Planning a trip to Montreal

I’m a big fan of planning, planning and more planning, when I go anywhere. So since I’m off to Montreal in La Belle Provence for a month or so, that’s what I have been doing. Luckily there are an amazing amount of resources available to me, thank you internet! Once upon a time when I planned a trip to Vancouver, I used something as archaic as a… BOOK. But this time is no different; I still bought my trusty guidebook, complete with fold out map.

Chances are, I will never take this map out in public, but I will likely put it on my wall and track where I’ve been and where I am going. I’ve been feeling stifled by the prairies lately, which frankly is not a feeling I admit to lightly. It is almost as if my romance with simplicity and quiet living has passed. But maybe it’s just my standard fickle fare. Who knows what two months will bring?

One thing I know is that it brings music to my ears I haven’t heard live. I am going to go to the Osheaga Music Festival in August, primarily to see Cat Power (my favourite musician) but I’m sure there are others that will be good as well. There is a costume party at the end of July that I can’t wait to attend. The countless art galleries, museums, and historical sites are exactly what I feel I’ve been missing.

The city itself is filled with a history that the west can only imagine, pictures and skycam feeds take me back to the Stary Miasto (Old City) in Poland. That is one thing that people have said consistently, Montreal feels very European (maybe it’s just an idyllic Europe that North American’s imagine?) I guess I will see for myself in less than four days. Google calendar has become my best friend. For a planner and obsessive nutcase such as myself it gives me exactly what I need. Times, dates, places, invites etc. I’ll end the calendar love fest but I will post a calendar to make me easier to stalk.

My goal is definitely to actually update with what I’m up to, as some people have expressed interest in following my trip. Especially when I mention I might be going to toronto, ottawa, quebec city, and everyones favourite, new york city. Hopefully Toronto and New York will get rid of my interest in the big city once and for all. But I wonder. What if they don’t?