There’s been a bit of silence around here lately…but I have a good excuse! Last Thursday my sister and I surprised my mother for lunch in Portsmouth, NH then whisked her off for a surprise milestone birthday trip to Montreal. It was a trip we’d been planning along with the help of my dad for months and I’m so glad we made it happen. My mom had no idea what we were up to and we had an awesome girl’s weekend in Canada.
Reasons I thought my mom might be suspicious that we were up to something
1. My dad’s insistence that exploring Portsmouth for 4 days in the off season would be really fun for he and mom.
2. My April 15th blog post which contained a half week of menu plans followed with “?” because I “wasn’t sure” what we’d be doing or eating. I appreciate that she doesn’t think I’m that obsessed with menu planning, but when I make a menu plan I make it as complete as possible and breaks are the perfect time to try out new things.
“Traditional” Montreal foods I made sure I ate
1. Poutine, which was pretty darn tasty and I’d definitely order again
2. Crepes, which were also awesome, though the sweetness of the honey on my honey almond crepes ended up being a little overwhelming
Attractions I recommend, if you’re headed to Montreal
1. The Notre-Dame Basilica
2. The Biodome
Activities I don’t recommend
1. Walking all over the city in the pouring rain
2. Being too stubborn to use an umbrella
Things my mom experienced for the first time
1. Staying in an apartment my sister found on AirBnB
2. Going on a road trip with her daughters as drivers, complete with mix CDs
Moments luck was on our side
1. Getting to experience the “Butterflies Go Free” exhibit at the Botanical Gardens just days before it ended. It was a highlight of our trip that we didn’t even know about before we headed out to the Botanical Gardens on Friday morning.
2. Arriving at the Basilica just moments before a tour started. A tour that happened to be in English and also happened to be the last tour of the day.
Breakfasts I enjoyed, presented without comment
1. 
2. 
Souvenirs I purchased for myself
1. Maple tea. I have no idea if it will be any good, but I couldn’t resist.
2. A tea towel with fall colored orange and brown maple leaves on it that says “Canada” in one corner. For some reason, I have a thing for tea towels.
Parts of Montreal I want to explore more, next time
1. Old Montreal
2. The shopping on rue Sainte-Catherine
Items on my 101 in 1001 list this trip allowed me to check off
1. #23: Go on a trip with my sister
2. #34: Go to Canada
As always, Twosday is inspired by Heather
such a fun birthday surprise! Sounds like a great trip :)
I’m so glad she was surprised!!! It looks like an awesome trip, even with the rain. :) Also, I love that you have a thing for tea towels. :)
Are you surprised that I have a thing for tea towels? I feel like that’s predictable :) Come over sometime, I’ll show you my collection. It may include towels that I don’t allow to be used for drying dishes, only decorative purposes. Because I’m one of those people.
So much fun! I’m glad you had a successful minibreak with Mom and Sister. My family and I went to Montreal when I was in high school and your two highlights were two of my favorite places!
This looks like a fun trip! Anytime I see Canadian Style Fries I order them! Who doesn’t love fried potatoes topped with mashed potatoes and gray..can you really have too much potato ANSWER: NO!
Jessica
That is exactly my opinion on potatoes!
It was a wonderful trip, and I was so surprised! Thank you so much!
And just for the record, we would have used an umbrella if we had one with us. But we didn’t want to buy one.