contrasts in city

I love the contrasts in this city, all the different people and views in the streets, the mix of very ugly and very nice and interesting. When you walk in down town you'll meet a lot of homeless people, much more than I´m used to, and it´s to me a wonder how they can survive a Montreal winter with freezing cold winds and snow, sometimes temperatures under -40. Brrrr...

I like all the amazing amount of projects and courses and other initiatives that I see everywhere around where I look, stuff for supporting this and that and to spreading the knowledge about this and that. It´s about homelessness, HIV, drugs, mixed cultures, immigrants, languages, youth in trouble, disabled, psychic related problems, environmental projects, political awareness... etc.. you name it... I must say, it feels much more alive than in Sweden, maybe I´m wrong, but it´s the feeling I get.

A supernice contrast you see especially down town is all the churches completely squeezed in between high office buildings and big shoppingmalls. This city is famous for all its churches, and I guess they came long before the sky scrapers... Unfortunatly I still mis a digital camera, so you will have to come here and see it for yourselves (peak, peak :)

Another really nice thing is the buildings that are left from the world Expo in 1967, I have only visited one of them, the Biosphere, an amazing structure on one of the islands in the Lawrence river. It´s now turned into a nature history museum with a focus on environmental issues and biology. Very, very cool to see the architecture. But I still haven´t visited the amazing apartment building Habitat 67, witch is an extra ordinary structure along the water close to the harbor. I saw a TV program about this building before I moved and I just have to see it soon! It´s built out of cubes, all the same but each and everyone a bit turned around in different angles so all of them have their own part of the view, some sunny sides and a own private garden inside in between the neighbors "cube" apartment. It was supposed to be built for an uncosty living with quite low rent, but of course it became an artistic hit and now all the cool people with tons of money and architectual interest lives here.
Wanna join me for an excursion?
PS: most photos can be viewed in full size by clicking on them.