A weekend in Montreal

 Within the past two months, I've spent two weekends here in Montreal. That's the most weekend time I've spent here since 2020.

This weekend, I did some things in the city that gave/give me joy. I just tried to enjoy the city. And I tried to live in the moment and take it in. Sounds like a good way to go through life in general, but it's taken me a bit to be able to do that here, and it's still a work in progress. Don't get me wrong, Montreal has a lot of things going for it, but I have to reframe some significant experiences.

Anyway, I went to Jean Talon market today. And instead of hopping on the STM, which would have been my regular practice, I walked there. The walk is very reasonable and only discovered when a couple weeks ago, I had some friends come to visit creating a couple positive memories for me. This is what I need here. In addition to a night in Old Montreal, we also met up in Little Italy and I'd made my way home by foot. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but meeting up with them those two nights and being 'out' in the city more than I usually would was really therapeutic for me.

So I walked, I wandered, and I looked at people, nature, and the city. I picked up some items from Marché Oriental and then headed over to Jean Talon. Noticing changes and what remained constant. I meandered through, looking for the best 'deals'. I contemplated my shopping list and what the rest of the day and week might hold.

As I have often done, I bought two cheeses from La Fromagerie Hamel - a hard and a soft.

1. Laliberte - Laliberté est un fromage triple crème fait de lait de vache pasteurisé et de crème. Sa belle croûte fleurie renferme une pâte fondante aux arômes exquis de champignons à la crème. Son nom est emprunté à celui du sculpteur Alfred Laliberté, né à Ste-Elizabeth-de-Warwick.

2. Alfred fermier - Ce fromage porte fièrement le nom de notre ancêtre, Alfred (le fermier) Bolduc. Il s’agit d’un fromage fermier, au lait cru biologique de vache, à pâte pressée cuite, affiné sur planches de bois. Sa croûte jaune orangée dégage une agréable odeur boisée. Il se démarque particulièrement par sa texture souple et la complexité de ses arômes de fruits, de caramel et de miel.

And I enjoyed both with a baguette and des tomates and continue to have a good day.