For once we forsook the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast and headed to a diner that we’d spotted that Brett fancied trying. Sure enough it had all the trappings, but not much fresh fruit – although I did get a waffle with various bits of sliced stuff on.
Packing was the usual chore – more so because we have both bought stuff in Montreal, so the cases are even more stuffed than on the outbound leg. Once they were safely with the hotel concierge and our bill settled, we took a taxi out to the Botanical Gardens to spend our last few hours here in amongst some greenery. Very nice it was too.
Whenever I visit a place like that, walking through the greenhouses stuffed with endless varieties of ferns, orchids, cacti and countless others, I am always reminded of the rainforests and other areas where nature is being viciously cut back. The tales of countless species of plants and animals driven to extinction by man’s search for profit seems all the more vivid when you have some of the real beauty of nature displayed before you. It sickens the soul – all the more so because, most of the time, most of us are too busy to notice and care.
As I write, I am on the plane from Montreal to Chicago where (if the gods are willing!) we will connect with another flight to take us on to Dallas – but at this stage it is not certain that we will be there in good enough time. I have managed to finish my book already, so I find myself reflecting on our time in Montreal.
I definitely like the city. There is a definite feeling that we have only just scratched the surface of the city, the province and indeed the country. I like the friendly people and the relaxed atmosphere. I like the way that everywhere actually offers you separate bills if you are in a group. I like the exchange rate which makes everything so cheap, although that can change I know. The weather (at least at this time of year) is just about right for my liking – it’s hot without being stifling. You can walk around the city in the evening in t-shirt and shorts, but not have to have the air-conditioning on in your bedroom to make it comfortable. The city seems very gay-friendly.
Dallas involves some trepidation, partly because I’m meeting Brett’s family for the first time, which I guess every partner is somewhat nervous of. I think he got off easily, meeting my parents only briefly after a concert when we were both fairly merry and relaxed. I’ve met his brother Steve, but so far everyone else is just a name. I’m also not looking forward to the climate, which is naturally hotter and drier. I don’t expect there will be the pavement cafes and restaurants. Everything will be inside closed, air-conditioned buildings. Brett advises that there is no greenery in Texas. I hope he’s exaggerating.
That is ofcourse if we ever get there. There were some kind of communications problems between Montreal and O’Hare, so although they could check our luggage all the way through to DFW, they couldn’t check-us in and give us boarding cards, so we’ll have to do that when we arrive. Thanks to a schedule change we now arrive in Chicago only 50 minutes before our connecting flight. At least we won’t have to retrieve our luggage or clear immigration (Customs and Immigration were taken care of in Montreal, which is a much better way of doing it.) Hopefully there’ll be somebody on hand when we arrive who can do the necessary for us so that we’ll at least be listed on the flight, even if we have to run to make it. I don’t particularly fancy either a night in an airport hotel (almost certainly without luggage) or an even later flight to Dallas. Well it’s out of my hands now I suppose…
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