First of all, I apologize for what will probably be the most boring day ever. I'm really encouraging you to read this now, aren't I? It was just one of those days when I never seemed to get going!
The day started well. It seemed to be quite nice out and I had slept reasonably well. I had some toast and coffee for breakfast and headed out to the language school at about 8.20AM, stopping for a maple croissant and a coffee on the way.
But the horrors of horrors, we had a mock exam today. The other three in the group need to pass the Delf which is a French language certificate. Obviously, for me, I don't need it. But I still had to take the test. You can imagine my joy!
It was actually quite difficult. It was one of those papers where they ask you questions and the differences between the options are very subtle. I am also a great believer that a lot of success in exams comes down to exam technique and knowing how to answer the questions. This is the first time I've done such a paper so I lacked this knowledge (excuses, excuses)
The teacher did ask me if I wanted it marked and I said yes. I didn't spend three hours of my time not to then have any feedback on it.
I also organize that the school would order me a taxi for the following day as I didn't want to have to turn on my phone remembering the horror of that accidentally happening in Boston last year I am being charged €50 as my phone frantically did lots of downloads.
I decided to go back to Copper Branch for my lunch as this was quite near the language school. I had a black bean spicy burger with the speciality potatoes. The burger was probably a little too spicy but tasty nevertheless.
By the stage it had started to rain. I wanted to go back to the apartment in order to do online check-in at 2:35 PM. It is lucky that I did, as on the flight from Toronto to Munich I was in a middle seat which I hate. I managed to move myself to an aisle seat but this is virtually at the back of the plane. However it is where there are only two seats rather than three so I'm hoping that there is a tiny bit more room. Anything has to be better than being stuck in the middle, especially on a night flight.
I was then a bit stuck as to what to do. It was raining quite heavily, and the forecast was that it would continue to rain for the rest of the day. I decided I would go to a different shopping center. It wasn't that I particularly needed or wanted anything but that it would at least get me out of the apartment.
This was a fairly new shopping center. I had to walk about 500 m to the bus stop to get the 64 bus to the shopping center. What I like about the buses here is they have a TV screen telling you what the next three stops are. I don't use buses much back home as my town only has one bus route but it doesn't take me anywhere I need to go. So I have to admit it's not being the most useful for taking them. However between the bus company app and the information on the buses it was quite easy to get from A to B.
One of my favorite Canadian shops, MEC, a sports shop, was here. I could easily spend a lot of money here but I resisted the temptation.
I think it soaked walking from here into the shopping center. It was only about 500 m but it was wet, very wet!
As well as all the usual shops and restaurants, there was also an indoor amusement park. This had, among other things, a roller coaster and a big Ferris wheel.
It also had an ice-skating track. There was absolutely no way I was going to try this as I am not the most steady on my feet!
I didn't make many purchases, just a few odds and sods.
I decided I would have my dinner from Thai Express. It was a vegetable fried rice. It was OK but nothing special.
Using the app, I worked out where I needed to go to get the bus back. It was still raining. It really was a miserable day weather wise.
The route back seemed quicker. It wasn't the same bus number so a different route. What was interesting was that I saw that Quebec City, outside of the city walls, was just like any other city.
I also popped in to one of the drugstores to pick up some face wash is for F.
You can see from the above my purchases of the day. Not really very interesting! Some of them were smaller size products for Okto to take to Tanzania with him.
I did my last load of washing which means that I go back with very little dirty. Whilst the last lot were drying, I packed as much as I could. Hopefully everything will go in as I haven't purchased that much.
I managed to stay up to 10 PM, a record for this week. I'm not sure today was particularly interesting and I felt a little that I had run out of steam. It would have been better to have caught a flight back today, but the timing of it meant it was impossible to do so.