Random observations from a trip to Montreal

• When visiting North America, European tourists love to take pictures of squirrels.
• Mazdas are very popular in Montreal. So is the Toyota Echo.
• At least one Italian restaurant serves a bowl of unshelled nuts (filberts, almonds, walnuts, etc.) and two oranges as free dessert. A nutcracker is provided for each patron.
• Above-ground pools are a frequent site in the hard-luck suburbs south of the city.
• Waste from horses is common in the streets of Old Montreal.
• The McGill University student center is named for William Shatner. You may remember him as Captain Kirk from TV's "Star Trek."
• The McGill student center has computers for use by the public. Someone has changed the title bar on the Web browsers to say: "Micro$oft Internet Exploder (Resistance is Futile)."
• A TV ad for Sears uses "What About Love" by Heart to sell appliances.
• These are among the U.S. shows that are dubbed in French for viewing in Quebec: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Family Feud" and "The Simpsons."
• Two young Thai women were taken off our train by Canadian customs officials. The scuttlebutt: They were suspected prostitutes.
• A Vietnamese woman could not find her bag on the train despite assurances from Amtrak that "red caps" were reliable with checked luggage. She marched up and down the train looking for her black suitcase, which leads us to the question: Why is most luggage black? That sure makes it hard to find your bag among the many.
• All meals on Amtrak, from pizzas to bagels, are microwaved into spongy submission.