Montreal

Traveling is a true passion of mine. For me, all of the penny pinching and savings accounts and going to work day-in and day-out, it's all so that I can live a comfortable life with those that I love, and go on vacation every few months! I am not however one of those people who can travel alone. For me traveling is a very special something to share with friends and family.

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to share a travel experience with one of my Bridesmaids, Deanna! We traveled to Montreal! for a 4 day adventure together.

With only a vague plan in mind as to how we would occupy our time once we got there we managed a very full few days with lots of adventure packed in.

Our very first exploration was to the top of Parc du Mont-Royal to get a great view of our home for the next few days. (you can kind of see the buildings very small behind our heads...yes people, we walked all the way up there in our sandals!)

Our first full day we spent wandering around Vieux (Old) Montreal . This part of the city has been around for centuries of evolution and changes, yet somehow the feeling of being surrounded by something majestic and important does not fail to overwhelm in a place like the Notre-Dame Basilica.

Along the way, though completely immersed in a different culture, language, monetary system, and environment, we did manage to stay in touch a bit with some very important people back home. Amidst all of our excitement over pastries in the mornings and navigating a new city during the day, we took a special moment to toast to a friend who announced to us that she got a job while we were out of the country. Congratulations Ashley!!

Usually traveling for me means that I have a plan for each day I am in a new place and I have a list of all activities that must get done while we're there. (yea, I'm totally talking about Disney and Vegas, the last 2 vacations that I planned with my family and pretty much ran them ragged for 4 days straight.) This time however Deanna knew she wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens, and I knew of a festival that was going on in a nearby town that would probably be fun, but neither of us had any real plan.

We ended up at the botanical gardens on our last day in Montreal, and were totally taken aback by the different plants and the peacefulness of all of the plants growing and existing in such a beautiful environment. These were my favorite flowers in the whole garden so we aptly named them "Julie-Flowers!"


The Hot Air Balloon Festival was next on the agenda! Though our 25 minute estimated drive became 2.5 hours, and Deanna had to expend quite a bit of energy in distracting me from my considerable frustration at a very inefficient traffic pattern, the festival ended up being like nothing I have ever before seen. Unfortunately the Balloons could not fly due to wind conditions, but they were an amazing sight to see regardless. (The yellow one's heat source is lit in this picture which is why it's glowing. The flame was fired periodically for each balloon to keep them afloat.)

All in all it was a wonderful trip. Montreal has lots to offer a couple of crazy wandering girls, and traveling just isn't the same without someone to share it with!