Months ago, when Nate and I learned that we had a healthy growing baby on the way, we decided we better take this opportunity to plan and enjoy what could be the last "couple trip" in a long time :) I wanted to plan a location that wouldn't be heavily focused on wineries, breweries or anything related to drinking and I also wanted to choose a time of the year when I wouldn't be "too pregnant" and uncomfortable. With that, we narrowed it down to Montreal in late Sept/early October considering neither one of us had never been to Canada before! We have always been so blessed to have multiple local family members always eagerly waiting for opportunities to babysit Mia and this was no exception. Mia was able to have 4 fun-filled days with her grandparents and had an absolute blast while Mommy and Daddy did the same...
Indulging in two of my most favorite things during this pregnancy: People magazine and a "coffee treat"
Our first stop in Montreal for lunch, a cute little cafe with the most amazing food
a ham and cheese crepe, salad, veggie soup and fresh baked bread, mmmmmm
Unfortunately, Day 1 was the ONLY day with sun and minimal clouds
but our stroll around town was beautiful
but our stroll around town was beautiful
the obligatory baby bump shot on our babymoon
an artist in "old town"
pedestrian cobble stoned streets in old town+walking distance from our hotel=AMAZING
pics of Montreal's Notre Dame Cathedral
We took a visit to Montreal's Biodome which was a multi-acre multi-ecosystem indoor "zoo"...very cool and full of fun animals to see...
If you dont know already, I grew up dancing and acting and used to be active in multiple dance and theater classes roughly between 3-19 yrs old. Growing up with me and eventually marrying me, Nate has become very appreciative of dance and theater and actually enjoys going to shows with me. I took it upon myself to book us some tickets to a show and we were pleasantly surprised not only with the show itself, but the venue.
In spite of it being a rainy day, we knew we had to make the best of our last day in Montreal. We had "leftover" passes to the Montreal Insectarium and surrounding Olympic sites from our already purchased package deal when we went to the Biodome. So that's what we did...looked at bugs and then walked through some funny yet beautiful Chinese and botanical gardens.
After a chilly morning walking around outside, we needed to re-fuel and found this amazing cafe with the most amazing food including hot apple cider, bloody marys, crepes galore, etc. Here is a pic of my absolutely wonderful french onion soup and the apple/maple syrup/brie cheese crepe we shared..OMG, heaven.
Our last night out, we decided to really go all out and make reservations at a fancy shmancy steak place. Here we were all dressed up and wanting someone to take our pic, so we asked a lady in our hotel lobby to take our picture for us. At the time, we weren't really aware that she had been drinking a bit and did not know how to use a camera...oh no. Sure enough, she got some blurry shots of us and then proceeded to drop our DSLR on the marble floor of our hotel. Yup, that happened. It bounced twice and Nate dove to catch it...but it was too late. The lens had been broken and we were essentially unable to use any sort of auto-focus. Thank GAWD for insurance and the fact that it was our last night out. Oh well, worse things could happen.
Even though 85% of our time in Montreal was cold and rainy while it is was warm and sunny in MN, we had a blast and would definitely return in the future. It is amazing to have something so close to the "European feel" just a couple of flight hours away. I now can proudly say that I have been to Canada and have the stamp in my passport to prove it. This was a great babymoon location and I'd for sure recommend it to others looking for that one last trip before their own babies come :)
