I'm terribly behind on blogging about Montreal but let me quickly say it's one of my favorite cities in the whole wide world.
I love the way it allows me to slip into a foreign locale, just a few hours from my boring, suburban life in Connecticut.
Everyone is on bikes in Montreal.
Everywhere there's a mural waiting for your gaze. Everywhere there's a patch of greenery, a pocket park, a median full of flowers tended by anyone and everyone.
Every neighborhood seems conceived for people to stroll or bike or sit on a front balcony and enjoy the world as it passes by. The city, but with touches of the country.
Every block in Montreal appears to have a bakery whose pastries will literally warm your heart! Conceived with love and lots of butter.
All of this to say, if you haven't visited Montreal, go. Go now, go soon, just go there.
I'll be blogging about the city again but I wanted to begin gushing about this place, which has become a beloved spot once again, after first visiting as a child.
When I visit Montreal, I go to immerse myself in a Francophone world that also leaves space for other cultures (especially Italian culture). I go so I can be somewhere foreign without an overnight flight that leaves me sleepless. I go because the pastries are gorgeous and delicious.
But it feels especially important to visit Canada now for a completely different set of reasons.
Canadians are our neighbors! Our friends. A country so similar to ours -- and one that's lent us some of the best comedians of the past 50 years -- but which has retained arguably a stronger sense of community and a sharper notion of neighborliness.
In other words, we have much to learn from this neighbor, regardless of what politicians may say.
Highlights from the trip:
*We once again biked using the city's Bixi bike-sharing app, and it was delightful.
*We visited a lot of bookstores and they were a joy to explore (including Librairie Le Port de tête, various branches of Renaud-Bray, and Multimags, which arguably is really just an extremely large newsstand but which sells a lot of wonderful books, and a lot of wonderful magazines, which were a balm for my heart. Magazine World is wonderful).
*We stayed near Parc Fontaine where Montrealers biked, played boules, held concerts at an outdoor amphitheater, sat by a pond, ran and danced. Delightful!
Signs of a good trip: everyone in the family embraces Montreal, finding an outlet for needs and passions, and I couldn't stop writing in my journal.
More to come!
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