Halloween and football

Bonsoir tout le monde!

Nothing special happened during the last week, I had my last midterm exam on Monday, and the lack of events and work made me feel a bit homesick… Actually, I do miss you!!! I already met lots of people here but sometimes, I’d like to have a real good friend by my side…

As you all know, last night was Halloween… well in Germany you usually go to normal parties but in North America, Halloween is much more important. It’s the only occasion in the year for costume parties (like our carnival). Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to go a private party of Canadians (as the party I intended to go to finally didn’t take place) but nevertheless I had lots of fun.
Friday night, the other exchange students from Munich came to my place and we had a pumpkin cooking evening. Pumpkin cream soup (excellent recipe) , another pumpkin dish (quite difficult to describe), homemade mousse au chocolat (I loved it although I don’t like sweet things that much), wine cooler with pineapples (lot’s of alcool; German: Bowle, I’m not sure if the translation is right) and beer(not as good as German beer)… Yummy!!

Yesterday I watched my first football match, one of the must-sees as it is part of the university culture and a really big spectacle. I went there with a French girl a know from one of my courses. The first picture shows the team of “my” university – Les Carabins - entering the field. By the way, the building in the background is the music faculty.

No football match without Cheerleaders…

Well, that’s me enjoying the football match. You’ll have to get used to this appearance, it’s my winter coat that makes me look like twice my normal size ;-) Yesterday, it was only to support our team by dressing in blue but sooner or later, I’ll have to wear this coat every day…

Last night, All Hallows’ Eve, I went to a theatre showing the Rocky Horror Picture Show!! Quite spontaneously, I decided (or maybe I should say that I was persuaded) to try to get a ticket immediately before the show. Thus, I had no time to go shopping for a costume (suspenders etc) but I tried at least to adapt a little bit to the costumes of my friends what meant neither jeans nor skirt… Those of you how know the film will recognize Frank on the left.








That afternoon, I enjoyed the nice autumn sun and walked along the “Canal de Lachine” that allowed ships to bypass the Lachine Rapids in former times and was important for the shipping traffic to the great lakes. Thus, an important industrial site developed in the surroundings but the canal was closed to shipping in 1970. Today, you find ruins of corn silos and factories in that area…

Another strange thing observed in Montreal to finish this post:
All night clubs and bars have to close at 3 am and there are only illegal clubs that are open from 3 am till the next morning. Nevertheless, clubs are quite empty if you go there before midnight what means that you have only two or three hours for dancing. Party till the first train is not possible here =( And although all club close at 3, there is no metro at that time. You have to know people living next to the club or you have to take the taxi. Fortunately, I can walk home from the Plateau (the “Schwabing of Montréal”). After two months, we accepted that there is no party till dawn but last night the discussion about it rose again. Contrary to Europe, we changed to winter time last night what means that we gained one hour last night. This could have been the only night that clubs close one hour later but actually that’s not the case. Anyway, I didn’t find yet a club where I would really like to stay till 5 am but I continue searching ;-)

Bonne nuit!! Miss you
geli