Read Part 2 here.
Any gamer would know about Assasin’s Creed, a brainchild of Ubisoft. This company is situated on Saint Laurent, Mile-End, Montreal.
Mile End- Gay Village: A real young Montreal
Mile End is an emerging art hub in Montreal, for those who cannot afford to live in the city center with rising rents. The area was filled with art galleries, studios, record studios, organic shops, tiny shops with all kinds of art and craft.
I was fascinated by houses painted in different colors with one common feature: a metal staircase leading up to the upper floor balcony. Poetic. Most of the population there were students, each renting a floor in the house.
I was with Martine, a student who worked part-time as a tour guide with a cute French accent. As I adored the staircases, Martine commented “Yeah, but the mailmen here suffer cause it’s really cold in the winder here. You know, all these stairs won’t climb themselves!”
“They must have pretty muscular bodies then?” I asked and Martine burst into laughing.
In Mile End, all works of art were “homemade”. Once in a while, I caught sight of some hippy pieces made of recycled materials somewhere behind lush bushes. Martine said that since the population was so young, they enjoy recycling along with creativity and entrepreneurship. I also heard that the area gave out seeds and prizes for whoever planted the most trees to incentivize environmentally-friendly initiatives. I was happy I found another facet of Montreal, while secretly wishing for a future when I can see similar things back in my home country Vietnam.
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Martine also showed me the Gay Village. Without a map, I could not have lost anyway because of the rainbow flags adorning every inch of the space above my head – the symbol of the LGBTQA community (1). Canada has always been more straight forward with their support for this community compared to the rest of the world. Same-sex marriage has been legalized in Canada since 2005.
I still remember the image of the charming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau happily waving flags and celebrating the Pride Parade in Vancouver, alongside his people in the LGBTQA community. Despite the fact that there is much more room for improvement and that Trudeau has a lot left to do in his role, it cannot be denied that Canada set a great example for the neighboring nations about how a future with equality for the LGBTQA population could be created.
Not just for the gay population, Gay Village is a party scene for the young population of Montreal. Couldn’t wait until dawn, bars, pubs and the drunk started dancing around the streets reminded me of a red-light street in Europe. I got scared myself when a middle-aged homeless man followed me through some streets…just to give me a bunch of wildflowers!
Circus of the Sun
Maybe the appreciation for beauty has been seeded and watered in the heart of the people of Montreal ever since they are young.
I first knew of Montreal because this place is the home of the world-famous Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), so I could not miss the chance of watching them here where everything started. Founded by two street artists, this circus is special because they don’t just pull off the most challenging moves but also breathe them into life with the liveliest of storytellings.
On my last day in Montreal, I worked my way up Mont Royal, the namesake of Montreal. From above, I got to see the whole canvas of glass skyscrappers packed side by side, listening to some spontaneous pianist playing without a sheet. Strangely, I found myself comparing this city to a real circus of the sun, cleverly transforming from simplicity to magnificence, new and old, keeping people curious and interested once and forever.
Notes:
(1) LGBTQA: short for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Asexual/Aromantic
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