Hey little blog, I haven't forgotten you...

"Sometimes I forget that I have a blog. I go through chunks of time where it is completely off my mind and then *poof* I suddenly think about it. I probably stopped with the blog when I was done traveling, but forgot to get back into it when I did go on a trip this summer. So, I am going to write about my trip to Montreal, and maybe even about how Bonnaroo was last summer."

Whoa whoa whoa... apparently last year, around this time, I remembered I had a blog. Then, what did I do but begin to write the above post which never saw the light of day (or light of the public internet) and sat stagnant in draft version. So here I go, trying once again to put down in words the few travels that have occurred.

Montreal:
Three days on the bus lead us to a beautiful city. We first stayed at a hostel, which was charming in its old-feeling esthetic. Our room had windows that you pushed open and were screenless (my favorite). With these open we could hear the joyous sounds of the streets below, making the night feel beautiful. Walking around the area near the hostel, Karen and I commented on how "open and accepting" Montreal was, as there was a rainbow flag on just about every suface that could hold one. Days into the trip we discovered we were in the gayest part of the gayest district of Montreal... this was excellent.

As this trip happened over a year ago, my details are not perfect so this will be brief. We stayed with a couchsurfer named Rafael for the majority of our trip. I met him here in Edmonton when he was looking for someone to show him around our city, and he offered to host us when we came by his. Rafael was a thin, vegan, sailing buff who had good taste in music. He also had a roommate (and friends who stayed there as well) who were all journying to Osheaga as well, which worked out well. Most of Montreal was spent wandering around, as any good trip Karen and I go on is. We saw a lot of street performers at the Just for Laughs festival, as well as the Muppets live. Live guys, I'm not kidding.

There was also a trip to the biosphere (a way cooler space and science center), as well as a very full day of biking and picnicing. That day was actually spectacular, as we biked our hearts out, took a ferry to an island, and then biked some more. Once we could bike no further, we went to "Picnik Electronic" an electronic music festival held on the same island that Osheaga would be held the next weekend. You could drink there on the condition you brought enough food for everyone in your party (thus being justified as a picnic). There we danced and danced, drank and drank, and I even ran into an old friend from highschool whom I was hoping to see. Montreal also included a day with this same friend (Parneet) at La Ronde, where I rode my very first huge roller coasters. All of these things were wonderful.

Osheaga as a music festival was good but flawed in design, having some natural bottleneck areas which made wandering much more challenging than it had to be. Despite the setting, the bands were wonderful. Karen and I made a particularily brilliant choice to attend Knife Party over seeing the Black Keys. This was worth it undeniably as Knife Party killed it, whatever "it" is.

Anyways, Montreal was a beautiful place at a strange strange time in my life. Occurring between a break up and a brief relationship with a good friend of mine, the timing was odd to be doing such enjoyable things. Despite my emotional woes, it was a place of beauty, punks, drinks, music, and art. To that place - I shall return.