North of the Border

Bonjour! Comment-allez vous aujourd'hui?

This post is somewhat overdue. C'est la vie. It's now October, but I wanted to recap about an anniversary trip we took to Montreal back in July.

Travis and I have lived on the east coast for a little over 5 years now, and realize that chances are that we won't always be on this side of the country. So we have a small list of places that we want to see while we're still here, and it just so happens that Montreal was on the list.

We had already been to Montreal once during college on a visit with Travis' parents, but that trip was in the middle of winter and we wanted to check out the city again during a more temperate season. I remember from that first trip  that the city felt very European, so that was also part of the draw. A European-esque vacation minus the transcontinental travel expense.

TB and I decided to drive rather than fly up there because we really enjoy road trips. It's fun to observe the landscape gradually changing, to stop and get special coffee drinks, and we always have the best conversations when we're in the car together for extended periods of time. While on a plane, you're surrounded by strangers and that scenario doesn't really lend itself to in-depth conversation. So we're big fans of the road trip because we always seem to grow closer and learn more about each other along the way.

We were in Montreal for about 4 and a half days and were intentional about not putting a whole lot on the agenda. Our goal was simply to relax and explore the city at a low-key pace. Lots of sleeping in, wandering casually through different neighborhoods, and nibbling on miscellaneous vittles took place.

Here are some photographic tidbits from our Canadian adventure...

View from our hotel room balcony.

Hello, handsome!

First breakfast out. Starting the day right with some lattes.

Lovely flower boxes outside of a cute arts and craft shop.

Afternoon coffee break.

Strolling through gardens near the Vieux Port.

We stumbled across the tents where they premiere Cirque Du Soleil performances. Cirque du Soleil got its start in Montreal. After wandering the grounds a bit, we made an impromptu decision to buy tickets for a show later in the week. Good decision.

Silver dome atop the Marche Bonsecour.

Chillin'. 

View of the Tour de l'Horloge, which is a sailor's memorial and clock tower that you can climb up for great views of the city.

Navigator Man checking out the map.

Inside the clock tower. 192 steps up to the top.

View of the St. Lawrence River from the clock tower.

View of the city from the clock tower.

Cute little park right by our hotel, on Rue Saint-Denis.

Le Quartier Latin.

 Notre-Dame Basilica.

Cute cupcake shop!

Dinner at Reuben's. Me and a giant Asian salad. At this restaurant, when the waiter greeted us and I said "Bonsoir" in reply, he thought that I spoke French for real. A small victory! So he began to rattle off in French, at which point Travis and I looked at each other, giggled awkwardly, and for the millionth time on that trip asked, "English, please?"

One morning we ventured over to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. This print is from an exhibit on Napoloeon and was one of my favorite pieces. I like the colors and the "cartoonish" quality. 

Still Life with Melon and Peaches, by Renoir. Another favorite piece. I dig the colors and brush strokes...it's luscious but in a subtle way. Simple, yet full of life. Does that even make sense? I don't know, but that's how I see it.

A Cliff at Pourville in the Morning, by Monet.

Cirque du Soleil! We saw "Totem." This was our first Cirque show, and we totally loved it. Our jaws were dropped to the floor the entire time. These people put on an amazing show. I highly recommend seeing one if you ever get the chance! We definitely plan on going again at some point.

Dinner after the show at a little sidewalk cafe, Olive and Gourmando.

  Lunch at the park on our second to last day. We picked up one of Schwartz's famous smoked meat sandwiches.

Yeah, that's a lot of meat.

More cupcakes! (Different shop this time.) These minis were great, because it was just enough to get a little taste. The dark chocolate cupcake rocked my world. 

Cupcake glasses. This picture encapsulates how I behave when it's just me and Trav. And now I am revealing this silliness to you. Welcome to our world. Also, notice the cute shop man in the background. He was delightfully friendly, and had the coolest t-shirt on...cupcake and crossbones! I want my own cupcake pirate t-shirt.

Fun window display. Cupcake garden!

Relaxin' it up...reading in a big, white bed. This is how we roll. Vacation, Travis and Jillian-style. (Actually, I think Travis was probably waiting for me to get ready here. He does that a lot. I give him many opportunities to practice patience in this regard. Ha!) 

That's about it as far as photos go!

But a few other trip highlights that come to mind are jogging on tree-lined paths around the Parc du Mont-Royal, getting a pedicure and massage at the Spa St. James (Travis' idea...what a guy!), and homemade pear ice cream at Au Festin de Babette.

We also loved all the little cafes and restaurants that opened up their huge windows to make for sun-soaked and pleasantly breezy dining. Our favorite place to walk around with cafes like this was Rue Prince Arthur.

Trav and I had great fun traveling north of the border and celebrating six years of marriage this summer. And as I've said before, I couldn't ask for a better partner in this life. He's a terrific companion both in travel to new places, and in the blessing that is our everyday life together. I am filled to the brim with gratitude, and have to pinch myself on a regular basis because I can hardly believe that I am so lucky as to be able to share my life with such a magnificent fellow!

(Cheers to you, love. And cheers to us. Thanks for taking me on such a fun anniversary trip! xoxo)