So I made it home from my worldly travels in one piece.
BARELY.
The security search process at the Canadian airport is unreal. It's more thorough than my complete physicals at the doctor for goodness sakes. But I am home now and while I love traveling the world, I do love to be home.
Montreal is a great city. Very busy. Lots of people bustling about, racing to catch the metro or zipping their bikes in and out of street traffic. It feels much like the downtowns of U.S. cities lined with sky rises, the air littered with sirens and bleeting horns, and oh boy shopping galore! But what separates Montreal from the cities I am familiar with is the adorable cobblestone streets and quaint boutiques located in various pockets of the city...you feel as if you have been transported to Paris or Venice...European cities dripping with history everywhere you turn. It's just so different from the stucco enthusiast cookie cutter neighborhood in which I live.
When traveling in foreign lands you can count on experiencing a steep learning curve when negotiating your way through the unfamiliar culture. I learned a few things from the French-Canadians that I thought I would share with you in case you too venture up to visit our friendly neighbors of the north.
I learned...
1. that the Canadians adore "smoked meat"...exactly what kind of "meat" that is I have yet to discover but everywhere you turn smoked meat is available to you.
2. the definition of the word "funicular" (or funiculaire in French)...and I was even transported from one location to another in one.
3. the "skinny" slack (work pant) is totally in right now for guys.
4. French Canadians have a sixth sense. Even though I would offer a friendly "bon jour" (in my best french accent of course) they would reply with "hello, how are you today?" in perfect English. They just KNEW I was American. There was no tricking those guys.
5. Tim Horton's is Montreal's Starbucks. You can't walk 10 feet in any direction without running into one. I didn't actually enter one so I can't tell you what it is exactly, but it is a favorite establishment of theirs for sure.
6. Frozen yogurt, which is my fave, is very much NOT their fave. Which I suppose is to be expected from a city that spends a good amount of it's time in sub-zero temperatures.
7. The metro offers THE BEST people watching. Ever. Of all time.
I did manage to find a Starbucks...actually many Starbucks! Phew! and had to take a pic :)
mmmmmmmmm...yummers.
I'll post more pics once I download them and jazz them up a bit ;)
Have a great day!!
When traveling in foreign lands you can count on experiencing a steep learning curve when negotiating your way through the unfamiliar culture. I learned a few things from the French-Canadians that I thought I would share with you in case you too venture up to visit our friendly neighbors of the north.
I learned...
1. that the Canadians adore "smoked meat"...exactly what kind of "meat" that is I have yet to discover but everywhere you turn smoked meat is available to you.
2. the definition of the word "funicular" (or funiculaire in French)...and I was even transported from one location to another in one.
3. the "skinny" slack (work pant) is totally in right now for guys.
4. French Canadians have a sixth sense. Even though I would offer a friendly "bon jour" (in my best french accent of course) they would reply with "hello, how are you today?" in perfect English. They just KNEW I was American. There was no tricking those guys.
5. Tim Horton's is Montreal's Starbucks. You can't walk 10 feet in any direction without running into one. I didn't actually enter one so I can't tell you what it is exactly, but it is a favorite establishment of theirs for sure.
6. Frozen yogurt, which is my fave, is very much NOT their fave. Which I suppose is to be expected from a city that spends a good amount of it's time in sub-zero temperatures.
7. The metro offers THE BEST people watching. Ever. Of all time.
I did manage to find a Starbucks...actually many Starbucks! Phew! and had to take a pic :)
mmmmmmmmm...yummers.
I'll post more pics once I download them and jazz them up a bit ;)
Have a great day!!
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