Montreal

I woke up on Wednesday and decided to leave the country. Okay that’s not true, but I did wake up and drive to Montreal. Work wanted me to go for a training class and I was excited to go because it’s always fun when you have to use your passport. I was nervous driving over the border just because I didn’t know what to expect. There was no line, I gave her my passport, said I was coming for work, leaving Saturday, leaving nothing in Canada, and was on my way. As simple as that, I was driving in another country! Luckily for me, I bought a Prius last year and with one touch of a button I switched my speedometer from mph to km/h. Pretty cool! Once I got to Montreal I drove every street 5 times before finding my hotel, which I saw while driving past it and had to go around the block again. Then I had to drive around YET AGAIN to park after I checked in. The hotel was in the middle of the Chinatown of Montreal. Weird, but kind of cool I guess. I was finally read to relax and enjoy the city. It was nice having coworkers already here so I had people to talk to and go out to eat with. We went to old Montreal and had a steak (which I had been thinking about since one of them posted on his facebook earlier in the week what an awesome steak he had). Naturally when the company is paying you get a dessert even when you are too stuffed. I had a yummy slice of cheesecake which reminded me how I want to learn how to make it (Rebecca I want a spring pan for Christmas).

So far Montreal seemed to be alright. Then came Thursday. Dun DUN DUN! I woke up feeling like it was Christmas. I was going to sit through class and go look at a dog I was convinced I would get. After over a month and two lost connections, my time to get a dog was finally here. Time went by sooo sloooow but finally ended and I ran to my room to dump my laptop, then rush over to the metro just across the street. Oddly enough, I needed to take the orange line. I should know by now, whatever city I’m in I’ll probably want the orange line. That seems to be my color when it comes to metros. I counted 12 stops and got off, then stood in the middle of the street not knowing what to do next. I'm so used to counting on my phone and google maps to figure out where to go but I didn't have that, now what was I supposed to do? It was like I was back in the 80's and had to use maps and just hope I'm walking the right direction. I finally found the SPCA building and said I wanted to talk to someone about adopting Falco. “Falco gone” she said as she shook her head no. NOOOOOOO. They had another boxer just come in, but after talking to me and reviewing his file it was determined we were not a good match. I was heartbroken and tried not to cry in front of the volunteer because it wasn’t his fault and I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable or think I was crazy (and he was kind of cute, especially with that French accent). I was so sure this was it that I felt not only like I didn’t get the dog, but like he was taken away from me. On top of that, I had to hop on the subway to get back to my hotel, and then go to dinner pretending like everything was peachy with my coworkers. Needless to say from that moment on my view on Montreal was tainted and added to the “this city is worthless” list, right next to Albany, NY.

Unfortunately for me, I booked my hotel room through the weekend, before all this dog drama happened, thinking, “oh it will be fun being in a new city I’ll want to explore and stay the weekend since I drove and can leave whenever I want.” I sat through class yet again on Friday and was going to go to the biodome in an attempt to enjoy my visit to Montreal. We had dodgy internet in class but I could access outlook so I asked my sister to look up the biodome and see if it seemed look and worth it. She replied back, Yes it looks cool, but IT’S CLOSED! Well shoot. Now what am I going to do all day? Class ended around 3 and with no dog and no biodome, my last attempt to enjoy the city was to walk around old Montreal some more. It didn’t take long before I was cold and wet. Looking outside you wouldn’t think it’s raining but it was just enough to get you damp and extra cold without needing an umbrella. Once my legs and face got so cold that I couldn’t take it anymore, I headed back to my room. I guess paying for a hotel room another night was not the best idea I’ve ever had. I’m sorry Montreal, I tried to like you and have a good visit, but you just weren’t helping me. At least I got my Starbucks fix.

It would be an understatement to say the drive home was lonely. I kept thinking about how there was supposed to be a dog in my backseat. No dog, just me. Trying to look on the positive side, I thought since I DON'T have a dog in my car that means I can make a stop on the way home. Burlington Mall. A little retail therapy. Burlington is a very cute town and I will definitely be going back there. I made a deposit in the "eliz wants to wear more skirts" project, got one last Starbucks before I was back in my small town, and hit the road again. What's the best thing to do while driving alone? Mariah Carey. Loud. Old School. Not any of this new stuff. Yes, I was feeling better already.

High: The pride of being able to drive and figure out the subway in another country.

Low: Walking out of SPCA with no dog.

On deck: Thanksgiving in Fairfax, VA. Although my boss just announced a meeting next week while I’m the only one in town, so possibly Boston next week.