It was another full day here in sunny Montreal. We started the day with an early subway ride to the Bota Bota Spa Sur L' Eau spa in Old Port for a massage to help ease the pain of walking almost ten miles a day for the past three days. I'm happy to report the massage did the trick. It took about three coffees before I felt like my feet were on solid ground again.
The spa is very unique, it's built on a repurposed tug boat that's anchored on an inlet of the St. Lawrence River.
Next was a stop at my favorite boulangerie, L"Amour du Pain.
I have no idea what this pastry is called but it consists of croissant dough swirled with raspberries and chunks of dark chocolate. I discovered this delight when I was here in May with my brother and I had to have another. Words just can't describe how good this was. I had already taken three bites before I realized I hadn't snapped a photo of it yet.
The Founder's Festival was in full swing in Old Port. It was very similar to the Renaissance Festivals in America. This trio was playing songs of the 1700's in period clothes.
Next, we made our to the Square Victoria subway station for our ride to the neighborhood our Airbnb is in, Plateau.
I enjoy taking the quiet streets and alleyways away from the crowds of tourists lurching around on the weekend. It shows you a side of Montreal that you don't see in the travel shows.
Mont-Royal Avenue was bustling today with people and vendors cooking on charcoal grills serving foods from a variety of nationalities. I would definitely recommend staying in the area around Mont-Royal if you want more of a local vibe.
Our Airbnb has a peaceful patio. It's been great for unwinding between walks and meditating.
This Buddha statue only adds to the patio's atmosphere of peace.
I've made friends with one of the neighbor's, very affectionate, cats. She's come to visit me two days in a row now.
She doesn't stay long, just long enough to play for a while and get a few scratches behind the ear.
The street art up and down Saint-Laurent is amazing. There's a new mural around every corner. It's nice to see Bitcoin being represented in this first piece.
Tomorrow Juan and I make our way to the airport and back home for a late flight. I'm never quite ready to say goodbye to the beautiful city but all things must come to an end. Life and all the good things that come with it await me back home. I would really like to come back here next year with my wife.
~Eric Vance Walton~
Thanks for reading! All for now. Trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
(Photos and video are original.)
Growing weary of the ads and divisiveness on mainstream social media? If so, why not try Hive? Click on this link to sign-up and join our growing global community.
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.