Monday 20 January 2014

First time skiing :)

So, I'm well on my way in to the winter term here in Canada, and although it got off to a rather unproductive start (lying in a sofa fort watching endless amounts of Angel), i am now feeling much more productive and ready to try all new things.

This weekend i started my first swing dance lesson and loved it! Definitely going to go again, and again, and again :P

I also went skiing for the first time this weekend, a little more eventful than the swing dancing, i have to say! After the bus being pulled over by the police we finally made it to Wentworth where a whole load of equipment was handed to me, none of which i knew how to put on. With the help of many people i was finally ready to leave the rental lodge and learn to ski. I am told i picked it up very quickly, until, after getting a little over ambitious and trying out an actual slope, rather than the bunny hill. I fell flat on my face after attempting to get out of the ski lift (people make it look so graceful) and made it part way down the hill in tiny little turns and lots of falling over, and with the end in sight... I could do no more. I took the ski's off and ambled down on foot, only for a snow mobile to approach me. My first thought was that i was going to be told off for walking and not skiing, then i thought he was going to run me over, but instead he told me to jump on the back and he would take me to the bottom of the hill. A hero really!

After that i thought it would be better, for my own safety, to retire to the lodge and dry off with a cup of hot chocolate. So i did just that!

I'm sure I'll be a pro in no time ;)

Saturday 4 January 2014

Christmas and New years in Montreal :)

I have just returned from my 3 week stint in Montreal and was greeted so lovingly back to Halifax by a blizzard and the locks being changed on my apartment building. But all is resolved now, the snow ploughs have been about and access was gained to my home by dismantling the lock on the door!

So, my time in Montreal, well, it was amazing! I have never before seen so much snow and tried or retried all new things! Ice skating for one, i thought my ability to stay standing on ice was pretty low, but it seems not, by the fact i did not fall over one and actually managed to let go of the bar at the side of the rink.

I went to my first NHL game and it was amazing, we had surprisingly good seats and it is true, it is a show! We were seeing the Canadiens and won, which always makes the atmosphere amazing!

We did lots of exploring of the city going to the most hipster place on earth, mile end, going to see aboriginal art exhibitions, going to maple syrup museums and watching fire work displays as well as baking our own bread and learning more about the history of Montreal.

Christmas day and boxing day we gorged on endless amounts of food and watched Christmas films (if you can count Angel as a Christmas film ;)), we opened up all of our gifts that had been sent from home (endless amounts of socks for me :P) and had an all round chilled out few days :)

For new years we decided to go to this little Irish pub we had seen one day on our wanders and we had dinner and then headed out to a big countdown and firework event at the old port. There were so many people and it was so exciting, if not a tad nippy. And the amount of people i saw out that night in -26 with barely anything on, i would be surprised if they didn't get hypothermia (damn do i sound like an old lady :P).

But all in all, a wonderful 3 weeks in Montreal, now to settle back in to life in Halifax and prepare for the next term :)