Leaving on a Jet Plane

Yesterday we packed our bags and headed home, leaving the Canadian Outpost of the Flophouse (aka the Elder Frenchling) behind to get settled in her dorm.

We did manage to do some sightseeing in Montreal before we left.  What is one of the signs of a great city?  You don't need a car.  We were able to walk or take the metro absolutely everywhere we wanted to go.  Here are the places where we had the most fun:



Photo from Internet:  Redbubble.com





Chinatown:  We walked around for a few hours in the Quartier Chinois.  The Younger Frenchling got to practice her kanji.  Great neighborhood.  SunYat-Sen Square was really beautiful.

Rue Sainte Catherine:  We heard every language under the sun strolling up this street.  Lots of shops.  Tons of restaurants.

The Planetarium:  The winner, THE place where we enjoyed ourselves the most, was the Montreal Planetarium.  In another life I worked for an NGO called The Committee on Space Research (part of the International Council of Scientific Unions) in Paris and, even after nearly 20 years, I find everything to do with space to be fascinating:  the solar wind, planetary geology and so on.  The Younger Frenchling seems to share my tastes.  We saw "Fragments of the Solar System".  Really well done.  The astronomer who animated the show was the best kind of scientist - one who can get others to share his passion while educating them about his subject.

Now we are home, jet-lagged and tired.  Garden is a mess.  Versailles is cold and gloomy.  I
m going to pour myself another cup of coffee and try to wake up enough to face the day:  post office, bank, prefecture....