Montreal

Montreal

We arrive in Montreal on a Sunday afternoon and park, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, in Parc La Fontaine.
We're on the Plateau, right in the middle of hipster central. The police officers, whom we befriend at park closing time, tell us they'll let us stay! Good!

As soon as we arrive, we head off to explore the big city in the thick heat.

July 22: it's the date of the monthly protest of the "Indignés" (Quebec's 2012 student protest movement), commemorating their uprising last spring. A few politicians join in, and the kids get little squares of red felt, which they pin on their T-shirts to march along.
"
– OK kids, now that we're out of the protest, take off those red squares!
– Why, Dad?!
– Well, you see, that red square stands for a political side...
– No way, I don't want to take it off!
– No arguing, just take off those squares, I don't feel like getting kicked out by the cops!
".

Our walk takes us all the way to the Old Port, thanks to a very friendly bus driver (with an empty bus) who drops us off for free!

Parc La Fontaine is in a hip part of town where just about every French expat has settled. The vibe is great; right next to the RV we have: a metro station a few steps away, a laundromat that takes care of our whole pile of laundry (sheets included) for a few dollars, an awesome playground where Juju makes her first romantic conquests (in Montreal), wading pools for the kids...
In short, the perfect spot — even for meeting new people!

Karen, Louis-Philippe and their little Zoé stop in front of KIFONS, we chat for an hour, and they end up inviting us to dinner at their place the next day!
Thanks again, Karen, Louis-Philippe and Grandma, for a wonderful evening — the kids still remember the amazing spaghetti bolognese and the chocolate cake!

We also meet Eddy from the nospetitstours.be adventure. He left Belgium with his family a few years ago on a trip much like ours, and we swap stories about his experience on the road. He and his family ended up settling right here in Montreal!

Finally, we meet up again with Alice and Fred, French (from Marseille) and Montrealers by adoption (hang in there!), whom we met in Bonaventure, on the Gaspé Peninsula. A good excuse for a nighttime picnic in the park, uncorking some nice bottles of rosé from the South of France. A pressure cooker makes a fine Champagne bucket!
And since good things never come alone, we find in Montreal: a NESPRESSO store! The prices are outrageous — twice as expensive as in Europe... Go figure globalization... We stock up anyway; the next store is in Edmonton or Vancouver.

We really enjoyed the city's atmosphere: Just for Laughs festival events, a quick stop on the man-made Île Notre-Dame in Parc Jean-Drapeau, home of the famous Formula 1 track and of a beach that awaits us.
To fill up KIFONS's water tank: off to Montreal Fire Station No. 43! A warm welcome and a water-hose workshop for the kids!

On July 26, we leave Montreal: next stop, Niagara Falls!