I am finally on the road and have officially said goodbye to Montreal and my friends there. Before I start off on my adventures in Quebec City, I thought I’d do a post about working through my Montreal bucket list. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to complete everything on the list, but I guess that means I shall just have to come back soon!
What became one of my favorite places in Montreal, the Botanical Gardens, I actually visited a few times since my resolution to check it out. I loved the Japanese and Chinese Gardens and even walked all the way up to the “Tree House” which, much to our dismay, was just a museum about trees and not something built by the Swiss Family Robinson. My friend Sung visited me halfway through August and accompanied me to the garden, where we found an exhibit of artwork by Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming. The sign mentioned there were 12 pieces in total, each displaying a person performing a different Tai Chi move. Sung and I decided to try to find them and create our best imitation of their poses. Check out some of our attempts below.
Unfortunately, we were unable to find all 12 of them. Granted, we didn’t exactly search for them, but we were a little disappointed nonetheless.
Strangely enough, when I on the way to spa Bota Bota with my friend Kim for two-for-one-Tuesdays, we came across another four statues that had to be by the same artist. Funny thing is, they weren’t anywhere near the Botanical Gardens! They were actually in a little park in the Old Port.
Just another beautiful day in the Old Port on the way to the spa…
…mimicking statues’ tai chi poses, as you do…
…doing my best not to fall over…
I’m not sure if these are four additional statues, or just the four that seemed to be missing in the gardens. Regardless, they were pretty cool.
I also completed a few other things on my list – among them trying the flying trapeze, checking out the cemeteries (pics below), and attending the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Musée des Beaux Arts (I’ll be posting something more extensive on this as soon as my camera starts functioning properly again and I can upload the pics).
At the cemetery, Kim and I encountered a very nice security guard who gave us a ride to the bathrooms down the hill (“didn’t your parents tell you never to get in a car with strangers?” he said) and pointed out the oldest, most interesting parts of the place. People here are so nice!
Kim and I noticed a trend: headstones that are also benches. Personally, I think it’s quite nice. If you’re going to come spend a quiet moment with a family member, may as well have somewhere to rest while you’re there, right? Ok, maybe it’s creepy, idunno… 
After the cemetery, we checked out the view of the city from the Observatoire (and later from the Summit in Westmount). Will post more pictures later if I get around to it.
Check back in a day or so for more updates on my travels! Will likely write more on Mtl Bucket list, then Quebec City, then Maine, etc… I have also started a new tumblr: “Read the Sign”. It’s a photo blog of funny, stupid, or ridiculous signs (mostly road signs) that I’ve seen out and about. You can follow those updates here.
