Montreal morning

I arrived in Montreal much earlier than I expected; 6:30 in the morning. I decide it would be rude to call my friend so early; 7:30 would be better. I walk out of the terminus l'autobus and consider my options. The second I walk outside, Montreal all comes in again. It begins with old brick store fronts that dot the quartier. The whole city is one big neighbourhood. I decided to walk about and see some of the old districts. The Theatre St. Denis is surrounded with urbane bars for all tastes. Further up by St. Laurent & Sherbrooke, I start to walk north, reach a cafe on an ajacent street and nest there with a cup of coffee.

Now I've stopped and the streets around me are moving. 4 old Quebecer men are sitting outside the cafe opposite to me. They are carrying on about their sons and pensions. A confused old bag lady passes by. Next follows a smart looking middle-aged brunette woman, crossing the street and entering a coffee shop. Two younger homeless people, a guy, a girl and her leashed bulldog come down St. Laurent and start milling about my little side street. They must be looking for money and this must be a stakeout. The girl walks up to me then begins.

"Je m'excuse. Es-ce que vous sais le Banque de Montreal"
"I have some... I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Es-ce que vous parlez Francais?"
"Non."
"Do you know where is de Banque of Montreal?"
"No I don't. Sorry."

The couple huddled for a moment, turned the corner and continued down St. Laurent. They almost bumped into the returning old homeless lady. "Do you have any monnaie?" "Sure", I reply as I reach for my change. She took the money, then milled around the area for a few minutes. The city began to awake slowly. The 4 older men's conversation burst out into larger declarations. And the smart-looking brunette exited the coffee shop, crossed back over the street to start the day with her morning coffee.

Posted by Timothy Washington on 2004.09.29 | Original post

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