Montreal: A Very Short Introduction

I was recently asked to submit a very short (200 word) piece for my student newspaper, on the Study Abroad experience. Here it is. It is very sentimental and hideous. Enjoy.

"The decision to apply for Royal Holloway’s International Exchange Programme was one I took very quickly. It seemed to take no time at all for paperwork and personal statements to be replaced by visa applications and plane tickets. I soon found myself stood at Montréal Trudeau airport, exhausted after a seven hour flight, realising all the signs were written in French. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a cup of tea more than I did at that point.

Luckily my year in Montréal, studying at Concordia University, was fantastic (lack of decent tea aside). Going from a tiny, campus university like Royal Holloway to studying somewhere with 30,000 students in the heart of a busy and vibrant city was a culture shock of the very best kind. I suddenly didn’t have to worry if I ran out of milk at 11pm. Offering more than just convenience though, living in a large city meant never being short of new things to do or new people to meet. Despite my shocking lack of French language skills (‘Please, just speak in English, ok? Stop trying in French. Please stop trying’), I met people on an almost daily basis. Canadians, French, French Canadians, Americans, Irish, Australians, New Zealanders, Norwegians, Dutch. The year flew past in a blur of multi-lingual, multi-accented travel and fun and, most importantly, experience. And, far too soon, I was again stood bewildered in an airport. Heathrow this time, and all the signs were in English." 

Edinburgh, 10th-13th November, 2011

A couple of weekends ago I went to stay with a friend of mine in Edinburgh. I'd visited Scotland's beautiful capital before a couple of years ago and remember loving it so I was very much looking forward to going again. After an eventful four and a half hour train journey from Kings Cross (have I told you that Pippa Middleton was on my train? Oh yes, I've told everyone) I arrived in Scotland.

I always find it very strange to write about places that I've gone to in order to visit someone. It's a very different kettle of fish from going on holiday somewhere, as often you don't do anything different to at home. You chat, you hang out, you eat, you drink. All very fun, but never specific to the location. So, much as I don't want to write an obviously 'tourist-y' account of the places I go to, I will try and include things other than 'so, we got takeaway and then went out and got pissed'.

The first thing that always strikes me about Edinburgh is just how bloody beautiful it is. The architecture is truly astounding and adds such a wonderfully gothic atmopshere. The weather helps too. I'm a bit odd, I'm mad for the cold. I have a nice new winter coat that I haven't really been able to wear because of the ridiculous warmness of Surrey, so I was very pleased to experience single-digit temperatures. The brisk wind in combination with beautiful buildings meant a perfect atmosphere for sitting inside somewhere warm and staring at the city. Luckily, my friend lives a stone's throw from a wonderful place called Chocolate Soup, just off the Royal Mile, which sells all manner of warm, chocolate-y goodness one could hope for.

Aforementioned friend is very busy and clever and studying for a Master's in Being Really Clever at Law-Related Things (or something along those lines) and had a lecture to attend, so she dumped me in the National Museum of Scotland for a couple of hours. A bloody fantastic place, to be honest. The Grand Gallery is stunning. Edinburgh you impress me with your architectural badassness. The museum content is also very varied and interesting, definitely a great place to spend a few hours wandering about. And it's free!

I then met up with Equally Clever Future Doctor Friend, and we, predictably, went shopping. Knowing I am a fan of vintage shopping, she took me to the Grassmarket branch of Armstrong's which was heaven. Heaven! Very crowded but when you have so many pretty things to look at, who cares? I bought a scarf and some bracelets with Jesus on them.

Unfortunately I have to cut this post short. I had a marvellous time in Edinburgh, but the rest of my time was spent coffee-ing and clubbing (we went here) which was great fun but not what this blog is about. You don't need to know about me getting hit on by giant Canadians with fauxhawks, do you now?

Please allow me to introduce myself.

Although, as this is my second blog I guess I've already done so. Previous blog is pretty much defunct now as I've returned to the land of tea and odd manners in order to finish my degree. However, the experiences I documented (pretty unreliably, I'll admit) there are what sparked this here blog. During my year in Canada I travelled more than I ever have before and the travel bug has bit me firmly on the bottom. Whether skiing in Quebec, salsa-ing in Cuba or sightseeing in New York, New York I've realised exactly how much is out there and how BLOODY MARVELLOUS most of it is. Hence the name of this blog. I'm a huge fan of Lewis Carroll's work, but, frankly, who needs Wonderland when you've got the whole world to explore?

So, everywhere I go I will attempt to blog about. As I am a student on a student budget this means that, to begin with at least, I will be blogging about places in the UK. But that's ok, there are great places here.

Also, at the moment I am sans camera so no pictures. An unfortunate thing, but not much I can do about it at the moment. Hopefully this will be rectified soon!

Hope you enjoy my posts! I've missed writing about places, definitely my favourite topic.