July - Vancouver

This trip still literally brings tears to my eyes. My sisters (14 and twin 16 year-olds) were traveling with me, and for two of them, it was their first time on a commercial airline. In fact, the only reason they had been on a plane before was because they are all air cadets and they have flown gliders themselves. But I digress, back to the trip! 

We flew on Canada Day, my 33rd birthday, at night. We knew our vacation was off to a great start when the city of Vancouver welcomed us with fireworks we could see from the air. There are no words to describe what we saw that night. We got a few hours of sleep once settled at out uncle's house and then were ready to go bright and early for our first adventure.

We started at Golden Ears National Park. With two kayaks, we towed 5 people, a cooler and all of our gear to a small beach for the day. We swam, ate and played for hours as our dear uncle slept off his night shift. The mountains were a stunning backdrop for our sun-filled day.

The following day I decided to take the girls for some sightseeing, and I was excited to see some attractions that I had never visited as well. We started at Stanley Park, because, well, how can you not?! We walked along the seawall and took in the majesty of the ocean, mountains and city combined into one spectacular venue. 

Our next stop, which was surprisingly nearby was the Capilano Suspension Bridge. While my youngest sister was enamored with David Suzuki's Edgewalk, I didn't disguise my utter fear of heights and was sure to embarrass them with my shrieks for the following 2 hours. There is so much to see and do at this park, it is definitely not just a giant bridge.

We ended the day at Grousse Mountain - again conquering my fears and creating memories with my most cherished friends. My youngest sister managed to make it to the peak, while the rest of us waited about a third of the way up! 

On our last day, we hit the beach where the tide was easily about 2 kilometers out from the shore!!! Amongst the hundreds of dead crabs (which of course they thought were hysterical to chase me with), we made our way out to the ocean. Being the tourists that we were, we made sure to position ourselves by the lifeguard before we entered into the Pacific Ocean (it was the first time for my twin sisters). We proceeded to scream and giggle at the top of our lungs as we braved the cold water and the crabs nipping at our toes (justice). 

I adore British Columbia and I intend to travel there at least annually. Next stop - the Okanagan!

June - Montreal

Okay, so I've been to Montreal at least 50 times in the past 5 years, but I definitely needed to dedicate one month of my year of traveling to this amazing city.

This summer I spent about 4 weeks in Montreal in total, training over 100 new travel agents. My colleagues and friends in Montreal are out of this world, so I really get to experience the city with them. I have also done the "touristy" thing with my husband, so I feel like I've seen the best of both worlds. 

Restaurants 

Deville's

This retro-chic restaurant is basically a gourmet diner. We all had cheese-stuffed burgers on garlic brioche and beignets for dessert, which are basically a cross between a donut and a puff pastry. They serve them with ganache and salted caramel. All of the Mir desserts are served fresh, so be sure to order these with your dinner.

Académie

This is one of my absolute favourites. In Montreal there are many restaurants that allow you to bring your own wine (no corking fee!) and this is by far one of the best. They also have reasonable prices - I highly recommend moules et frites - mussels and french fries. They have many different types to choose from.

Schwartz's

This is the most authentic Montreal Smoked Meat in the city. It's an old school diner, and there is a line up out the door every day of the year! My husband was in heaven, and I quite enjoyed it as well!

Champagnerie

This place was so cool! If you order a bottle of champagne, they bring a saber sword to your table so that you can slash the top of your bottle off. I sat and watched in awe as it seemed like a dangerous feat, but everyone pulled it off seamlessly.

Montreal Poutine

This is where my husband and I ended up after realizing that every restaurant in Old Montreal was booked for the night! I'm addicted to Poutine, so I have high standards, and this did not disappoint! My husband had sausage on his and I stuck to the traditional, but both were amazing!

Trois Brasseurs

In Ontario, this restaurant is called "Three Brewers" and all locations are equally good. It's a microbrewery and the beers are brewed on site. There is a great flight of beers that allows you to try a small sample of each kind, I treated my husband to this on his birthday. The food is mainly pub fare, but pretty good overall.

Attractions

Cathedrale Notre Dame

This is a site I have visited every single time I've been downtown Montreal. It is beautiful, no matter the season. I have seen it in the beautiful summer sunset, lit up at night and even with small snow avalanches falling off its sides! My mom and I were definitely glad we were on the other side of the street when we witnessed that one! 

Marché Bonsecours

This is an artisan market, with beautiful and authentic souvenirs of the city. My favourite find was a small gallery with oil and watercolour paintings of the city.

Biodome 

I won't lie, this place SMELLS! But it was worth the visit, especially for the rainforest and penguin exhibits.

I've come to think of Montreal as my second home, and I look forward to every visit and cherish my fortune to be able to visit as often as I do.