacques Cartier, breathing in a fresh breeze, looking at the wonderful view and the cross up on Mont Royal.

 Tonight's the night.

I walk back home, get on my bike and bike away to Mont Royal. I climb up the ever so familiar path…up up up. I'm alone, even on the stairs that always are packed with humans, dogs and squirrels going up or down. Only me and my shitty flu.

I arrive up on my beloved spot. It's all I expected and more. A kick ass view of a kick ass city.

After enjoying the view and feeling a whole bunch of positive feelings, I make it back down, back to my bike and then safely back to bed. 

The next morning I wake up happy with great memories, great, great memories and still holding hands with my flu. Not the best company in the world but it did the job. It walked me up the mountain, down the mountain and then it safely danced me to sleep.

My phantom tends to dance more than he sings.

                                

Morning has broken and the coffee has spoken

  "Coffee: A warm, delicious alternative to hating everybody every morning"

                                 

Saw this and thought it was funny. I'm known to need coffee in the morning and the reason is pretty close to the above mentioned one. After the coffee, the life can begin, but not a minute before that. 

During the week after my 2 mugs of coffee, I go to work.  I'm a lucky little girl as my way to work take me 15 minutes by bike and 30 minutes by feet. I'm sure there is a bus that I can take as well but so far I haven't felt the need to figure it out.

After a few tries of finding first a job, then a nicer job, I finally decided to be clear about my desire and I wrote down in my book of desires "I want my work place to be down town Montreal. And so it is. Right there at Place des Arts. "If you can dream it, you can do it". (you might just need a little coffee first)

                                    

I work for a company or actually two companies that import European clothing brands. Lovely job, lovely people, lovely view. And the coffee is free. That was always my motto as well back in my day as a boss. Free coffee and tea for my employees. 

                                    

                                   

Earlier when I said I was having this light in the end of the tunnel feeling, I spoke career wise as well.       

                             

Since I came to Quebec, I first didn't have the right to work, then I had a problem finding work I really enjoyed and at one point had a problem finding work all together but ever since I moved to Montreal and put the Jacques Cartier bridge as a back ground picture on my CV, work just started coming to me more easy. I got to choose one I really wanted. I don't know how much my Jacques C the mighty bridge had to do with it but I tend to thank him every time I see him, just in case.                                                                         

                                   

My Coffee is black as hell, strong as death and offers me a shortcut to a daily heaven...or some version of it … and the rest Jacques Cartier takes care of.

  

Halloween in Montreal

Last weekend summer time turned to winter time, we gained an hour, people were celebrating Halloween and I went walking and walking. Plenty of people had a lot of fun, other had a productive time, some were working, others relaxing and I was walking and walking. Friday I walked from my place to Bar à Vin on St Denis. Stopped to look at a church on the way. I liked the funky way it was lit up. Montreal is full of these artsy funky things. Creativeness just grows like mushrooms in this city. One of the 2 billion reasons I love this place.

There were plenty of people dressed up in costumes, some scarier than others. My favorite one was a man sitting alone in a restaurant on St Catherine's street dressed up as a bishop. Why would you dress up and be alone? How weird. Unless he actually was a bishop. His way of looking at me and making some kind of "God bless your soul signs" made me however doubt his authenticity. 

I made it to my Bar a vin. (http://www.baravin.ca). Love this place and started going here already in April, when it had opened it's doors only two months before. I might be alone but never feel lonely when entering this place. It's owned by a french couple who moved to Montreal recently. I very much enjoy talking to them, hearing their story and telling mine while eating a ever so delicious tartare au boeuf and obviously sipping on some great french wines.

Saturday I walked up on my favorite bridge, the Jacques Cartier. Other people have their Mecca, their Vatican etc, I have my Jacques Cartier.

I'm totally and utterly in love with him. It's just this magic connection between a girl and her bridge…

I was walking and walking. Tried to walk away from my bad, sad mood. Wanted to walk away from feeling alone, lonely, sad, sad, sad. Sometimes our feelings are not based on reality, they aren't very accurate. I wasn't alone, I had somebody there walking next to me all this time.

On Sunday. We got up and continued walking. Chasing squirrels in the park, enjoying the sunshine, and company of other humans and dogs. 

When you walk long enough, you walk away from from crappy mood swings and other inconveniently unpleasant feelings. 

I don't know if it was me walking him or him walking me but I guess it doesn't matter. Together we made it through my first Halloween in Montreal.