Je Suis Desolé
I have been a bad, bad blogger.
I am two days late in posting. I know you have noticed, and have been waiting anxiously. Or not. Whatever.
To be fair, it has been a busy week for a donut poker like me.
Monday we came to Ottawa for a three week stint in the nation's capital.
It's weird not hearing French everywhere.
It's raining.
I think I have M.W.S (Montreal Withdrawal Syndrome).
By way of reminiscing, this week I recap my first month "back east" .
I wish to discuss the top three things I just don't get about Montreal.
Trust me there are more than three! But these are the biggy's.
1. ABANDONED WORKSITES
Everyone knows Montreal is one massive construction zone. Years of corruption in contract allocations and lack of follow through means literally everything is falling down or breaking. Just last week a steel beam the size of a car just fell off into Highway 15 from an overpass!
No-one was injured, so no-one was too interested!
But every now and then they actually DO try and fix something. Then they leave. And leave half the work site behind. They make a 2 year old's play room look tidy!
The infamous orange cones, lumber, the ARRET signage are just left strewn all over the place, blocking otherwise unusually functional sidewalks. In Vancouver, crafty DIY'ers would be using all that stuff for a community garden project! On Commercial Drive it would be made into affordable housing!
Apparently they actually rent those cones for $1.50 a day. So I was thinking I should get a UHaul and go around and collect them and sell them back to them at $5 a pop. It would finance my whole trip!
2. SIGNAGE
Why have one simple coherent sign, when you can have, say, five? All referring to say, your ability to park on any given street?
Let's start with an easy one:
There are only 3 sections to this one. From the top, it reads:
1-No Parking 7:30pm-8:30pm on Thursdays 1 April to 1 December (I know it's small- you will have to trust me!)
2- No Parking 9am-11pm (unless you have a permit for Zone 72)
3- Except for the top sign.
So basically, from midnight until 8:59am you can park. Unless you are a resident. I think?
This one is more fun:
1-No Parking 8:30-9:30pm on Thursday
2-60 min max Monday - Saturday Allowed
3-Unless you have a permit for Zone 72
4-No Parking 9am-11pm Unless you have a permit for zone 72
5-Except for period of sign 1
It's no wonder really that people just say F-it and park where ever!
Even when the signage is pretty clear.
(both shots were taken at 2pm- a simple NO PARKING 9-5PM and No Parking ever over a driveway)
It's not restricted to parking either.. this doozy was in the window of a bakery in Mile End. Now to a non- french speaker at first I thought it meant they had gluten free products. But NO.. they want to let you know, loud and clear, that all their stuff has wheat! Don't even ask !! #GLUTENFORALL !!
3. NO GARBAGE BINS
Okay, I'm not the tidiest person. But really NO TRASH CANS?! Each household has a compost bin, and a recycling bin. The rest of your garbage? Just hurl it on the sidewalk.. someone will come and get it. Eventually. Or not. Whichever. On Thursday morning in Mile End (aka garbage day) the place looks like a living landfill. Bags and boxes (they have an interesting take on recycling) are piled high on the sidewalk.
So if you can avoid the previously mentioned leftover work site detritus, you will more than likely trip over a half ripped bag of household waste. Apparently they are supposed to collect it anytime after 5am. The average seems to be about 1pm to me, sometimes it doesn't get collected at all, and just sits there a week.
It's even more fun when it snows.. you get the triple threat of icy
sidewalks, overflowing garbage AND left over lumber.
It's like doing a Tough Mudder course just getting to the grocery store!
Now I know I might sound a little grumpy this week. Focusing on all the bad things.
Everywhere has it's faults.
Hell, Ottawa is full of those politician people!
My first month in Montreal exposed me to poutine, chocolate chaud, smoked meat, as well as the above-mentioned anomalies. There are plenty of good things to go back to.
That is if I can drag myself away from the National Archives.
I have found the first Canadian census of 1666.
And yes, Lynda's ancestors are on it.
I might get to like Ottawa after all!
Until next week.