Autumn's here

Bonjour tout mes amis!

Autumn is my favourite season, and it is so beautiful here in Montreal. The leaves are all changing colours and falling off the trees, and we've been having a lot of fun crunching the leaves as we walk through the streets. It's still nice enough to bike around, although you need mittens at night. I've been collecting red maple leaves to mail to my mom and my brother.

It turns out that Adam isn't going to be a butler/personal chef, but he is working in a restaurant making pastries. I think he's going to have a lot of freedom to come up with new recipes, so I hope he practices for me at home.


I'm still looking for work. It's a bit worrying, because I haven't really found anything in my field yet. My french isn't strong enough yet. I went to a community centre where some of my friends are taking cheap french lessons, and had an evaluation that placed me in level four. I'm glad they did evaluate me, I think I'd die if I had to start from square one. Apparently my past tense skills are good.


We went to Fairmont Bagel the other day to get ourselves a taste of Montreal. It is one of the oldest and best Montreal bagel shops, although many would say St. Viateur is better. I like Fairmont because they have the most variety, and have about a dozen different flavours, including onion, all dressed, blueberry and chocolate chip!
They were very tasty and we brought some home to put in the freezer.

This year for Thanksgiving Adam and I decided to make a roast duck instead of turkey. It was very delicious. We had our friend Theresa come over and had some wine, duck, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, salad, and a raspberry sauce Adam made instead of cranberry sauce! It was non-traditional and fun, and because we made the effort it was easier to be away from home. Our friends Margot, Rachel and Dan had a dessert potluck for all their friends away from their families on the holiday weekend as well.

They came over to learn how to make Adam's pie crust recipe a few days before, and you can see the fruits of our labour above! Adam made a peach, plum, pear pie a la Joanna Newsom (although he forgot the pear), and Margot and Rachel made mirabelle pie, pumpkin pie, raspberry cream cheese, and apple I believe. It was very good. Someone also brought gingersnaps which are my favourite.


How are the rest of you enjoying the autumn weather? Has anyone done any baking?

cuttin' onions and fashion

Why hello again,

It's a strange thing, but lately I've been having the most vivid dreams. Last night I had a dream that I was back in high school, at my current age and with a university degree, because I decided that I wasn't going to get a job in my current field and so going back to high school and taking a few calculus and physics classes was really going to help me out. Some of my high school friends were there, and I think someone stole my bike. Later, I had a dream that I was a large black woman who investigated prison conditions down South. Strange.

I invented a dance move in my sleep. A couple nights ago Adam looked over at me while I was sleeping and I had a huge grin on my face, and then suddenly my eyes opened and I had a look of glee. I told him that I was dreaming about being in a dancing competition, where I won first prize for a dance move called the onion chop/cutting onions. It involved me actually cutting onions on a cutting board with a big knife on the dance floor, crying because of the onion-eyes, and also because the dance move was so graceful. It was probably the best dream ever.

We went to a fashion show on Tuesday. It was of 6 up and coming Montreal designers. To be honest I didn't really see anything that great or revolutionary (I have my Project Runway critical eye, haha) but it was really fun to go to something like that. It's fun being in a big city where you can do stuff like that on a whim.

Tonight we're going to go see Danielson and Deerhoof. I am so excited, and have been a fan of both for a long time. Check out a Danielson vid below:

Schwartz's Smoked Meat

Heyo!

So I had a job interview today, which went well I think. I'll hear in the next few days if there is any news. Adam and I decided we wanted to go to Schwartz's to have a nice lunch and to fill up on some good ol' beef brisket. I was the first one who arrived (being in the neighbourhood due to said job interview) and I texted our friend Margot to come. I ended up sitting there for quite awhile by myself, and the server was getting a little miffed because you're not supposed to save seats there (oops!). Margot eventually showed, then her sister Rachel arrived about 10 minutes later, and then finally poor Adam--who had gotten lost--arrived.

Lunch was incredible! We ordered the smoked meat sandwich, a dill pickle (which Margot informed me was absolutely important) and a side of fries to share. The meat was so good it fell apart.

The only strange thing was that when we got our pickle plate, there were little red ants underneath it. We quickly grabbed our pickles off and passed the plate off to the waiter. Then we tried to forget it happened. If the food is that good, it's worth a little sanitation overlooking.

On the menu, there was a list of celebrities who had enjoyed their meat. It included Céline Dion, a bunch of other Quebecois, and Ken Dryden. I thought my family would like that.

Afterwards, we went to La Grande Bibliothèque (The Big Library). We got some dvds out, including the '90s highschool sitcom(?) "Square Pegs" starring Sarah Jessica Parker as a 15 year old, Twin Peaks season 2, and a documentary on band posters. We also got the debut Blonde Redhead album, George Harrison "Dark Horse, and Josh Rouse "1972". They have a three CD and DVD limit here. In Saskatoon we used to get out huge stacks of at least 20 per visit. Just another thing we miss about home!

Down and Out in Montreal

Hello everyone! I figured I should probably begin posting about our new life in Montreal.

Adam: "Say 'We're poor...The End.'"

Well, he's in a bit of a bad mood and I have a bit more to say than that! I had a job interview today for a position at McGill as a research assistant for a project. It would involve calling Canadians and conducting surveys for a major research project happening. I hope I get it. I would get 2 weeks vacation to come home at Christmas! I had to walk up a giant hill to get there, so I figure it would be great exercise too.

We've hung out with our friend Margot quite a bit, as well as Shayla and Theresa. It's nice to see some familiar faces. Adam and I spend quite a bit of time at home alone. It's been great to spend so much time together, and a good way to save money.

So far our favourite bit of Montreal has been the Jean Talon market. The food is so beautiful and there is anything you can think of. Peppers, fruit, fish, breads, pastries. C'est magnifique! I had a crème brûlée and a sandwich with brie, pear, and walnuts. Yum!

We'll let you know if anything else happens. Love and miss you all!

Back in REK

Hey gang,

So we're back in Reykjavik now after a wonderful last few days around the country. So back to the night we slept in the car... yikes! It was awful and we decided that would never happen again. We were in Northern Iceland, near the Arctic circle, and it was much too cold. In the morning, at about 7 am, we started on our journey again, away from Myvatn and toward Akureyri, which is the second largest city in the country. Along the way we saw a beautiful waterfall, although it was cold and rainy out, so we didnt stop long. We stopped shortly at Akureyri, and ended up staying for a few hours because I had to make a trip to the hospital for something minor. I am totally fine now, but am on antibiotics. Yay!

Afterwards we travelled towards our hostel in Sæberg. We stopped at some old mud huts that served as houses for the earliest Icelandic settlers. They were very spooky, and anyone with claustrophobia would have hated the lack of windows and how deep they were in the ground. They were so cool and Adam and I had fun exploring all the rooms inside. We took a lot of pictures, and you will all not believe how people used to live in these little huts.

We tried to follow a gravel road for awhile to see a colloseum that no one knows if it is man-made or natural, and the vikings used it as a fortress, as well as a weird rock formation. We got too scared in our little car and turned back, and made good time to the hostel at dinner time.

Sæberg was amazing! We stayed on a farmhouse right on the water. There were other guests who were very friendly too. Adam and I went for a walk by the ocean and had a couple of beer. We met a German man who was picking up blue mussels along the water, and we decided that would be a delicious option for supper. We collected mussels for awhile, and on the way some some beautiful shells and even a jellyfish! We were a little disappointed we didnt see any seals, but I guess we will have to save that for the next trip to Iceland.

The German man and his wife asked us if we wanted to eat supper together with them, so we combined our mussels and made a delicious soup. The man was quite outdoorsy, and was a mushroom enthusiast who liked finding them in nature. We ate some that he found and put some in the soup. I think they were just the kind you find in the store, but they were so much tastier! We were so full after our feast.

After dinner, we took a little dip in the hottub in the backyard, and watched what was left of the sun go down. We had a great sleep, as the hostel was very clean and comfortable, and Adam and I had our own room.
Today, we woke up and went to a history museum that was also on the farm, and enjoyed looking at the shark boats that were used locally and are the only ones of their kind that were left in the country. Some had been made with wooden nails! It was incredible.

We continued on to the Snæfellsness Peninsula, which is right along the ocean and was very scenic. We stopped for a walk on the ocean, and visited a waterfall and a cliff, even though it started raining and the wind was fierce. We saw the Snæfell glacier where Jules Verne s novel "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" is set. It was really cool to see, and we had a great time on the drive. We arrived back in Reykjavik a short time ago (Sunday night) after having some fried chicken and fries at a truck stop (I know, I know... we were hungry). I hated driving in the city, because they have a zillion roundabouts, but anyways we are here safe and sound. We will be going to the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa tomorrow, which we are excited about, and we would like to try some lamb stew and possibly some lobster soup by the harbour if we have time.

We will be back Tuesday night, and cant wait to see our family. Love and more love,

Adam and Anne-Marie

On the Road

Well, we don´t have much time on the computer but I have a ton to share! First off, we left Reykjavik on Wednesday, and had a wonderful day travelling around and seeing some of the sites. We visited all of Southern Iceland, seeing some beautiful landmarks like þingvellir (our new favourite word), the place where tectonic plates meet on land and the earth is being ripped apart. We also saw the original Geiser, Gullfoss (an amazing waterfall) and saw another waterfall that we were able to walk all the way around and go behind. After that, we drove past the volcano that had recently erupted this spring/summer in Iceland. I can´t wait to post the photos. That night I began to feel stomach pains, and unfortunately I was hit with the same food poisoning that had attacked Adam. It was not pretty, and we were stuck in a small hotel room in a town called Vik.

In the morning I was still feeling awful, but at least I had stopped needing to be in a bathroom (tmi, sorry). We walked down to this really cool beach with black volcanic sand. It was amazing! We also saw these rock formations that are supposedly trolls that were coming out of the water and were caught in daylight and turned into stone. We kept going and stopped at Jokur... (sp?) and saw Icebergs! Volcanic sand and Icebergs in one day! Then we kept driving and saw more waterfalls, stopped at a place for a quick hike (I was still sick) and kept driving to Hofn. We pulled into the hotel very early because I was feeling queasy again, and I went to bed at about 6 pm. Adam decided to go for a walk, and he had a really nice time walking around the small fishing community. He found a really neat hill with a cliff to sit on.

This morning when I woke up I was feeling much, much better. We set out early, at about 8 am, and drove to make up time as we had already lost one day in Reykjavik because of Adam being sick, and 1 morning and 1 evening from me being sick. We drove through some mountains, and it was absolutely beautiful. Everything was so green and mossy and little fluffy sheep peppered the countryside. We drove for awhile, stopping a couple of times, and we stopped in this beautiful little town for lunch. There were a whole bunch of kids wearing garbage bags and face paint, and I asked a guy at the gas station what was going on. Apparently they were celebrating freshie week! We kept driving and drove about an hour through a dessert in mid-northern Iceland. We arrived at Myatvn this afternoon and saw giant geothermal vents where the hot gases from the earth burst out. It was really cool looking, very prehistoric, and there was bubbling hot mud and red sand and gas shooting out everywhere! We also went into the so-called Green Lagoon--a geothermal hot spring that is similar to the Blue Lagoon but smaller and less touristy. It was so relaxing and we had a wonderful time. We just went for fish and chips at a little bistro in the town, and we´ve decided we´re going to sleep in our car tonight to save some cash. That extra night in Reykjavik didn´t come cheap as the hotel we were staying in was all out of the 'budget' rooms and we had to go first class. So, tonight we have a tiny orange car, a bunch of clothing (no blankets), a bottle of wine and a jug of vodka and we´re going to cozy up and sleep like hobos in Northern Iceland. Wish us luck!

Last sick post... I promise!

I had quite an interesting day taking care of my poor sick little Adam. I was out running errands all day, picking up gatoraide, water, and tonight, soup. I was quite worried about him all day, but needed to get out and have a hot meal. I went back to the little vegetarian restaurant that we had liked so much. It was nice to have a cooked meal, and I had a nice view up on the second floor. I was able to watch everyone walk by and check out their outfits. I was feeling really hopeless about Adam being so sick, so I thought "I need an angel. Someone to talk to about this and just someone to be nice to me." I sat in the restaurant for awhile, and felt sorry for Adam and myself and then got up and went outside. I sat on the bench for a bit, but then I smelled the sweet waffles that were being sold across the street. I walked over to buy one, and sat next to a lady, probably in her early forties, sitting on a bench. She asked me where I was from and I replied, "bawahhCanada" (breaking down and crying). She was so nice to me and I told her about Adam and how he had trouble with his teeth and now he had food poisoning. I told her his symptoms and she asked me what we had eaten for the last while. Then she told me that she was a nurse! She said it was probably the whale that got him sick, especially because that´s one of the few things we´ve eaten different from one another in the past few days. She told me about these pills you can get at the pharmacy and health food store that should help both of our stomachs while we are here because they are filled with good bacteria. The store was closed, but she wrote down the name and I promised her I would go get them tomorrow. Then she told me why she was sitting on the bench, and I noticed a table with jewelry on it. She was selling it because she had told her daughter that if she didn´t smoke or drink until she was 20 she would buy her a car. She maxed out both her cards, as her daughter´s birthday was a couple of months ago, and now she´s selling jewelry to try to pay off her cards.
When I got back to the hotel Adam was feeling a bit better. It´s been a few hours and now he´s feeling much better, though still weak. I got him some tomato soup and baguette from down the street, and I think he´s going to be just fine. My angel told me he should be just fine, although tired, tomorrow. So we will continue our journey then.
Moral of the story: whale hunting is immoral!