Montreal: yes, I speak French (or you could call it Franglish😋)

On Tuesday, my journey continued to Montreal. Upon arriving at the train station in Ottawa, I saw that an earlier train would be departing in 10 minutes, so I spontaneously changed my booking and avoided the hassle of weighing my luggage this time 😀😀🤓 Knowing how to do it 😂
The journey only lasted two hours. I immediately noticed that the train announcements were now made in French as the first language, and then repeated in English. Oh! It felt the same as when you ride the Rhaetian Railway in Graubünden, where the language suddenly changes too. 😄
I was also greeted in French at the youth hostel, as if it were natural that all tourists would be able to speak this language 😋 So I dug out my best school French, which may have been a mistake, because when I didn't understand everything, the staff member didn't switch to English, but simply repeated everything more slowly in French. It felt like I was in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, where the locals really don't like to speak German, even if they can. (At least the ones I have met so far)

Speaking of French: I don't think my French has been this good for 10 years, because after sharing the room with a Korean girl for the first three nights, I had a conversation with a Frenchwoman on Monday, which was quite a challenge 😊

I was allowed to check in at 2 pm, even though the regular check-in time was not until 3 pm. Jackpot! I was exhausted because I had slept so poorly in the last hostel due to the heat. The room only had two beds, and I even had a bathroom with a shower in the room! Luxurious 😄 This was my 3rd hostel of the HI hostel chain, and I was very satisfied again, as there was also a laundry room with a dryer, complimentary breakfast (although I replaced the toast and bagels with my delicious nut bread from Ottawa 😊), a bar, a kitchen, and free activities.
First, I took a nap and then went to the city in the evening.
On Saturday, I participated in a city tour organized by the hostel. It was very exciting, and the guide told us a lot about the history, which made the whole French/English situation a bit more understandable. I didn't know a lot of it, for example, that in the 1970s, a law was passed requiring all signage in the city to be in French (with a very small English translation in some cases) to protect the language. All children must attend a French primary and secondary school unless one parent has attended an English school in Canada. Children of immigrants from America must therefore attend a French school. It is only at the university level that one can choose the language and write academic papers in the language that one is more proficient in. As a language enthusiast and a fan of language preservation (❤️Romansh❤️), I found this very interesting. After that, I understood why I found the sign 'Café Starbucks' so strange, somehow it looked different than in the States... Ah, there it's just called Starbucks 😊

I was also impressed by the underground city that Montreal is very proud of (there's one in Toronto too, but I didn't see it 😊) Over 32 km there is a network of metro corridors and shopping opportunities, which came in handy for two reasons: 1. It was way too hot (30 degrees, even the Montreal Marathon was canceled because of the heat!) 2. There were many cute little European-style bakeries (see photos! Patisserie 😍), and since I'm currently obsessed with bread, I was happy about the shops! Even in the supermarket, the bread shelves and cheese counters look like ours, so of course I had to take pictures. Below, I've also created the ultimate 'things I miss' list 😋

In the late afternoon, because of the heat, I decided to go to the cinema to watch the movie 'Home Again' with Reese Witherspoon. The movie was great, very funny, and with a positive message: Strong women are the future 😊 Afterwards, I watched the second 'Sex and the City' movie in my hotel room, which I liked better than the first one.

On Sunday, I went for a jog just before breakfast, did my laundry, and then hiked up Mount Royal, Montreal's local mountain. It was insanely hot again! Luckily, there were shaded forest trails. This hill is highly recommended with its parks and the cute lake! I also saw some squirrels again. I think I've seen more squirrels in Canada this month than ever before! 😍
In the evening, I went to the cinema again, as I saw that a movie was playing that interested me. In the next two weeks, I probably won't have as much time for movies. The movie is absolutely recommendable: 'Stronger' with Jake Gyllenhaal. The film is based on a true story. Gyllenhaal plays a man who lost both of his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. The film shows his difficult time in rehabilitation and with his family, who wants to monetize him... A tearjerker! But I liked it so much that I'm going to read the book that the movie is based on. I also like the message of the film: Sometimes doors in life close. It seems like it won't continue. Everything is black and sad. Where should one go without this door? But then suddenly, either behind or next to it, a new door opens that one may have never walked through before, but it promises a bright and friendly path. Or one realizes that they simply had the wrong key, and the closed door suddenly opens again. Or, and this is the most strenuous but also a very fulfilling solution: one realizes that the only way out of this dark room with the closed door is to carefully feel every inch of the wall until one finds another way out of the room. It takes a while, but suddenly one discovers the previously unused corridor to the outside... (deep shit 😂)
Or what also occurred to me during the movie: Sometimes we experience situations where we feel like we have to cry as hard as we've never cried before in our lives. Eventually, these wounds heal and tears may turn into beautiful lakes, just like the ones I saw in Canada! Or something else beautiful may emerge. One just has to believe in it 😊

Yes, a movie like that makes you think. So my little nostalgia excursion fits well with that 😊

As promised, my conclusion after almost three months in the USA and Canada - I still think that staying here for up to a year would be something, but as they say, humans are creatures of habit. I love my homeland too much to ever fully emigrate. Apart from the safety, job opportunities, and social welfare system, which we can be proud of, I would miss my family and friends too much! When people ask me where I'm from, they are always excited and say that Switzerland must be so beautiful - but most find it too expensive to travel there. But I always agree with them, it is beautiful in Switzerland ❤️

Of course, there are things that I will miss after the trip, like certain stores, dishes, and restaurants. But that's something to look forward to on the next vacation 😊 for example, the huge selection of muffins and donuts - but it's probably better for the BMI of Swiss women and men if we don't have that in addition to chocolate 😂 Or the funny commercials on TV - although I think I would get annoyed by them over time!

But here are some things that I enjoyed here and would also like to have in Switzerland:

- Warm breakfast options like at Tim Hortons. At our gas stations, we mostly have bread, yogurt, etc. - if you want something warm, you have to make it yourself at home, go to a 'real' restaurant (expensive!), or just have a lunch menu for breakfast.
- the prices for take-away food (although that would probably be too tempting in Switzerland 🙈)
- a tea shop like David's Tea: huge selection, hot or cold, to go 😊
- Cold Brew at Blenz Coffee: coffee with ice cubes... mmh!
- a general large selection in supermarkets
- Canada Dry Ginger Ale - much better than the one at Migros 😉
- 24-hour drugstores and supermarkets
- outlets
- Wi-Fi almost everywhere, as there is a Starbucks, Subway, or something similar every few corners
- that you can more easily start a conversation with new people, no matter where, on the train, in the hostel, in the city...

What I've had enough of/what I won't miss:

- Bunk beds: the annoying thing about these beds is better captured by the Swiss-German word 'Leiterlibett' (only understood by Tami and me at home 😀)
- Bagels
- Toast bread
- American cheese
- Pushing, dragging, boxing the suitcase from the means of transport to the hotel or from the hotel to the means of transport 😂
- always having some unwashed items with me
- toilets and washrooms outside of the room
- buses with a route system that no one understands
- weird power outlets that sometimes only work when the light is on or are just 'wonky'
- weird showers that you have to pull/turn/push or whatever, and then they still don't work
- 'sluggish' cashiers
- eternal waiting at traffic lights
- poorly functioning hotel Wi-Fi
- collecting quarters for the washing machine

What I'm looking forward to at home (apart from all of you, of course!!!)

- my bed 😊

- my bunnies Malou and Jack 😍❤️
- going for walks with Bobby 🐕🐶
- driving a car and scooter
- jogging along the Reuss and Limmat rivers (@Naddel: or Aare😂)
- going to my 3 fitness studios whenever I want

- group fitness classes and boot camps 😊😊

- doing something different than just walking around the streets all day, shopping for groceries or other things, going to restaurants or bars, watching movies, reading, listening to music: for example, working again 😊 yeah, I know, many can't understand that, but I'm really looking forward to it! Only having free time all the time is not for me, so I will never marry a sheikh from Saudi Arabia and just sit at home all day! 😂
- not having to look for laundry rooms
- my larger selection of makeup products at home
- contactless payment (yes, that's nowhere to be found here!!)
- Swiss punctuality
- all the amazing products that just taste 'right' in Switzerland:

- bread, cheese, yogurt (Migros yogurt!! Oh Bifidus 😍)
- cheese in more detail: Gruyère, Sbrinz, Hobelchäs, Grana Padano, Tête de moine....ah! Now I feel like having some potatoes!
- Air-dried beef (Bündnerfleisch)
- Pretzel King - oooh pretzel bread!
- Talking about bread: Bürli, butter braid, rye bread, cherry bread, Silserli...
- butter (Floralp!)
- wide selection of mineral water: Evian, Aproz, Vittel, Rhäzünser...
- cottage cheese that tastes 'normal'
- Aromat!
- fondue, raclette, rösti
- carrot salad from Charly 😀
- venison stew
- spaetzli with a ton of cheese (Grana Padano)
- Cinque Pi, ditto 😊
- cordon bleu
- Restaurant Tomate 😀
- mini protein shakes at Migros Fitnesspark and Flowerpower: hazelnut, mirabelle-mascarpone, coconut (right Sara! Mmmh)
- Swiss milk
- cervelat
- visits to Migros 😁
- okay, also visits to Coop 😀
- iceberg salad
- chocolate croissant with branches (not the same as here!)
- Delizio and Nespresso coffee

Alright, enough nostalgia 😋