Montreal is a city that throws itself into the arms of summer wholeheartedly and without reservation. Having been brutalized, battered and bewildered by the onslaught of another unexpectedly dreadful winter, the summer is greeted with festivals and outdoor cafes and live events, each topped with layers of glistening, newly revealed flesh, begging to be bronzed.
Right now we have the Jazz festival, the Zoofest, the Comedy Festival, Piknik Elektronik and a whole bunch of other things going on to ("Haiitian drumming fest? well since you're asking Parc Jean Drapeau, turn right at the water fest")
People here say things like "Life is short, summer is shorter" as they throw off their clothes and head for somewhere mortifyingly public.
So when summer is late and clouds spoil the sparkling blush of your second glass of Rose people get upset.
It's not as warm as it should be here. 23c rather than 28c. It's not as sunny either - humidity bringing in clouds in the afternoon. And people are pissed. They've been cheated. Out of the arms of brutal winter into the arms of a summer that turned out to be flaccid? Hell no! They won't stand for Summerectile Dysfunction... and they're out for blood.
Me? I'll admit that when the sun shines brightest the place is amazing. That its rays are transformative. But I'll settle for a watery sun here over the oft brilliantly blue skies and searing heat of Michigan. As I write - the sun is pouring through the window. I have a Cafe au lait in my hand, the cup that holds has the most beautiful graphic (it's from Toi, Moi et Cafe - si vous adorez le cafe) and I can hear birds in the trees outside.
Am I feeling cheated? Only out of the comedy festival... I had tickets for shows between July 20 and the end lined up and now need to be in New York all of that week. But that's money in the bank... and money in the bank means less time here in the winter.. so all is good....
Peace out