Today was a rest day. I slept in and we had breakfast with the family.
A little later, Jonathan and I picked up a bike stand from a friend and I was able to do some maintenance on Rosinante and clean her from the road dirt.
After a short nap, we ventured off to see the “Tam Tam” at the bottom of Mont Real, the highest point in Montreal. Here, every Sunday in summer, people gathered to jam playing all sorts of drums and percussion in different groups. Others dance, watch or just chill.
Other groups would dress up as medieval fighters and reinstate battlefield scenes going at each other with wooden swords, bows, arrows and other stuff.
There was a lot of Cannabis in the air and that had been like that even before it was legalized, Jonathan told me.
It felt kind of hippie and free spirited.
We hiked up the mountain with a lot of stairs and I could really feel my legs now. I was happy when we were at the top.
We were rewarded with a gorgeous view over Montreal.
On top there was a gathering hall which had hosted a G8 summit once.
After some rest, we hiked down again and passed by the famous McGill University on the way.
On our way through the city we saw different neighborhoods. The Hasidic-Jewish community was particularly noteworthy. You only see men on the street dressed in black coats and hats and with their characteristic beards and forelocks.
Virginie and Jonathan had once tried to buy a house there but did not feel welcome in the neighborhood.
We went back home and Virginie prepared one of her signature dishes, pasta with mushroom sauce, while I helped Jonathan to change a tire on his road bike and took care of my laundry.
Dinner was delicious and I ate more than I should have. But I would burn it off on my way to Quebec City as of tomorrow.
We told stories, laughed a lot and around 9pm, I went to bed and fell asleep in an instant.