I left off after
describing the magnificent fireworks display on Canada Day last Wednesday
evening, going out with a bang, so to speak.
We never seem to be
able to sleep very late, so we took off the next morning for the Jardin Botanique (Botanical Garden).
Not only was it very large and very beautiful, it had a distinct advantage in
our eyes of being almost entirely flat, making it much easier to get around. We
certainly did not see everything but we spent a number of hours there on a
beautiful day full of sunshine.
Having made a decision to stay through the
weekend, we stopped to pick up more food and check out the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal (International Jazz Festival). This
annual festival is held at countless venues all over the downtown area, not far
from where we were staying. This year over 3000 musicians from 30 countries performed
more than 650 concerts, 450 of them free, over 9 days. The estimated attendance
was 3.5 million people!
One highlight performer
we saw was Adam Cohen, where the crowd was estimated at upwards of 100,000
people! Some of you may recognize the name of his father, Leonard Cohen, a
native of Montréal who has been a poet, singer, and songwriter since the late
1960s. Some of his earlier compositions were popularized by other singers, for
example “Suzanne” sung by Judy Collins, and his song “Hallelujah” performed by
many artists over the years. Adam is much more the showman than his father, and
the crowd clearly loves him.
Having gone to a
number of crowded places and events over our week in Canada, we found the behavior
of the crowds quite refreshing. If you ever wonder where all the politeness has
gone, look north! There was surprisingly little garbage strewn around after
that Adam Cohen performance, probably most of it left behind by patrons
visiting from the country to the south, who seem to be accustomed to leaving
garbage in public places. The other thing that was quite heartwarming was the
number of times people offered assistance with the wheelchair or scooter. When
we had difficulty on the cobblestones, numerous people asked if they could
help. One evening, we had arrived at one of the outdoor performances a bit
after it started, and sitting in my scooter I could not see a thing. A woman
standing by us tried to offer us a path towards the front but we declined. A
few minutes later another woman came up and simply said “this will not do” and
took it upon herself to ask people to please move and let me through. Although a
bit embarrassing, her act was amazingly heartwarming.
All good things must
come to an end [Aside: the original line from Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th
century was “There is an end to everything, to good things as well.”] so on
Sunday morning we headed back to New York on another gloriously sunny day. All
I can say is that Barry has already checked out the dates for the 2016 festival!
Back to life in New
York, next week is our first Summer Week with a Grandchild, and Joshua will be
with us. We have some great plans for him.
Have a nice weekend.
Love,
Rebecca
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