It’s been quite a while since my last update and just a few things have happened. I flew to Montreal on the 7th and have been spending the majority of my time playing timekeeper for Ryan who has been dealing with his thesis exhibition and defense. In the down time, I’ve been reading up a storm and eating at least one totally indulgent meal a day. And, now that the weather has made a dramatic turn for the better, I’ve been spending a lot of time walking under the budding trees and sipping coffee by open windows. 

Since I’ve been in Montreal, Ryan’s parents made a short visit–the first in almost 12 years. We didn’t get to spend a ton of time together but we managed to all meet for dinner every day they were here. Big meals with big drinks and swollen bellies. I’ve been eating so obnoxiously since I’ve been here that my gout made a little reappearance and I spent a few days hobbling around using Ryan’s arm as a crutch. Once again, I’m pretty tempted to get a cane–y’know, just in case.

Ryan’s been spending a lot of time at school and I’ve been left to my own devices. One of my favourite things to do has been looking for apartments on Craigslist. This isn’t a new hobby. Ever since I found out that I’m moving to Montreal, I’ve been stalking Craigslist to the point where I had to force myself not to look at it because I was becoming a little stressed. However, since I’ve been in Montreal I’ve given myself permission to continue the search. It makes more sense to look at apartment listings when you’re physically in the city you’re planning to live in, rather than obsess about it 12,000 miles away.

So, one morning when Ryan was still asleep, I spotted a listing that seemed too good to be true. We’ve been fooled by a few listings in the past and some of the apartments have been real duds.  Ryan and I have had pretty strict criteria for apartments since we started looking: 4.5 rooms, hardwood floors, cats allowed, an eat-in kitchen, must be located in the area we’re presently posted, has to be under $780/month and must, must, must have tons of character. I e-mailed the poster and in less than an hour I received a response and set up an appointment to view the place the following afternoon. However, I wasn’t holding my breath.

I invited Ryan’s parents to come along with us to the viewing and we showed up at the building–this adorable 3 story brick building, just a few steps in from the major street that runs through NDG. The front door was open so we made our way to the top floor, moving slowly up the granite stairs and taking everything in (on every floor, the tenants had shoe racks outside their doors and on the common wall there were birds and flowers intricately painted around the thermostats and light switches). There were only 12 apartments in the building, the one we were heading toward was unit 9 and facing west. Before we even got to the unit door, I knew we were about to stumble into something good. 

The above photos are the images provided in the original advertisement on Craigslist and are a great representation of what the space looks like. What you can’t really see is how open and airy the space is. All the rooms are quite generous in size–the bedroom is big enough for our bed and two dressers without feeling cramped and the kitchen is bright and has just the right amount of room for a table and a few chairs. There is a huge double living room area that is divided by french doors. The current tenant used one space for a living room and the other for a dining room but I immediately saw a cozy living room and separate studio area. And finally, what you can’t see due to the brightness of the front window, are the huge trees strategically placed to keep the summer sun from heating the place up like an oven. 

We were in the place for less than five minutes when I leaned into Ryan and whispered that I loved it. That we had to have it. In less than twenty minutes we had the applications filled out, met the landlord and were told that the place was ours. The following morning we had the lease signed and handed over a check for first month’s rent. We take possession on May 1st but won’t truly move in until the last few weeks of June/early July. 

I am so excited to spend the summer in this place, finding furniture and painting and cooking and waking up to the sunshine pooling through the large windows. This is EXACTLY the type of place we’ve been looking for and it feels so great to know that everything is falling into place. We’re so lucky to have found this apartment for the price that it is because anywhere else it would be at least 200$ more than what we’ve been asked to pay. And we’re so lucky to have been amongst the first to see the place because according to the landlord who told us as we were signing the lease, she received over 35 calls that morning alone! So lucky. So, so lucky.

Anyway, that’s the biggest news I have. I’m afraid that anything I say after this will be a bit of a downer so I think I’ll end here. Next post will come when I’m back in cold, snowy Calgary. Burr. Do I really have to leave? Ha!