Un petit peu de Québécois

At Clarence Castle, another Toronto hostel, but this one is unusual because it hosts a lot of Québécois people, so there's a lot of French thrown around. I like this, but a barrier to communication - I am way too old and uncool anyway.

(The owner seems to like me - she calls me Helene whenever she sees me. I like her too).

But there is a (real French) lady from France who has a book being published - she contributed recipes she had researched and tested of colonist French cooking in areas like Nova Scotia, where it mixed with different influences - the native Americans, the kind of food that grew wild. It's so interesting.

And it was interesting meeting her. She, like me, lacks a certain confidence but she has achieved anyway. She reminds me of other creative people I have met - emotional, vague, gets excited about certain geeky things ...

So there is hope for me yet. I think that has to be a stand out for this trip - meeting inspiring and encouraging people. I soak it up like a sponge.