2017-05-27

【Aiden in English】

        After day one's experience, I felt hollow. With only three hours of sleep, I was a walking skeleton in the dawn. American Airlines offered brief moments of rest, but it really wasn't enough for my tired brain. The sluggish start to this trip also left our plans in shambles. Not only did we miss the meeting time of our first tour, so mom had to twig 3 schedules around and set up the easy one today after so much drama happened. Another day's tour replaced today's. Therefore, no activities would be missed. 

        The location of Hyatt Regency where we stayed in, downtown Montreal, was quite nice. It was within walking distance of museums, restaurants, shops, especially next to Chinatown. Today's Montreal City Guided Sightseeing Tour consisted of a drive through the metropolitan area, stopping here and there for pictures. To be honest, this was not my type of adventure. I prefer the "hop off, walk around" kind of tours, where information is much closer to my face. Under the condition that I was in, however, exercise was not a good idea. Instead, I gladly accepted the laid back, storytelling fashion of the tour, and occasionally hit the snooze button. 

        Montreal was a normal city on the outside. But because of its historic heritage, details stood out from other American icons. The downtown featured an old street of cobble. Vendors and stores lined the road like any other metropolitans. Underground, however, was a different world. Due to months of snow, many apartments and malls were linked to an underground system of stores and shops, which then revolved around a subway system. Essentially, this allowed the population of the city to remain indoors throughout most of the brutal winter. Our adventure of the Underground City included walking around for ten minutes, snapping a few photos, watching a water fountain, and getting lost. But the underground had three floors and a parking garage, which goes to show the extent of the city. 

        Canada, originally, was Native American territory. But like any other European country, France decided to "colonize" Canada. Therefore, the French culture literally stepped out of every inch of the city. From food to buildings, language to manners, Montreal was a French city among American wannabes. Luckily, we were not totally confused, as it is a national law that English and French are both equally national languages. Montreal, home to the 1976 Olympics, boasted amazing scenery as well. From Mount Royal to many skyscrapers, entire snapshots of the city could be captured on a single frame. Among the buildings, you could tell that Montreal was still a growing city. A lot of high-rises were under construction, and most roads had workers expanding the roads. This also showed that it was a changing city. Using a bit of science, the population has created many jokes about the seasons and their effects. They say Montreal has two seasons: winter and construction. If you don't understand, ask your parents. 

        So what is Montreal like today? Well, it's actually quite nice, like its people. They party a lot. They dance in the streets, hold parades, and gather crowds to watch. This gives the area spirit and a soul. City wise, the culture is in a drastic change. Technology has slowly integrated into everything. Montreal itself feels like a modern city rapidly growing over but not covering its origins. I like that. And in many more ways than one, it's oddly relatable to Philadelphia. 

【红霞译文】

        经过前一天折腾，我身心疲惫，仅剩下仨钟头睡眠时间，难怪凌晨出门的时候我宛如一具行尸走肉。美国航空公司只给我们留出这点喘息工夫，弄得脑袋瓜总是昏昏沉沉。一步没赶上步步赶不上，本次旅游出师不利，致使整个计划陷入僵局。因为错过第一天集合时间，妈妈不得不在应对诸多戏剧性变化之后重新调整今后三天出游行程，把另外一天的活动挪到今天来搞，这样每项安排不会泡汤。

        我们入住的凯悦大酒店坐落在蒙特利尔闹市区，位置相当理想，距离博物馆、餐馆、商店、尤其是唐人街仅有几步之遥。今天我们乘坐旅游大巴跟随导游横穿全城，驻足各大招牌景点，不时捕捉镜头算作对自己有所交待，说实话这种游憩方式并不符合本人口味，我倒情愿“下车遛达”，亲身感受当地风土人情。而针对现有条件，要想活动筋骨未必可行。既然如此，我不如顺其自然，边听故事边兜风，偶尔再打个盹养足精神。

        外观上，蒙特利尔是一个挺不起眼的城市，但由于历史悠久，一座别具人文魅力的古城就这样从北美地标上脱颖而出。老城街巷少不了用鹅卵石铺筑，如同其它各大都会，马路两旁商家店铺鱼贯而出，地下城俨然是一个不同的世界，由于每年冰天雪地长达数月之久，许多公寓大厦购物中心皆与地下综合设施联成一体，地铁沿线更是车水马龙。实质上，每当严冬来临，地下城为当地人开辟了室内活动新天地。其间我们专程考察了地下城，前后不出十分钟，从逛街遛弯拍张留影到观看喷泉表演，刚一转身立刻掉向。地下城建有三层，附设停车场，由此可见它的规模气势。

        加拿大原本属于印第安人地盘，但像欧洲其它国家一样，法国决定把它开发成“殖民地”，因此法国文化渗透到社会各个角落，从饮食到建筑，从语言到礼仪，蒙特利尔堪称北美土壤里绽放的法兰西奇葩。幸亏加拿大国语为英法两种文字，我们才不至于深陷困境。曾经举办过1976年奥运会的蒙特利尔风景秀丽，皇家山和各式各样的摩天大楼成为全城的一道风景线，从这些建筑物中不难看到这座城市依旧处于发展阶段,不少高楼正加紧施工，拓宽路面的工人无处不在，表明蒙特利尔还是一个日趋变化的城市。引用一点科学术语，人们编出很多跟季节有关并带有感情色彩的笑话，蒙特利尔总共有两个季节：冬天和施工，假如你不明白什么意思，不妨问一下父母。

        那么今天的蒙特利尔到底怎样呢？它非常和善，正如当地老百姓一样；擅长各种爬梯，爱在大街上跳舞，喜欢游行示威，乐于集会凑热闹，这些有助于激发人的精神风貌。就城市而言，文化发生了巨变，科技已经逐渐渗透到各个领域，蒙特利尔就像一个现代化城市快速发展但又不掩饰自己的过去，我喜欢这个样子。说来也怪，蒙特利尔听起来在很多方面很像费城。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2012: 维吉尼亚州阿萨蒂格岛(Assateague, VA)

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