Travelog for: Viper

Hey mommy!

Guess what! We visited a new city today! We went to Montreal, a big metropolis here in Quebec. I was excited to visit a new, bigger city. We were supposed to go earlier, but sadly we had to wait a few more days... But we visited a lot of places and took a lot of pictures!

We were lucky because it was sunny and warm today... It's been raining a lot lately.

We had to take the bus first to go to Longueuil, which is a city located on the South Shore, close to Montreal.





Finally, after about an hour long ride, the bus arrived at Longueuil, so we got off and walked through the station to go to the subway station.



We went down the stairs to wait for the subway.




And finally it arrived! So we got in.



We got off two stations later, at the Berri-UQAM station in Montreal. Here is a map of the subway stations. The subway line we had taken is the yellow one.



And here is a map of Montreal! As you can see, it's a big island.



We had to take another subway to get to our location, so we went up the escalators and followed the signs to the next subway we had to take.




We got off at Peel station.





And finally we went outside!




We went to a library to look at the books and then we went to an underground shopping center.



The shopping center was bigger than it looked!



There was a big fountain on the first floor!






Then we walked through the Eaton Center... which is another shopping center!




There was an old-looking telephone booth.


The Eaton Center is quite big too!




Then we decided to take the subway again to get to another part of the city.



We got off at the Place-des-Arts station.



The "Place des Arts" is a place where there are a lot of shows and plays, so there was a long corridor with posters of all the upcoming shows and events!



And there was another corridor with animations displayed on the walls. It was pretty!



Then we walked through the Desjardins Complex... Which is ALSO a shopping center!



We got a little lost because we couldn't find the signs that indicated where the subway station was... But fortunately we found a map!



And we found our way!

We didn't take the subway yet though, we decided to go outside first to walk around and visit more than just shopping centers and subways. :P

So we go out from the station, which is beside the Montreal Congress Center. The trees we full of flowers, it was beautiful and it smelled good!




And we met some pigeons... There are a lot of them in Montreal!



We continued walking.




And suddenly I noticed there were signs with Chinese writtings everywhere... So I ask my host mom, had we been walking so long that we were now China??
She said we were actually in Montreal's Chinatown! Which shouldn't really be called "Chinatown", because not all the restaurants and boutiques are Chinese, some are Japanese, Taiwanese, Korean, etc.






There was a cute graffiti!







There are gates like this with foo lions on most of the streets you can take to enter Chinatown.





As soon as you cross the gate you get back to the "normal" town... It's strange but it's fun!




We walked back to the subway station to meet with some of my host mom's friends.






We got off at Berri-UQAM again to wait for them.




Then we decided to go to the "Quartier Latin" (literally translated it would be "Latin Neighbourhood" ) to find a restaurant for dinner.

This is the "UQAM", which is the University of Quebec in Montreal.



There were all kinds of boutiques and restaurants.



Then we saw a really big statue!





We finally decided to go to a restaurant called "La Bulle au Carré". It's a French restaurant.



There were comic books and games on the tables to read an play while we waited!






We looked at the menu.



It was hard to choose! There were mostly hamburgers and crepes but they all sounded so good!



We decided to play Connect Four while we were waiting for our orders to be ready. Bine agreed to play with me!





And I won!!



We still had to wait a little bit though.





And finally our plates arrived! Dont you think it looks yummy?



Well, it was!



Then we ordered a crepe to share for desert. It's not really visible on the picture, but the waitor set the crepe on fire after he put it on our table!
My host mom told me it was a "crêpe flambée", so it's normal... that reassured me!



It was good but now I was really full!



After dinner we walked again a bit, and stopped in a park.










And finally we got to our final destination: the "Café Campus"! It is a small showbar, and we were going to see a humorists show!





We took pictures during the show, but unfortunately they were all dark and blurry because we weren't allowed to use flashs.
The show was funny though!

It ended late, so we walked back to my host mom's friend's car and went back home to get some rest.



I had a really fun day overall! It was nice to visit a new city and we were tired from walking so much but it was worth it!
Maybe we can try to go to Montreal again soon... My host mom says there are a lot of other places to visit since it's so big!
She also said we will most likely be going on a trip to Gatineau, a city near Ottawa, the capital of Canada, next week-end... It would be fun!

I hope you are doing well,
Viper

Hello mom!

Today we found a big envelope in the mailbox!

We decided to open it together...




It was Shooga, another TV travelling to Canada!



We gave her a group hug!



She had brought candies with her so we shared them.



Then we played with Gaby, one of my host mom's cats!





I'm sure we'll have fun with our new friend!
Love,
Viper

Hello mommy!

Today we visited one of my host mom's friends.

I met a toy that looked just like me, but bigger!



I think I'm prettier though.

Then we went downstairs to watch a movie, and I noticed something strange...

I ask my host mom, why are there plants in a showcase?



She told me to look closer...
Hey! It's a snake!




I met a real snake mom, I completed a first life mission! It's so cool!

I'm glad I made new friends today... I hope I'll get to meet more snakes, it was fun!

Love,
Viper

Hello mom!

The weather was warm and sunny today so we decided to go outside! We went to Mount Saint-Hilaire, which is about 30 minutes from my host mom's house.

There are a few trails that go to the top of the mountain. We chose to take the "Rocky" trail, which is the longest. It takes 4.8km!



After a while we saw some water... it was a lake!



It's called the "Hertel" lake. I didn't think there would be a lake on a mountain! It was nice.



We decided to rest a little.







We wanted to stay longer but we had to leave if we wanted to get to the top!









Hiking up a mountain is tiring! We had to take a few breaks to be able to keep going.









Only 0.5km left!





And here we are!



Isn't it nice? It's so high!



We can see the Yamaska rivers and all the houses and fields from up here!









It looks like we're closer to the clouds!



We rested a bit because we were tired...





And decided to make our way down.





...And we were finally back down the mountain! It was a lot faster to go down than up.





Time to go back home now!



I was glad to get back home and rest though, I was so tired! And we had a lot of fun.

Love,
Viper

Hello mommy,

Today our friend Bine had to leave us to travel to her next host.



We were sad to have to say goodbye to her, but I hope she will have a lot of fun in her future adventures.

Hello!

We decided to do a cake today! So we looked through some recipes and my host said we should try making a mayonnaise chocolate cake. It sounded really weird to put mayonnaise in a cake! But she said it didn't taste weird and it makes the cake really moist so we agreed to try it out!



We started gathering the ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, mayonnaise, water and an egg.



Then we gathered a bowl, utensils, measuring cups and a measuring spoon.



Now we were ready to begin!

First, I preheated the oven.



Then my host mom's new TV, Axel, started with the flour.





Then Shooga got to add the sugar.





I put some cocoa powder.





Mr. Furrington decided to add the baking powder.





Shooga added the baking soda.





And then she had to mix all these together before we added more ingredients!



Axel took some mayonnaise to add it to the mix.





And Mr. Furrington poured some water.





Shooga added the egg...





Almost done! I mixed the ingredients again.



And then Axel added the last ingredient: chocolate chips!



Mr. Furrington mixed everything one last time.



My host mom poured the mix into the mold and then we added some more chocolate chips together!



It's ready to go into the oven now!



It's cooking slowly...



And... all done!
It looks really yummy now! But it's late now, so I think we should wait for tomorrow before we eat it!

Hello mommy!

Today is Quebec's National Day! We couldn't go to the celebrations yesterday night, but we decided to go to Montreal today.

We had to wait for the bus to arrive.




And finally we got on the bus!



Then we had to take the subway again.



We got off at the "Champ-de-Mars" station.
We had to go through a tunnel to get outside the station.



Then we followed the signs to go to the "Old Port".



On our way, we walked by the Montreal City Hall.



We got up the stairs and saw a lot of people were resting beside a fountain. It was refreshing!








It was a hot day so we found a spot in the shadow to hide from the sun a bit.




We continued walking and got to a plaza.




We saw some street performers! There was a mime, and kids were trying to copy him... it was very cute and funny!



There were also other talented street performers.



And finally we got to the Old Port!



This is a big anchor! Can you see me? I'm so small compared to it!



We walked through some parts of the old port.



There were a lot of boats!



And there were horse with carriages on the streets. The horses must be hot, working at such a high temperature! At least they get to rest.



There were a lot of small streets full of stores and restaurants. It was nice!



We took the subway again because we decided to go watch a movie at the theater!



On our way we saw a small cathedral.



And finally we got to the theater!



We saw the movie Dark Shadows. It was really good! Then we decided to go home because it was raining and we didn't have an umbrella.

I had a fun time in Montreal though! And my host mom bought a Quebec flag to celebrate the National Holiday.



I hope you are doing well mommy!

xxx
- Viper

Hello!

Remember I said last Sunday was the National Quebec Day? Well, today, July 1st is Canada Day!
Happy Canada Day!!

We thought we could do something special today... My host mom suggested we go to the zoo! It's not related to Canada Day, but it's fun so we agreed!
So Mr. Furrington and I went to the Granby Zoo (with our host mom of course!) today!




We decided to go see the African animals first. We saw a big rhino!



But the elephants were even bigger!



Such a big skull...



Flamingos... They're so pretty with their pink feathers but they quack just like ducks. It's funny!




There weren't many zebras... they were probably resting somewhere in the shadow of the trees.



And the bats were eating. The fruits seemed to be very yummy because they all liked them!



Look! I'm on a gorilla!... Not a real one of course.




These are the skulls of a chimpanzee, a gorilla and a human!



Such a big tortoise!



And she lives with a nice goose.



Now I'm riding a plane!




What's this?



It's a hippo!




They have large skulls too!



Then we decided to try out the train ride!







Then we found a picnic table to rest and eat a bit.



Do you want some radish mommy?



Now... where should we go next?



Let's go see the Asian animals!

This Asian black bear is resting quietly on a rock beside the waterfall... It must be refreshing!



We saw some lory birds!




These looked like they were kissing.



And a Przewalski's horse.



Then we went to see the Siberian tigers!





A tiger's skull:



And there was a fish pond in the tigers' enclosure.



There were also some Amur leopards. They are so nice!




I was almost eaten by a hippo!



They were not real animals though, so it was safe!





Then we got to see some snow leopards! They were really beautiful.



After that it was almost time for the zoo to close, so we went back home.



It was tiring, but it was so fun to see all kinds of animals! I really enjoyed my day.

Love,
Viper

Hi!
Viper has arrived well in in austria!
I hope that you will like my updates!