Day 250: Music on the Mountain

Day 250: Music on the Mountain, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A walk on the mountain on a gorgeous day. We lingered near the chalet at the top just people watching. A parade of people of all ages and dogs of all sizes provided smiles. Music wafted down from the top of the stairs - mainly jazz and a few traditional melodies, strummed on first one then two guitars. It added a delightful soundtrack to the scene.

Some of the buskers in Montreal are predictable. There is an older gentleman who sits in the same spot on the mountain, playing tunes on a plastic recorder. In the metro station near my house there is variety from the accordion-playing Hare Krishna beggar to the cellist who plays only a few notes and then shouts angrily. Last week I heard a man playing a South American flute - a lovely lilting melody. Some accomplished students earn a little money through their gifts.

I was fascinated to read a story about Joshua Bell, the virtuoso violinist who busked in Washington DC at the behest of the Washington Post, just to see what would happen. Would people recognize beauty? Read this. How would you have reacted?