À Montréal!

Today I boarded a Greyhound bus eastward bound pour la belle ville de Montréal, the second largest French speaking city du monde!

I went to visit an old friend from high school, Matt, who is a journalist and teacher here. We had a wonderful catch up (we couldn't decide if it's 25 or 30 years since we last saw each other but it felt as if no time at all had passed). We had an excellent discussion about the state of journalism today and I was reminded of Meryl Streep's speech earlier this year that we need journalists to hold power to account -
https://youtu.be/qrEcGKLlnTw

I then meandered through semi-familiar streets, basking in Montréal's beauty and chutzpah. The city didn't look so good the last time I visited but today it was as if everything had been given a fresh coat of paint. I found it hard to decide between the blip and the beautiful staircases Montréal is known for. Plus photos ici - https://www.flickr.com/photos/whiskyfoxtrot/shares/922WT6

On the way back, a fascinating young man sat next to me - he grew up in Ottawa,, born to Kuwaiti-refugee parents from the first Gulf War, working in Dubai and back home, like me, for the 150 celebrations. I was shocked this young man didn't know the late, great native of Montréal the incomparable Leonard Cohen. I hope he followed my plea to listen to So Long, Marianne - https://youtu.be/DgEiDc1aXr0