I’m composing tonight’s post in a lovely hotel in downtown Montreal, Quebec, and I don’t understand how I grew up six short hours away from this wonderful city but never visited. How is that possible? I’m sorry, Vancouver, but after today, Montreal has become my new favorite Canadian city. I should still visit Toronto, at some point – ah, the problem travel-lovers everywhere. Every time I scratch a city or site off my to-see list, I seem add eight more.
What makes Montreal so special? I spent today feeling as though I were touring a city in France, and I keep forgetting that I’m actually in North America. Montreal tricks its visitors, since it adopts all of the traits we associate with major European capitals: natives speaking a romance language, elaborate Catholic Churches, gorgeous neo-Gothic architecture, and picturesque streets lined with shops – all complete with a winding, lazy river that attracts pedestrians and a hearty maritime industry. I was reminded of Paris by the macaron-filled bakeries and creperies that sit on nearly every corner and massive fresh-produce markets where locals come to shop for ingredients.
Just in case you’re still unsure, I fell in love with Montreal today. I’m incredibly happy that Kevin and my younger sister, Jen, agreed to this somewhat absurd itinerary that had more than one of our family members questioning my travel planning skills.
A few months ago, when this weekend getaway to Montreal was little more than a hypothetical, I nearly considered shelving the whole plan and simply staying put in Connecticut for the duration of our Christmas holiday. Doing so would certainly save money, but it also would have ensured that we would have some time to relax, which might have been nice given that I’ve been working on this site for two months straight. I know I’ve already spoiled this story’s ending, but in late October, I booked a room at a non-refundable hotel and didn’t look back.
Until the day of our departure.
When I started planning our weekend sojourn to Montreal, I knew that our travel day would be exhausting. Kevin and I would wake up in Washington, D.C. and fall asleep in Montreal Quebec, with plenty of planes and automobiles (although no trains) in between.
My hectic day-to-day schedule aside, I nearly proposed cutting Montreal from our trip simply because of the long travel day that I knew would leave Kevin and I craving a soft pillow and quiet room by 6 p.m. Then, there was the more practical question: would one day leave enough time to actually see Montreal? Would we just be wasting our time?
To give you an idea of our hectic schedule yesterday (December 18, 2015), I’ve decided to share the basics with you:
6:00 a.m.: Wake up and ride a taxi to Ronald Reagan National Airport
7:40 a.m.: Flight leaves DCA
8:40 a.m.: Plane touches down at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut
9:50 a.m.: Kevin and I arrive at my parents’ house, and we then continue on to visit my grandmother.
1:00 p.m.: I head out on my own to finish up some last-minute Christmas shopping, leaving Kevin behind at my grandmother’s to work remotely on his laptop.
5:00 p.m.: Kevin and I leave my grandmother’s house and head back to my parents’ place, where we pick up my sister and then head right back out onto the road.
7:00 p.m.: Obligatory stop at a Denny’s in Springfield, MA
A little before midnight: We arrive at the border and fly through with absolutely no wait. The Canadian border agent seemed rather bored.
1:03 a.m.: We arrive at our hotel without getting lost. (Go Kevin!)
Somehow, this long day managed to be even more tiresome than I’d initially worried, but it paid off. I had one incredible, unforgettable travel day exploring this stunning Canadian city that I hope you all get to visit someday, if you haven’t yet already.
I knew today was going to become a success story when I woke up a little before eight, surprisingly well-rested, and decided to pick up some Tim Horton’s for Kevin and Jen while they showered and dressed. Even my innermost New Englander, born with Dunkin’ Donuts in my blood, cannot deny the excellence that is Tim Horton’s.
Now, we didn’t just munch on Tim Horton’s and butcher French to complete strangers. We toured a famous cathedral, strolled around an old port, ate our way through Little Italy, explored one of the world’s largest botanical gardens, and viewed an Olympic Stadium. In a few weeks, I’ll start sharing photo galleries and anecdotes from our visits to each of these attractions.
Unlike other parts of Canada, which feel similar to the States, Montreal has a definitive culture that makes it unique from anything else in North America. I love travel days where I barely hear any English, and I truly think that we don’t celebrate this continent’s diversity enough.
Moral of the story? Don’t let travel time or exhaustion deter you from going places. Is it slightly absurd to drive a total of twelve hours across a national border for a day’s worth of sightseeing? Sure. Was it worthwhile? Absolutely.
