(Montreal, Quebec, and Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After a bit of a hiatus, I’m finally returning to the Montreal trip that I first blogged about a few weeks ago. 

On Sunday, we visited the Museum of Fine Art. There was a special travelling exhibition about Egypt (based on mummies) for which our hotel gave us free passes. I had some initial reservations about the propriety of exhibiting the deceased, but I thought it was done in a respectful manner. They don’t break open the “cases” anymore!

Despite being a city of three million people, downtown Montreal still retains a human scale. As you can see from the following photo of Crescent Street, not all of the downtown core has been replaced by skyscrapers. And imagine our surprise when we saw Leonard Cohen looming over us! 

Since then, I have had some challenges with my impending ski trip. My travel plans were affected by the rail blockade between Kingston and Toronto, and then a situation arose with the seating on my overnight transatlantic flight. When these things happen, I try to remember that travelling is a privilege. I eventually resolved each of these situations, and I fully expect to be posting about my trip soon.

Another challenge arose when I double-checked the baggage size limitations on the train. For reasons unknown (especially since they run a shuttle between Dorval station and Dorval airport, for example), the standard baggage allowance on our passenger rail service is actually slightly smaller than the standard airline baggage allowance. Why would they do that, if they want people to take the train as part of a longer journey?

In any case, it forced me to reduce my baggage (and plan for a laundry day while travelling). Again, things usually work out in the end, but it involved some very complicated logistics to ensure I could travel with the absolute minimum amount of clothes. I already know exactly which items I will be washing on Saturday afternoon. However, I will be in trouble if the laundromat is closed!  

Anyway, all of this should be moot when I’m finally back in the mountains again. Even the most miserable start to a vacation, such as when the airline lost some of my luggage and my first night’s hotel was suddenly full, is quickly forgotten.  I’m looking forward to my posting my next blog entry from the Alps!