Montreal - top right corner of France

Fri 13 Feb 2009
Tip of the day: Visit Montreal with a skilled local to get the best.

Having escaped the wintery "credit-crunched" chill of the UK, the most perfect landing punctuated the arrival into frosty Montreal. The airport is modern, efficient and includes a free "Welcome to Canada" from the immigration officer. This contrasts starkly with UK (read prior entries).

Waiting in the arrivals haul was Marie-Claude, world-traveler, Cirque de Soliel employee and Montreal girl through and through. Girlfriend from 2005, Marie-Claude had joined me on my first voyage up the Great Barrier Reef on "Queenslander!", my first catamaran.

Answering the promise to visit her one day in Quebec, I was now here and a warm hug dissipated any concerns about being lead into the forest and buried in a shallow grave.

Montreal is a square blocked island city, with scarcely a hill, grand churches feature on every corner. Their bells are almost silent, religion in recession here as it is in most parts of the western world, its seems Christianity needs to find a new way to belong… or at least put in free Wifi Internet.

Marie was a wonderful host, loving her city, her time in tourism shines through as she examples the wonders of her home city. There was Putscine to eat, long walks around the city, to the hill top vantage over the city and surrounding plains. A home dinner party was in order for a friend's birthday. It was all very wonderful. A night playing pool, watching Montreal playing hockey capped with a mile high meat sandwich at the queue for a seat famous Schwatz's. It was action packed and entertaining, this south of the equator Muppet even went ice skating for the first time. Watching tomorrows NHL players and other 3 year olds whip around the rink was an inspiration to try a bit harder, or least do one more lap holding onto the rail. Eventually I had the basic moves right as I wobbled, teetered and arm waved accidentally into the paths of other skaters, much to Marie's mirth.

In summary, Montreal is a wonderful city to experience, particularly in the hands of a passionate resident.

John Nayler

Digital Marketer. Sailor. Speaker

John Nayler

Brisbane, QLD

0407 15 13 11

John Nayler

In a world where it is critical to cut through the noise and stand out, John Nayler quietly delivers significant competitive advantage through an in-depth knowledge and intense fascination with content, information and the digital world. Describing his first contact with the internet in 1998 as ‘Love At First Sight’, John successfully created the laptop lifestyle before it was a buzzword, growing a highly regarded digital and media agency, inventing and commercialising products, and launching niche magazines, from aboard his boat in the Whitsunday Islands – one of the most sought after island locations in the world. Competitive advantage is a hard-contact, tactical game which can be won or lost in the digital space. John’s education and commitment to his field, and experience at the forefront of marketing and management in the IT space, delivers an innate understanding of how to position, communicate and leverage to deliver improved visibility, lead flow, and ultimately drive sales and profitability...

eCentral Brisbane Digital Marketing

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