Canada – Linda Scandore

Fitting Ending – June 14, 2022

Montréal – Day 4, Tuesday
Weather: 72 degrees, clear sky

A fitting ending to a 12 day walk is a 2 hour train ride returning to the beginning, Ottawa.

Walking on Ruins – June 14, 2022

Montréal – Day 4, Tuesday
Weather: 72 degrees, clear sky

The lowest level of the Montréal Museum of Archeology and History was built of clear plastic flooring exposing original foundations of some of its earliest buildings.

The current exhibit featured Vikings whose men and women were fierce fighters and excellent sailors. Their early religious practices included animal and human sacrifices. They took advantage of unstable and fragile European governments to conquer, plunder, exploit, influence, and rule.

Early colonists built this brick structure which contained flowing water. Water still flows today. Today’s visitors walked through this structure.

To the Hurons and Iroquois, the turtle was a mythological symbol of Mother Earth carrying the world on her back…sounds all to familiar of my past.

Viking wore horned hats…Myth buster! Horned hats first appeared in Robert Wagner’s 1876 opera *Der Wing des Nibelungen.*

Bluetooth symbol is a combination of the initials from a Viking king. His name was Harald Gormssom but was known as “Bluetooth” for his dark, dead tooth. As he united Denmark and Norwegian, Bluetooth united PC and cellular industry.

Street Art – June 14, 2022

Montréal – Day 4, Tuesday
Weather: 72 degrees, clear sky

Street art…

Garden Stroll – June 13, 2022

Montréal – Day 4, Monday
Weather: 72 degrees, clear sky

It was my second visit to Montréal Botanic Garden, the first being in fall 2019. The summer flowers were prolific. Irises, poenies, and roses of every color. Surprisingly the vegetable garden had all the varieties grown at Monticello in Virginia 700 miles to the south.

Chinese garden with the 1976 Montréal Olympic tower in background.

Double-Step – June 12, 2022

Day 2, Sunday
Weather: 68 degrees, occasional light rain

Double time to do double museums. The McCord Museum was a gem. Indigenous peoples’ and Alexander Henderson’s photograph exhibits were absorbing. Montréal Museum of Fine Art also had a superlative Indigenous peoples collection. Whale vertebrates with rich texture were used as the medium for some carvings. By afternoon, I was overwhelmed by too much visual stimulation. Eyes that become satiated stop seeing.

Inuit cup-and-ball game made from the scull of a hare. (Monticello has a similar toy carved from wood.)

Like the Indigenous pipe on display at Monticello, the stem is detached from the bowl of the pipe in keeping with sacred customs.

Earth Shook – June 11, 2022

Montréal – Day 1, Saturday
Weather: 68 degrees, occasional light rain

The closer you got, the more the earth shook. People packed together partied in the streets at Place des Arts for the week long gratis concert. Flicking cigarette lighters in appreciation was passé. Bright cell phone flashlights showed appreciation and gave the appearance of stars fallen to Earth.

Rapper Souldia performance at Place des Arts had the audience dancing in the street.

Stars on stage. Starlights from the audience’s cell phones.

*Grizabella, The Glamour Cat* from Cats. A budding virtuoso.

Saint Joseph Oratory – June 11, 2022

Montréal – Day 1, Saturday
Weather: 68 degrees, occasional light rain

Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal was massive overlooking the city. It was crawling with tourists clicking pictures and buying souvenirs. They scurried, posed, clicked as though they were bees swarming a nest.

Saint Joseph’s Oratory ~ End of Ottawa-Montréal Camino.

Saint Joseph’s Oratory Church. Music from a massive balcony pipe organ filled the space. The sound hummed on my skin.

Click….I too was a bee swarming the nest.

High Rise – June 11, 2022

Montréal – Day 1, Saturday
Weather: 68 degrees, occasional light rain

McGill University rented dormitory suites during the summer. Our two bedroom with sitting room suite seemed like the Taj after twelve days sleeping on air mattresses. Instead of climbing stairs, we took the elevator to the twelfth floor.

She checked us in. She checked us out. I have a special affection for Front Desk Receptionists stemming from my BHI days.

Maybe I failed to mention Spartan rooms. Everything is relevant.

Night view from my room with Mount Royal in the background.

Up in Smoke – May 15, 2022

Since Covid-19 Pandemic, all my travel plans went up in smoke. Two weeks before departing for Canada, I kept my anticipation in check. Avoiding Covid could not be taken for granted.

Coach Mark had prepared my training program for Ottawa’s Half Marathon, a perfect send-off before beginning the Ottawa-Montréal Camino. Toni joined me for days and days of walking in preparation for the Camino. I could only hope it will all come to fruition.