Montreal-ing

Parlez-vous Francais?

Don't worry, you won't be needing that in Montreal. In fact, if you attempt a little French a look of disdain may follow. Montrealers seem to prefer that you stick to your own silly English language than do damage to theirs. And I was looking forward to dragging my highschool French out of the depths of my brain...
Complaint over, we otherwise had a lovely weekend in Montreal. The people were very friendly (apart from the language thing) and the sun shone but it wasn't hot. We headed up for the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, yes we will plan our holidays around comedians. This was a very good plan as the downtown district was completely closed off to cars and full of food trucks and stages and fun.
We watched dancing and kids' shows (in French, quite a challenge) and some awesome beat-boxing with Poppet. There was free puzzle-making in the nearby shopping mall too which was a great way to wait for our hotel room to be ready.
At night we saw Eddie Izzard hosting a tv gala of comedians (even Rove was there) and I had the distinct displeasure of having an enormous camera in my face for the first half of the show. I suppose if you stumble across a screening of this gala you will get to enjoy my funny face in between the funny people.
Husband also caught a podcast recording (we did some shopping) and Brian Posehn at a dodgy bar (we went for icecream) and the laughter was very good for us all. No doubt the ice cream was too.
Another highlight was the funny little hotel we stayed in. Breakfast was included in the price, the room was enormous (if dated) and the swimming pool and nearby roof-top deck were awesome. We decided to spend a good two hours in the pool each day which made Poppet very happy indeed.
The final day was spent in Old Montreal, all cobble streets and cuteness. Our focus was on the Science Museum (surprise surprise) and it was a lot of fun. A small museum but very interactive, there was even a shark exhibition all the way from Oz!
Probably the best part of the trip is the effect it's had on Poppet and myself upon our return. We've slowed down at last and can finally enjoy the rest of our summer break without 'finding' things to do and filling the days with playdates. Meandering through the summer is a much nicer way to go.
Here are some holiday snaps.

Gorgeous fountain at the mall

She loved it!

Us, and our completed slice of Hobbiton.

Gorgeous deck, view of the park. No plants for some reason.

Making her own tv newsreel.

Getting their science on.

Funny mirrors.

The square in Old Montreal

Another street performer juggling fire and knives whilst standing on swords.

So, there you have it. It's rainy and cool in Toronto (summer seems to have evaporated) so we're planning some sketching and writing and maybe a splashy walk for some ice cream.
Poppet has also borrowed "Little House On The Prairie" to watch on dvd in preparation for her pioneer camp in a few weeks. She's addicted and I'm finding it funny to have that tv show on. Takes me waaaay back.
Did you watch it?