4:45am - The alarm clock rings. Remarkably, after only one snooze I stumble out of bed and into the shower. The dog doesn't stir; it's even too early for her.
5:45am – I send a last-minute email to an acquaintance in Montreal on the off chance she may be available for coffee. A groggy D. waits patiently to drive me to the bus station.
6:00am – I pick up the ticket I bought online the day before, grab a coffee and two toasts – white bread with butter please – at the bus station’s canteen. I drag a still groggy pre-coffee D. in the photo booth with me to commemorate the moment. He's such a good sport.
7:00am – I’m on the bus, window seat, empty aisle seat beside me. The sun is shining, life is good. I take in the scenery and consult my copy of Montréal's 25 Best by Fodor’s. The trip goes by fast.
9:30am – Knowing that I’ll most likely be wandering the Museum of Fine Arts till mid-afternoon, I proactively stuff myself with a greasy breakfast consisting of eggs, toasts – white bread with butter please, hashbrowns, tomatoes, about seven slices of bacon and a cup of coffee. Oh my.
10:30am – After a quick ride on the metro I’m at the Museum. I love this place.
10:30-13:30 - I blissfully take in the Van Dongen exhibit - the reason for making the trek in the first place - and am not disappointed. His paintings speak to me. The subjects engage me. The colours inspire me to be bold in my own artistic play. I discover (or maybe confirm?) that I like portraits. I also take in the Imagine exhibit, commemorating the anniversary of John and Yoko's famous bed-in at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel 40 years ago. I don't know what to expect, but am pleasantly surprised; I am moved to tears more than once and leave feeling centered and at peace.
13:31 – Tired from museum-ing, I consider hopping an early bus back to Ottawa. I’ve done what I came here to do; I could leave now and be entirely content with my day.
13:32-15:00 – I decide to stay a while and meander the streets of Montreal: Sherbrooke, Saint-Laurent, Prince Arthur, St Denis. I enter Café Gitana to grab a coffee and a light bite to eat, but am intimidated by the Turkish coffee contraptions on the table. I leave and find a more traditional café, vowing to come back someday and try the Turkish one.
15:00-16:00 – I walk back to the bus station, but am drawn to the public library branch located across the street. I catch an exhibit by Monique Charbonneau called "Le goût de l'encre" (literally translated to The Taste of Ink) and shop at the library’s boutique. I score a three funky journals for my morning pages and a few other trinkets.
16:00-19:30 - I wait in line and hop an early bus home. My day here is done, I am content. I cross #6 off my 36 Things.
Labels: 36 Things, Painting, Travel
