Today the weather forecast wasn't very nice. Starting out cool and cloudy, it would eventually turn to heavy rain.
Our travel book talked about the fact that Montreal has an underground pedestrian network, presumably so when it's snowing in winter, people can move about the city without going outside. I will quote the book direct: "The 'Underground City' refers to the vast network of pedestrian walkways below the city. There are 32 kilometres of connecting passageways beneath downtown, with commuter trains and buses also converging here. Approximately 500,000 people circulate daily in this network, where 2,000 shops and restaurants, 10 major hotels, museums, theatres and universities can be found."
So with poor weather forecast, this sounded like an ideal destination. We had an inkling that the underground might be very warm, so wearing too many layers might be a bad idea, but what about when we're above ground? So Helen opted for cooler clothing, while Peter and I took a few layers.
We got the correct bus stop to hop off today, right on a corner where an escalator would take us underground. No sooner were we down there, and I was peeling off my jacket, it was so hot! Helen was right to wear light clothes. Oddly though, people are wandering around in their thick jackets, scarves, hats, quite happily. I don't understand, they wouldn't wear all that during summer, so why wear it underground?
We just happened to arrive in a large food mall. Calling it a food court would sell it short, this place was massive, with so many food vendors, and lots of seating all over the place. I took only two photos before a security guard pounced on me, telling me no photos allowed. So enjoy these teasers. We found a table and individually went for a wander to find the brunch of our choice. It was nearing midday and the place started getting really busy with the city's workers out for lunch.
After that, we ventured through other underground malls. They're all linked up but at one point, we lost track of the tunnels so went above ground. A nice change to get out of the heat, into some fresh cool air. We did find some interesting shops including a huge Best Buy which a great selection of products.
By the time we finished there, the rain had started. So we had to put all the layers back on and wandered back toward the underground.
Once underground again, we kept wandering but after a while it was all a bit the same; shops, shops and more shops. And so hot and stuffy. We had only been going for less than 2 hours, but had already covered around 6km on foot, so decided enough and returned to the hotel.
Although only mid afternoon, the rain meant the traffic was particularly bad, so the bus ride back to the airport was slow going. Also we called the airport to request a shuttle, however when they arrived they drove straight past without stopping! Helen called the hotel again, and although they could not explain why that happened, the shuttle was now stuck in traffic, so they recommended we catch a taxi to the hotel and they offered to refund it later. Instead, we asked a local bus where it was going, so hopped on and then swapped to another bus which was the same one we used last night for our mall outing. The traffic was bad and that ride was also very slow. All up, it took us two hours to return to the hotel. By now, it was very cold, and Helen was wishing she had more layers while outside.
Later we opted to run across the road to Subway for a light dinner. Although only a few minutes in the rain each way, we all got soaked even with our coats on. Shoes, trousers etc all got wet. Not a nice evening.
Tomorrow we are catching a plane to Vancouver late in the afternoon. We've received emails saying our flight is delayed an hour. Hopefully that's the only bad news we receive.
Also here's hoping the bed has improved so we can get some sleep!
1 comment:
You have my commiserations Mike sleep is so important.
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