We haven't gone on a vacation since Mommy left us and I can tell you that doing things for the first time that we used to do together is particularly difficult. But this got easier for me as it progressed. I ended up having a nice relaxing time and I think my girls did too. Because M2 and M3 went to school right up until the 23rd and I have to go back to work on the 3rd, we couldn't go on a long vacation. So we decided on going to Montreal for 4 days.
First the planning - M1 is 18 now and she took care of 98% of the planning. That's good news for me since I have never really planned a vacation in my life. My lovely YC always took care of that. (Also, I had never gone on a vacation where I had to get on a plane until our honeymoon.)
We bought our train tickets back in early November when we first decided to go. I didn't want to drive in case there was bad weather. Well, there was bad weather, but it came a few days before our departure. A tree fell on the tracks on Christmas Eve and all the trains from Toronto to Montreal were cancelled for at least 2 days. We were leaving on the morning of the 27th and VIA gave us the option to cancel our tickets for a full refund. So we did just that because the weather was forecasted to be nice for the week.
Day 1: The drive to Montreal was smooth. We left at 8:40 AM and got there in just over 6 hours, which included 2 stops - one for lunch and another one for a rest. Our first stop was the Notre Dame Basilica where M1 had booked a tour and light show for us. It was near Chinatown so we also walked around there for a bit, taking pictures in front of the arch.
One thing I learned from YC is to have an open mind when you do something. When she plans activities for us she would read the reviews and find activities she thinks we would enjoy. Then she would tell us not to go in with any pre-conceived notions or expectations. Just go experience and learn, then make your judgement afterwards. The basilica was a religious place of worship and while we aren't religious, we toured the basilica (no pre-conceived notions), absorbed the culture, reading the blurbs by each of the displays, statues, and figurines. I really liked the stained glass windows which were very beautiful when complemented with the lighting. The light show was very spectacular too. Different parts of the basilica would light up, highlighting the architecture, art work, and figurines.
For dinner, we wanted to try Montreal's famous smoked meat. M1 found the most popular place in Montreal but the line up was too long and they didn't take reservations. It was almost 8:00 and we were hungry. We went to a restaurant near our hotel and while they had smoked meat as well, only M3 ordered it on Mac'n Cheese. M1 got a mushroom sandwich, M2 got a short rib, grilled cheese sandwich, and I got a prime rib sandwich. It tasted pretty good but not great.
After dinner, we walked to our hotel, checked in, and retired for the night (i.e. stayed on our devices until we fell asleep).
Big Oh
