Biophilia

Today in our environmental science class at Champlain, we observe the wonders of biodiversity (well, at least in the plant kingdom). The Botanical Gardens covers 185 acres of land within Montreal, so you can actually get a little lost if you're not familiar with the place. In these photos you just get a little taste of what you might see if you visit - the animalistic curves of bonsais in the Chinese garden, the wisdom of the willows, and the hundreds of species of blossoming and brilliantly vibrant flowers.

After an hour and a half of walking around the grounds, the field trip was over and it was time to go. The Botanical Gardens is one of those places where you can spend a whole day there and still not see everything. So I stayed after with a few other students to check out the greenhouse exhibit, which was the real display of just how diverse plant life can be. One moment you're walking in a room full of cactus of all shapes and sizes, elephant foot trees and desert flowers, and in the next room you're in the middle of a steamy rainforest with exotic fruits and blooming orchids. In orchids alone, there are over 20,000 known species, and for each orchid there is a distinct specie of insect that spreads its pollen for reproduction. If that specie of insect were to die off, then the orchid would soon follow. It's really incredible if you think about it.

In Montreal, there are rainbows everyday

This shot was taken at Mount Royal right after a rainstorm hit the city. The dark thunderclouds left an array of brilliant colors in their wake.

Descending Mount Royal, Time: Two O'Clock In The Morning

So I'm at the summit of Mount Royal, enjoying my small victory, and these two college kids come by - a boy and a girl - and they tell me they're lost. They've been looking for a way down without a flashlight (or any sense of direction, apparently) for three hours. You know, I always wanted to be a Sherpa and here was my chance, so I led them down the mountain. I tell them, "My name is Peter, but you can call me Jesus." And so they do for the rest of the journey.


I learn that they're McGill Freshmen, been in town about as long as I have. Ben is majoring in Jazz - bass guitar, actually. He's from Western Canada. Lola is from France. She's a cutie. And as a matter of fate, they also drank some wine earlier that night, and so we had a very social walk back to McGill campus. We part ways outside of a Tim Hortons in downtown after talking with some Dawson College kids who needed a light for their... well, it may or may not have been tobacco. I take a quick picture of Ben and Lola (you'd think they were a couple or something) and head off to the UQAM Residence at three in the morning.


I end the night perfectly content, with a couple of new friends and no regrets.


I'd like to thank Champlain Abroad for making this night possible.

Destinacion Mount Royal, Time: 'Round Past Midnight

After a week of staying indoors just trying to escape the heat, we finally get a beautiful sixty degree night with a cool breeze. And with a little wine in me, I decide to spend my Saturday night hiking (and getting lost on) Mount Royal. When I reach the park at the base of the mountain, I see the Angel statue forms an eerie silhouette against a cloudy orange night sky (see picture above). It's really quite apocalyptic. And with that I strap on my headlamp and ascend.

At first everything is going so well, and then I take the wrong route up the mountain, you know, the road less traveled by. It turns out to be a dead end, a thirty foot rock face and it's not just at a ninety degree angle with where I'm standing... no, that would be too easy. It's more like a sixty degree angle, a pitch-black-thirty-foot-colossal-monster of a rock wall looming over me. But I'm quite stubborn about it, and rather than turn around I decide to get my hands dirty and scale the beast. It's around one AM, by the way.

There's a fifteen foot drop below me, and a fifteen foot climb ahead of me, and that's when I realize I can't go any further. There's nothing to grab on to. For a split second I wonder what my epitaph will read. "Peter Barry: beloved son, died while doing what he loved most - drinking wine and hiking mountains." There are worse ways to go. Anyways, I climb down, defeated, and then I shine the headlamp to my right. "Oh," I say out loud, "there's the path." Whoops. So I reach the top, and my God is it gorgeous (see pictures above).

Champlainers, I suggest doing this hike (1) with others and (2) not at one in the morning.

This is just the way I do things, it's not the way it should be done. Not at all.

We're not in Kansas anymore

These are some pictures I took of a day hike last week (yes; last week in the ninety-degree-so-hot-I-can't-breathe-sleeping-naked-with-five-fans-on-and-taking-three-cold-showers-a-day-because-the-UQAM-residence-has-no-AC-WEATHER). I found a park with giant chess boards and then I took a stroll by the waterfront. The sun sets in a red haze, but the coolness of night is still... eighty-three degrees and humid as the Amazon.

I also stumbled upon a clock tower - THE Montreal Clock Tower. It's open to the public and if you're not afraid of heights, you Champlainers should check it out. The path to the top is a narrow winding staircase that wobbles and shakes with every step. At the top itself you feel a bit claustrophobic and on a windy day, you'll have to hold on to the rusty metal bars that separate you from the open air and a forty-five meter drop to certain doom. So, it's not for the faint of heart, you understand. But the views are incredible.

Game Artisans - a fine place with fine art and fine people

As I was desperately searching for an internship around Montreal, I came across a little gallery called Game Artisans. I spoke with the owner of the place (Fred) for a good half an hour and I showed him all of my artwork. Even though he didn't have an internship for me, I agreed to volunteer anyway. I took a few pictures of the gallery (see above), and you can see why I was so drawn to this place. You don't need to play video games to appreciate this digital art form - it's simply beautiful.

So if you're ever in the Montreal area, stop by the Game Artisans gallery at 366 Mayor Street. They have models come in every Saturday for figure drawing sessions. It's a ten dollar charge, but for three hours of poses it is definitely worth it. For Art and Animation majors at Champlain: If you've ever heard of Comicon Challenge, these guys started it. This is their office, and the Comicon Challenge is actually how they acquire all of this amazing art, so check it out.