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| - I guess I should first explain how I got to La Ronde. I was on tour with a Senegalese band, traveling around the Great Lakes. I had a day free in Montreal so I asked the concierge what I absolutely could not miss seeing while in town. She tells me that there's an church in "Old Montreal" that I have to see.
I got up early and went out for cereal. Cereal in Canada is not as sweet as cereal in the US, in case you were wondering. After breakfast I start to walk down toward Old Montreal, which has a bunch of docks. I cannot find this church. I ask a family about to get on a boat "ou est la cathedral de (whatever the name of the church was)?" They ask if I'm American, tell me the church is just a few docks away and suggest I get on the boat and they'll take me there.
Now normally I wouldn't get on a stranger's boat but I think, they're not going to murder me with their kids there so I get on. They give me half a sandwich. I explain why I'm there, etc. I start to realize that Montreal is bigger than I thought. They drop me off, explain how to get to the church and invite me to their house for dinner. I thank them.
They dropped me off at the wrong place. I somehow ended up at the Molson factory, no church in sight. This is not the fault of my French. I'm not sure how this occurred. I ask some men standing outside in Molson jackets if they know where the church is. They say they don't. That's fine. Now I want a tour of the Molson factory, even though it is offensively stinky outside. I ask for a tour and they told me either they don't have tours on Sundays or they didn't do tours at all. I say please. They say "non." I say pleeeease. They say "non."
So then I'm getting a tour of the Molson factory. It is even stinkier than I expected; blah blah blah fermentation. Because they're not supposed to let anyone in, I didn't get to see much. Maybe the official tour is more interesting. I ask the guys where I can find poutine, an item that everyone told me I should try and they tell me about a little cafe up the road about a mile. I don't remember its name.
I walk to the cafe and order some poutine and a beer. At this point, my roommate Omar (who I was traveling with) calls and asks where I am because he wants to go out for lunch. I pause. I say "actually, I'm not even sure I'm in Montreal anymore. But don't worry, I'll find my way back." He does not let this go. I suppose it would look bad if he came with me and 15 Senegalese men to Quebec and came back without me. I ask the waiter where I am and he says "pres de le parc d'attractions!"
"Quel parc d'attractions!?" j'ai demande.
Turns out the waiter got off in another hour. I drink two more beers. He has a monthly pass and we walk across a really beautiful bridge to the amusement park. We get halfway across the bridge and he starts to reconsider. It looks like it's going to rain. In the story I tell my friends, I went the amusement park with the guy because they would think it's crazy that I went by myself, but I did.
What is this a review for again?
Oh, right.
So La Ronde. Well, when it rains you slip all over the place if you're in flip flops. I had to walk barefoot all day. I couldn't believe it was a Six Flags because everything there seemed very pared down. The roller coasters that I've been on a Six Flags parks in the US are much bigger. Lots of annoying American kids, but I guess you find that at any amusement park near America. Nothing amazing, but if you're in Montreal and regular site seeing isn't doing it for you it's not a bad idea. Tickets ran around $45.
My hotel ended up being about 9 km away. I wish I could review the cab service because it was only $10 or so to get me all the way back there.
By the way, does anyone know where that church is?
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