One of the best features of the winter that is now drawing to a close is that there has been a higher amount of sunlight than usual. Today, in the last hour of sunlight, I decided I needed a walk in said sun so that I could not be accused of despising it.
Moi, j’habite dans l’arrondissement Plateau Mont-Royal. Puis, quand je sors de la maison pour prends du soleil et un peu d’exercise d’ailleurs j’ai tout un choix des routes. Aujourd’hui j’ai eu comme but le Parc Lafontaine, donc j’ai suivi rue Prince-Arthur jusqu’a Carré St-Denis et après avoir mangé des steamés et des rondelles d’oignon chez Lafleur j’ai monté St-Denis un peu pour atteindre le parc par le moyen de Roy.
By this, I don’t mean that I took the King’s highway – no, there is a pleasant neighbourhood street in the lower Plateau known as Roy (say ooWah, like the famous Canadiens goaltender, Patrick Roy). If it was further advanced in the spring, I might have gone earlier to Parc Lafontaine with one of the books that I am reading and soaked in the sunshine and the book on a park bench. That day will come soon enough.
En cours de route, j’ai résolu de suivre ce route régulièrement, ça veut dire que je dois continuer d’avoir cette marche intégré dans mon quotidienne jusqu’au date quand je peux commencer de monter le montagne (Mont Royal) sur vélo. À ce moment je peux interposé les jours de vélo avec les jours de marche dans le cartier.
The walk down Prince Arthur, past St-Louis Square (home of my favourite Montreal fountain) and on to Parc Lafontaine with return by Duluth is nothing if not quirky and interesting. The laundry (fond memories of when I needed one of these) on Duluth whose window I’ve pictured below makes clever usage of the Québec term which might be translated “undies” – des bobettes. They will pick up (cueillir) and deliver (livrer) your “bobettes” (undies) via the Bobette express. Knowing the neighbourhood, this is more likely to be done by bicycle than by car. And the books in the window – de riguer – that is if the real-time social networking that came before wifi existed is having a slow day. For “buanderies” like this, their numbers aren’t going to increase, but it’s a nice reminder of a world that once was, or once might have been and still finds a way of existing in the Plateau.