… about it being a very long day today. And I felt almost every minute of it too.<\/p>\n
The Orleans Express bus was due to leave Riviere du Loup at 01:15 and much to my and everyone else’s surprise, it was bang on time, pulling into the bus depot at 00:50 ready to load up.<\/p>\n
It was crowded, as I expected too. I had to share a seat so I wasn’t at all comfortable and I felt every jolt and bump at least as far as Sainte-Foy. But I did manage to drop off for a short while afterwards and awoke again as we were pulling off the highway at Longueuil.<\/p>\n
After we had pulled into the bus station at Montreal bang on time at 06:15 I performed my usual task of disappearing for a ride on the porcelain horse for a while to catch up on my beauty sleep, such as it is, and then repaired to the cafe for breakfast.<\/p>\n
At about 09:00 I wandered round the back of the bus station to my hotel. The room wasn’t ready at all, which was no surprise, but the guy on duty made me a coffee and I watched a TV programme about the treasure of Oak island amidst a wave of serious fatigue.<\/p>\n
A little later I went for a walk down to the old harbour, along the canal and then back up rue Peel to the rue St Catherine.<\/p>\n
Lunch was taken at the Subway in the Complexe Desjardins in the rue St Catherine. And I had to explain to the “Sandwich Artist” not once, not twice, not three times but FOUR TIMES that a “vegetarian with no cheese” really DOES mean “no cheese”.<\/p>\n
I really don’t know where they find these people.<\/p>\n
But I tell you what I DID find in a Dollar Store were some sweets that passed very well for the aniseed balls of my youth – when I eventually managed to buy them because the whole queue was held up by some guy arguing with the girls and the manageress at the check-out.<\/p>\n
By now my room was ready so having fought my way in with this stupid key and stupid door lock, I could have a shower and wash some clothes.<\/p>\n
And to … errr … catch up on some more beauty sleep.<\/p>\n
Later on I took the metro to Cote Vertu for some bananas and grapes at the wholesaler’s, and then across the road for the Indian cafe.<\/p>\n
No I’m back, and it’s bed-time. No alarm in the morning because it’s going to be another long and painful night tomorrow.<\/p>\n
