Yesterday we left the school at about 9:45 am. The van that they had brought us was a bit too small, so Deb called and they quickly sent a larger one. It just so happened that this new van had a DVD player. So, on our first pit stop at a PetroCan, we bought two movies: About A Boy and The Majestic. So, we popped in the first movie and watched it until we got to Woodstock around noontime at which point we ate at Stiles. After our lunch, we drove all the way to Quebec City while watching the end of the movie and then talking about today’s competition. We decided to stop here 5 PM (of course, the time changes back an hour so we were quite hungry by this point) and to go done to Old Quebec for supper. After shortly discussing where we would eat (we had thought about going to a Crepperie first), we decided to park and look around. We ended up going to this small little place called La The Du Sahara that served Moroccan food. We got a plate with a bunch of different appetizers (meat pastries, chicken, lamb sausage, etc…) and then plates filled with couscous, chicken, lamb, beef, and veggies. It was all right.

We arrived in Montreal around 10:30, but had a hard time getting to our hotel. First, our hotel was on Sherbrooke St., but there is also a place just outside of Montreal called Sherbrooke. So we kept following those signs until we realized we were leaving the city. We finally ended up on the right street, but could not find our hotel. So, we looked up what the street number was and turned around. We find it and realize the reason we didn’t notice it is because their lights broke earlier that day and the person was going to fix it the next day (only the L and the NI was lit). We arrived at a little before 11:30 PM.

Turns out they sold our rooms and so they placed a “twin bed,” which they assured us was not a cot, in the two rooms that were supposed to have 2 beds; it is definitely a cot. So, planned to go to talk to them to see if they can change it, but other than that, we would just switch off nights. The girls just ended up both sleeping in the king-size bed and Deb. has a twin in her room. Also, it turns out they are fixing the pool this winter and so it is closed. It is an outdoor pool, however, I imagine it is heated like the one we saw people at the Hilton in. Hans and I went to bed around 12 PM as we had to get up at 6:30 to go for breakfast at 8.

We had a hard time getting to the Hilton but once we got there we had a decent breakfast in the morning and then the team went to compete at 10:15. Deb and I decided it would be best to get our bearings and found the quickest way back to the hotel. We met the team when they were done and they were ecstatic about what a great job they had felt they had done. We had the provided lunch and then went for a little walk. The team had to be back for the second part of the day at 2:15 and then Deb and I went to Indigo. I got a couple of movies, but kept myself from buying anymore books. We met the team 70 minutes later and they were extremely excited about what a good job they felt they had done on the second part.

We walked back to the hotel and spent some time in the hot tub and sauna before we had to go to a cocktail party at 6. After the cocktail party, we went to eat at a restaurant. As we had a $45 stipend a day for meals and had not spent any yet for the day so two other team members and I had a delicious sirloin steak dinner. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel and asked the front desk about the changing of the rooms. They informed us that someone had just moved out of a room with 2 twins so Hans and I moved from the 11th floor to the 26th. I let the girls and Hans check their e-mails and then they went down to their room. We sat around and watched a little TV and decided to go for a walk around Montreal. It was at 10:30 and we went to see if the girls wanted to come but they had already started to get ready for bed. We walked around for a while (there were bums everywhere, but I did see a guy with a sign that said "I need a joint. Please help" lol) and stopped in a microbrewery for a drink. I do not particularly like beer, but the amber ale that Hans ordered was quite good as it had a sweet flavour.

Anyway, that leads me to this moment as I have arrived back at the hotel and am about to go to bed. We need to be at the Hilton for 7:45 and will find out at that point if the team will move on or not.

Well, I guess there can a be a bit too much of a good thing. Posting every single day on a blog was not as easy as I thought. I ended up not feeling like doing it one day and, somehow, that turned into 20+ days. I had planned on writing an entry today as a lot has happened recently, but I am way too busy right now.I leave for the Excaliber competition tommorrow. Can't wait to arrive in Montreal.