Shopping in the Sales (Solde)

This is me on the train platform going shopping with Sabine who sits next to me at work. We left work at midday on Friday 30th Dec to take advantage of the sales Downtown.

They even have The Body Shop only it's "Le Body Shop" And another odd thing in French is that its not a "Sale" it's a "Solde! hahaha - It took me a while to figure out that they werent talking about Sold but infact Sales!!!

New Year's Eve

Its very hard to look elegant in -18 degrees but this is what I'm wearing tonight for New Years Eve

The Office

No I dont go to work in the plane - that's just where we went to lunch yesterday. The waiter looked at me oddly when I ordered a tea before lunch!

Nordia (where I work) is on the second floor at 3100 Cote Vertu (said with thick French accent)

And the other photo is of the front door inside the building. Not very exciting I know but I was trying to capture the Christmas lights as well. I'll take some photos of my desk space when I've prettied it up with photos & stuff.

On my way to the office today I had my first experience with black ice. This is when the snow & water freezes on the road or footpaths & is like trying walk on an ice skating rink. . . .only worse. This morning I have a little hill to go down to get to the train station. No locals were around so I couldnt see how to get down the footpath with sliding down the hill without being able stop. But I thought I'd be ok if I stayed near the thick snowy edge! Well after sliding on my butt for quite sometime providing ample entertainment for the local drivers I was able to regain composure & fight the traffic by walking down the middle of the road where there was no black ice.

So when I got to work I asked them how to deal with such situations. . . .they dont! There isnt a way to deal with it apart from doing what I did. And I felt even better when I saw pictures on the news of peole slipping all over the footpaths!! As long as my ass falling was just like the locals I'm happy!!!

Other Photos

Squirrells are everywhere.

I have a choice of many cafe's. This one is called Second Cup which is just like Gloria Jeans. There is a Second Cup around the corner from where I live & its open 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.

Other photos are of Christmas at Anita's house. I had a wonderful time so I didnt get homesick which was nice.

Christmas at Anita's

This is Christmas Canadian style. The photos are my boss Anita with me, although she's more a friend than a boss & I think we'll work well together. Another photo is her partner displaying his newly acquired pj pants. I had a wonderful time. And then I spent Christmas day with Anita's family also at her Mum & Dad's house. (The other 2 piccies are are Anita's mum & Dad) For some strange reason Anita's very friendly Italian Mum & Dad have decided to adopt me, & the feeling's mutual. They are so lovely & boy can they cook!!! Typical Italian food LOTS & LOTS of food!!! And very yummy.

Nativity scene in REAL snow. The buildings behind are common architecture.  

Outdoor Skating rink with the city in the background. 

There's the Sydney Harbour Bridge, & Luna Park beside it. . . .and snow. 

This is the port. Looks a bit chilly for a dip. 

And that's an outdoor icerink 

Kanuk Jacket

So this is my super duper Kanuk jacket that withstands temperatures of -35 degrees. When I asked what you do when temperatures drop below that which it does often in winter - they said "Dont go out!" hahaha. I'm really becoming a local now. It's really funny when the weather man says "It's very mild today - it's a warm 2 degrees!" They only consider it cold if it's below -10.

First Week at work

What else do you in first week at work at a new company but have a Christmas party & sing for your new work mates!! Yes I said sing! One of the guys brought in his guitar & we sung 4 songs together. We also had a feast as you can see. This is the whole head office crowd that I work with. A great bunch of people & REALLY YUMMY FOOD!!! The lady in the Santa hat is my boss, Anita. I'm going to her place for dinner on Christmas Eve & really looking forward to it.

First week at work was great. It felt just like Australia. Infact I kept getting a shock everytime I looked out the window & saw snow because I forgot where I was. It's like getting a new haircut and getting a shock when you look in the mirror.

My computer at work is all in French. I think I'm goingto learn the language very quickly. I'm glad I know windows pretty well otherwise it would take me ages to work out what it all meant.

My workmates took me out to munch yesterday on the proviso that I ordered in French. Of course the ordering is the easy part - it's when the waitress starts responding that's an issue!!!

First day at work

This is me on my first day of work. Can you guess which is the before & which is the after work picture?? Today was my second day of work & I was equally exhausted. I dont think I've fully recovered yet from the trip & all the running around. But a quick cuppa tea & I'm right again.

I sit next to Sabine who caught the bus with me to the Metro subway station. She's really nice and has helped me learn the ins & outs of travelling in Montreal. I catch the Metro train from 2 mins walk away from where I live & the trains go so fast!!! Much faster than Aussie trains & they come every couple of mins.

Further touring

Ok so I wont bore you with too many details of my tour of Montreal but the Church & Angels & lit up carving is at St Joseph's - the 2nd biggest dome Cathederal in the world apparently - It's truly beautiful & it's much bigger in real life. I felt unusually dwarfed by it's magnificent stature. Then my tour guide & I took a horse sled ride around Mont Royal ( a mountain in the middle of Montreal where you can actually ski, go bobsledding or ride around in a horse & cart. It looks a bit like the botanic gardens in Syndey only with lots of snow. It's really pretty & I saw my first Canadian Mountie although we were too far away to get a picture. . . .our horse didnt want to go & see the mountie, even though aparently they are friends. The mountie's horse's name was Balthazar. And I was most grateful for the stupid hat I bought earlier in the day as it was quite cold.

Touring Montreal

Where should any tour begin but at a shopping centre with a "Sears" & a Canadian McDonalds with french signs & a maple leaf on the signs. "Petit Dejeuner" for the uninformed is Breakfast. I bought this new hat with flaps on the side that come down over your ears after my "ear freezing" incident I thought I'd better act like the locals & look like a dork in a strange hat.

My street. You have to dig your car out 

This is typical architecture 

A real Christmas tree in my street 

Place Des Arts (Arts Centre) is within walking distance

This is me after yet another shopping trip 

This is me without the snowstorm