Montreal - Part Four

Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine’s Day

Our final day in Montreal began with one last breakfast of oatmeal and raisin toast and then packing and loading bags and instruments on the bus. We picked up an interesting young man named Ronald who gave us a guided tour of Montreal including Saint Catherine’s Street, Mount Royal, St. Joseph’s Oratroy, The Old Port and Jacque Cartier Place. He explained not just what we were seeing but what we were experiencing during our trip. It was great to learn that the long, long dinners were custom and not slow service. We learned that Montreal had an extremely low crime rate, has more festivals than any other north American city and that you can move through most of the downtown without coming up from the underground. The underground is a series of subways, shopping malls and travel corridors built below the streets. We shopped and had lunch just under St. Catherine Street which is the main shopping area in Montreal. I was surprised that there was so much going on underground given that the street level sidewalks were packed, as well, when we were there.
After lunch we were invited to an Open Dress Rehearsal with West Island Youth Symphony. Their symphony orchestra consisted of not just strings but also horns, woodwinds and percussion. Wow, they were phenomenal, performing both the Butterfly Lovers and the Firebird while we listened and watched in awe. We had a brief social gathering in which our kids didn't really talk to their kids but sadly stayed in their normal little cliches. The kids from both orchestras posed for a group photo and then we boarded the bus for the long ride to Niagara Falls.

Monday, February 15, 2010

We had spent the night on the American side of the Falls but in the morning we passed back into Canada for a performance at the Visitor's Grand Hall beside Table Rock above the Falls. The kids played better than ever and the sound was amazing in spite of the fact they were surrounded by glass and marble. Visitors from all over the globe listened, took photos and recorded the Mariemont High School Orchestra. I got chills thinking that they would now be seen all over the world. Thus we decided they need a banner indicating who they are and where they are from. We chaperones plan to work on that project this Spring.

After lunch and a tour behind Horseshoe Falls, we were back on our bus for what we had hoped would be an 8 hour drive home. Due to the heavy snowfall in southern Ohio, our trip instead took more than 12 hours. We stopped in Mansfield, Ohio for dinner and were informed that I-71 was shut down near Columbus due to a large pileup of cars. John headed back north to a route he knew and we reached Lima, Ohio then headed south on I-75 instead. The roads weren't too bad until we reached Dayton, Ohio where the roads were covered with snow. John reassured us that the weight of our bus would help us get through and sleepy parents were called to pick up the kids and cargo at 3:00 a.m.

It was a wonderful adventure!