Mont Royal

     Fun fact: Montreal is named after a mountain, named Mont Royal. I wasn't aware of this prior to moving here, nor was I aware that I would be living in the neighborhood surrounding the mountain. Both of these came as a pleasant surprise, especially my close proximity to the mountain. Mont Royal itself functions as the city's largest park, so it is full of walking paths and lookout points. This makes it a great place to explore, or even just to find a comfortable spot and relax.
     Since I had an uncomfortable roommate situation in the beginning, I was constantly finding ways to leave the house and would regularly end up at Mont Royal. The first time I explored the mountain was with my best friend who was visiting just days after I arrived. We walked for about a mile and a half before reaching the base of the mountain. Once at the base, we decided we should try and walk up the mountain to find a lookout point we had heard of. Not knowing what we were doing exactly, we began walking up the mountain, stupidly taking what we thought were shortcuts along the way. After a very tiring hike, we reached the lookout point we'd been told of. There was quite a few cars there, with people hanging out and playing music like an unofficial outdoor party. We stayed for a while, before seeing a staircase leading even higher up the mountain. Curiosity immediately drew us towards it, and we began hiking further up the mountain. After another thirty minutes of walking, we finally reached the highest point of the mountain. In the elevated darkness, an illuminated cross stood in front of us no less than one hundred feet tall. Surprised, but intrigued, we climbed up to the cross for a better look. We decided to take a break there for a bit, and began harmlessly messing around on the huge structure. A couple of minutes later, out of nowhere, a siren begins blaring from inside the cross. We immediately assume that this is police siren of some kind, so after exchanging a quick glance at each other we both took off running. Once off the cross, we jump a few barriers, then take off down the mountain into the nearest forested area. We kept aimlessly running, downhill in the dark, for a couple of minutes miraculously managing not to injure ourselves. Once we felt safe, we slowed down and tried to understand what was making the noise, and if it was even chasing us. Confused, we continued down the dark path looking for a way out. After a couple of turns, we ended up at another lookout point that was much more secluded. Unlike the previous, the view before us was open and beautiful. We took a seat, and for a few minutes took in the amazing landscape we had stumbled upon.
     After having a good look at the unknown city I would be exploring for six months, we began making our way to the base of the mountain. Unfortunately, when we came out on the far side of the mountain, making our walk home farther. However, this gave us a good chance to find a few more hidden gems on the way back. Since then I've made regular trips to the mountain, and it's continued to hold an undeniable peacefulness even in the wintertime.