Sunday 20 May 2012

The Mont Royal trek

One of the must-dos when in Montreal would be a climb up their beloved mountain, Mont Royal. According to the tour guide of the bicycle tour that I was on, Montrealers revere their mountain so much that they will take great offense if you refer to it as a 'hill'. ;) While it's not that bad a climb and quite manageable for people of all ages, I still got pretty winded 3/4 of the way up. And I blame it on both my dismal fitness level and that fact that winterboots and winterwear is just plain heavy and makes climbing a lot harder. So this was in early March when the streets were covered in snow and the temperature hovered around 0 degrees Celsius daily.


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When I saw this, I couldn't help but think - humans are innately masochistic. Who the hell would do this to themselves?? And then I ended up climbed on. (But at least I'm not as crazy as those guys in their sneakers running up and down the stairs/the Mountain.)
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I think whenever I'm halfway up SOMETHING e.g. a flight of stairs leading to a supposed fantastic view from the top of a building/monument e.g. Arc de Triomphe in Paris/ Eiffel Tower) I always question my intentions angrily, all the while gasping for air with aching thighs. But then the minute I reach the peak and receive the view that spreads on out to the horizon in its infinite beauty... there's no doubt that it was all worth it.

Photobucket Here's my favorite shot of the city below. Going at dusk is probably the prettiest time. Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket (Mont Royal, March 2012) 


And just a bit of trivia - Montreal derived its name from the name of the mountain, Mont Royal, (Hint: say it fast and French-like) which was so named by the French explorer, Jacques Cartier in 1535. 

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I miss miss miss Montreal so much! Especially now that the weather in SG has just gotten excruciatingly oven-like. -_-;; And to think that when I was there I sort of craved the state of not feeling cold immediately after leaving the bathroom after a hot shower. All these little things that we either love/hate depending on the circumstances.

4 comments:

  1. LOVE LOVE LOVE the shots of the city lights. Lights are actually my favorite subject in photos but I can never get to capture it quite as well. But you've done an uber job of getting it right. SO PRETTY!!!! Montreal looks damn cold though.

    Sometimes it's better that trips or experiences come to an end because you'll realize if you dragged it out, you probably wouldn't have remembered it the same.

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    1. Aww thanks! :) Wish I could've gone up a second time when the weather was good to get more photos... but it didn't quite work out cos of terrible weather! ><
      Haha if it's a good trip, I'd so want it to drag on as long as possible... SIGH.

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  2. That looks utterly beautiful :) Love your red scarf! <3

    Check out my BB Cream post!

    http://birdeatsworm.com/?p=119

    email you soon!! xoxox

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    1. Hi Sarah! :D will definitely do that! hope to get that email soon! xoxo

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