It's been a year?

I can't believe how fast time has gone by!  Our 1 yr anniversary of living in Montreal passed us by, back in August! I haven't kept up with this blog nearly as much as I wanted but time seems to get away from me, especially lately. We moved, had company come to town and went on a fabulous vacation all within three weeks of each other in August/Sept. Talk about cutting a steak with the wrong side of the blade! I do not recommend any of that to happen all at once! It was hectic, bordering on madness but in the end it all worked out.

Spring, Summer and Fall, have all come and gone and now Winter is here. There have been a couple of days when it snowed and actually decided to "stick" around until it warmed back up, melting the evidence. I made sure to take pictures for those doubters, who, when looking at our weather and it says it's 40 degrees, I can show them the proof.

We still enjoy living here, even though it's turned colder lately and we know Winter really hasn't arrived. We're planning on going to Igloofest again this next year. Of course, we're going to freeze our asses off, but it was so much fun last year, we can't resist going again. Here we are at last years Igloofest with our friend Dooma:

We continue to meet some really great people here, forging lasting friendships and even though we don't see one another often, when we all do get together, it's guaranteed to be a fun filled, hilarious event!

After our condo sat empty for a while, we decided the time had come for us to find a renter. I took a trip  to Austin for a month at the beginning of March, and completely cleaned it out, getting it ready. What a pain in my ass that was. I got terribly sick, but still managed to get it all done. I am grateful my Mother and Father-in-law were there to help!  I sold all of our indoor and outdoor furniture we left behind and gave A LOT of stuff to Goodwill(believe me, when I say the words "a lot"). The rest went into a 10x10 storage. The place was rented within a week, which we're thankful for! Location, location, location!

My niece, her husband and their two little ones flew here from Houston, for a visit in April, arriving on my birthday! What a great present that was! The end of March, into early April, is still pretty chilly, however, the weather couldn't have been more perfect for their visit! We were on the go everyday for a week and had the best time!  We even visited a Sugar Shack, which was something fun for the kids and different for us!

http://www.quebecregion.com/en/what-to-do/ideas/sugar-shacks

Hubs and I made another trip back to Austin in June, for a friends wedding. It was already full on summer mode, when we landed in Texas. Being away for a while, you tend to forget exactly how hot it gets! Hubs was happy because he got to drive his car and put the top down. Me on the other hand, not so much. We were, after all, going to a wedding but surprisingly, just a few strands of hair were out of place and with the AC vents blowing on me, I stayed cool!  That was a fun night!

Those were the  shortest four days we had, but we managed to visit many of our friends during that time. We also got to celebrate our other friends' wedding, who were married last December! Good times plus great friends equal awesome, forever memories!

We decided to move to a different part of Montreal. Where we are now, is called The Plateau. I call it Restaurant City and think it should be renamed and a new postal code given. There are many great places to eat in this city, but everyone says the same thing: "You live around the best places to eat in Montreal." Hmm. Good thing we don't eat out much!

We had a hectic few weeks; Our cat had some teeth pulled; we had company for two weeks; we moved and 2 days after that, we went to Europe. Whirlwind isn't the correct word for that! In the end, it all worked out. I will say though, I have a new favorite place: Cannes, France. It's now the place I want to go to on vacation. I fell in love with Cannes and hope to go back next summer!

I have also made it my mission to lose weight and so far, so good!  I'm down 35lbs since June and feel better about myself and have more energy. I haven't yet reached my goal but I'm determined to by May or June of next year!

Now, Christmas is once again, upon us. This time, we're going to celebrate with family and friends in Texas. From the looks of it, when we leave, we'll be wearing all of our heavy winter gear and will have to pack for summer temps in Texas!

Stay tuned for a couple of more blogs after this one!

Eating out in Montreal

I've been meaning to post about our food adventures here, but every time I open my laptop, it's as though my fingers would go into a void whenever I put them on the keyboard.  Years ago, I used to write poetry.  The words would flow so easily, as they came from the deepest, most intimate parts of my soul.  So writing a descriptive of food should be a piece of cake, right?

When I read food blogs, it seems the writers are pulling those words from deep within their souls; as if they have a personal love affair with their subject.  I imagine when you write about the same subject and since we all eat with our eyes first, you have to be able to convey that visualization to your readers; to make them think they are sitting right there with you, taking in the aromas, experiencing the same sultry textures and tastes. You take them with you on your culinary journey.

I am going to try my best to take you on our journey, so please bear with me as it may be a bumpy ride!  Make sure your seat belts are on and your tray tables are in their locked and upright positions.
Here it goes......

In my search of the city who boasts the claim of the most restaurants per capita, Montreal popped up to stake the claim, along with San Francisco, New York and other major cities. This is what I found on one website:

"The one Canadian city that can make a great claim to have the most restaurants per capita is Montreal in the province of Quebec. With just over 5,000 restaurants in the metro island area, is appears there are at least one restaurant on every street corner. With its diverse immigrant population and French majority, the city has every type of cuisine available from Lebanese to continental French to native Canadian. Some 3,720,000 Quebecois live in the metro area making Montreal the second largest French speaking city in the world. Giving it a restaurant per capita number of 744."

Below that, was this little tidbit of info:

"When you leave Austin you enter Texas so the saying goes. This funky city in central Texas has 1,088 eating places to enhance its reputation as Music City USA. That list includes 128 establishments in or around the University of Texas alone. Austin's burgeoning population is currently 690, 252 making their people to restaurant ratio 634."

With that, lets start with Mexican food or more to the point, the non-existence of it. There are Mexican restaurants, however, there are very few Hispanics here, so the food suffers a terrible mishap.  It's actually an injustice. It's like swallowing a bitter pill with no water to wash it down. There's a thin line between cooking and actually knowing how to cook; how to use spices and incorporate those into something with great flavor.  What we get is void of anything resembling great, much less, good tasting Mexican Food.  Don't even think about ordering a Margarita either.  When you visit and come upon a Mexican restaurant, keep walking.  You will be extremely disappointed. Do not stop/go; do not collect your 200.00.  Move along, nothing to see here.

With disappointment, comes success!  We have found some really great spots, with great food and atmosphere.  A few of them, we try to frequent as often as we can! Below are a few of our favorite spots!

Brit&Chips: http://www.britandchips.com/

We have eaten at some of the best fish-n-chips places in London and Dublin. This place ranks right up there and it is like being back across the pond.  Some of their fish includes Salmon in a Guinness batter, Haddock in a maple syrup batter and others. My favorite is the traditional Cod; the batter is light, not heavy and greasy and for me, it's the best!  Their chips are a nice size, non greasy and are great!  With a pint of one of their beers, this is the ultimate comfort food!

Nyks Pub: http://www.nyks.ca/

This is one of our favorite pubs to go to. It's close by, has a great atmosphere, awesome food and inviting staff.  When we walk in, the owner always asks if we would like our usual!  It's not that we go every night, week or month,  but I think it's more we don't look like the typical resident, so we're easy to remember.  That's what I tell myself, anyway!  They have a parsnip and leek soup that is out of this world!  It's creamy, light and just lip-smacking good!  It is like the comfort you get from being wrapped in your favorite blanket, watching your favorite movie, on a cold winter's day.  We have tried several items on the menu and have not been disappointed by a single thing!

Mechant Boeuf: http://www.mechantboeuf.com/

This is located in Vieux Montreal, which is within walking distance from our house and have been here a few times.  It boasts to having the best burger in Montreal, which I will admit, is pretty good. There's nothing like a hearty burger to satisfy even the most healthy appetite!  It's a great place to meet up with friends for some good food and excellent cocktails!  They also have a quirky DJ, who spins 80's music!  It's a foot tapping, finger snapping, make you want to get up and dance at times, place, while still having a laid back atmosphere.

Stash Cafe: http://www.stashcafe.com/

Another place within walking distance in Vieux Montreal, is Stash Cafe, who serve authentic Polish food.
Poland is on our list of places to visit and this restaurant has made us move that trip higher up on the list.  The view from the outside, of the ambiance on the inside, calls to you and lures you in.  It has that old world, rustic charm, which is both comforting and inviting. The ambiance is made even better by a piano player playing nice dinner conversation music.  The food is traditional, from Barszcz, the traditional Polish beet consomme, to Sznycel Mielony, breaded meat croquettes served with a creamy mushroom sauce and potatoes. It's warm, cozy and just all around, great food!

I hope I have done a good job taking you on this short, culinary journey. There are so many more to list, which I'll add later down the road.  Until then, I'll leave you with this quote:

"Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.”
― Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Until next time.....

Winter is over.....or is it?

Since my last blog, the weather has been akin to raging waves on the sea, comparable to being a passenger on the SS Minnow, being tossed up, down and around.

We had days where we packed up and stored the winter coats, scarves, hats and gloves; then a few weeks later, we're getting it all out again.

We had a few bitterly cold days, where the blustery wind would blow right through to our core, no matter how many layers or how bundled up we were; where it looked as though it were snowing up instead of down. There were days when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and even with the sun, that huge sphere of hot gas, blaring upon our faces, it didn't warm us. 

We've also had days when we walked the city without the need of a jacket, where a slight, warm breeze sweeping between the buildings, wrapping around us, giving a glimpse of what's to come and soon we would have the weather we were accustomed to. 

What we didn't have, was a lot of snow.  The locals seemed surprised and disappointed at the "less than normal" winter. We've heard some say it was the warmest winter in 100 years; others have said 20. Regardless the time span, it was not the brutal, agonizing winter we were expecting or even prepared for.  It was cold, or rather, colder than what we are used to.  I also wouldn't go as far to say we were disappointed.

I was hoping it would have been more like taking off a band-aid....just rip it off and get it over with, the pain won't last long. Fortunately for us, Mother Nature controls which boo-boo's she puts band-aids on, and this winter wasn't one of them.  We may not fare so well next winter!

Maybe we brought some of the Texas heat with us; maybe we didn't. Whatever the reason, we're glad the "winter welcome wagon" lost a wheel, which slowed it's pace.

However, unlike the SS Minnow, we didn't take a 3 hour tour; we didn't end up on an uncharted, warm tropical island, and there aren't five other people with us to help ease the transition.

There's only the two of us.  That is enough to keep warm, when it's so very cold outside.  When Summer comes and it's hot, that's what my trusty hand held, portable misting fan is for.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and winter...a LOT of "firsts"

It's been a while since my last entry, but time really does slip away. I can't believe it's the middle of January, 2012!!!   We've had a lot of "firsts", living here and the adventure continues!

We finally settled in our home; Bill settled into his new job and the cats have finally given up hope of going back to Texas, anytime soon.   This cold weather is something they've never experienced and come to think of it, neither have we(spending time in Europe during Christmas, doesn't count!).

We reached the point of just going with the flow and accepting things are done differently here than what  we are used to, although we still get frustrated at times.  They aren't going to change and do things that actually make sense, so why keep fighting an uphill battle?  I've also met a few people that are amazed that I have what they view, as a positive attitude towards winter.  Again, why fight it?  The one 'person' you will never win against, ever, is Mother Nature.  So, "when in Rome....".


We decided to stay in Montreal during the Holidays and although we missed seeing and spending time with our family, we made the most of it.  I decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner and trying to find a Butterball Turkey, was a challenge to say the least!  It was more comparable to searching for Jimmy Hoffa, or finding Nemo!  Three days and 4 stores later, jackpot!  They don't sell turkeys here like they do in the States; a month before.  No, it's more like a week, maybe two, before the big day.  Next time, I may make soup or have cheese and crackers; it would have been easier and less stressful! All in all, it worked out!  

We had read and heard about how Montreal goes all out, decorating for the Holidays. Those of you who know me best, know how much I love to decorate for Christmas!  What we found or more to the point, didn't find, was less than desirable. Maybe they decorated in a part of the city we didn't venture to. Maybe they took it down the day after they put it up. We walked a good part of the city, searching for "it" and was disappointed at what we saw. Their idea and my idea of decorating, are definitely on opposite ends of the spectrum!  Again, different ways...

We didn't want a repeat of Thanksgiving, so decided to make Christmas, relaxing and stress free!  We have made some great new friends, and a few came over for a day of snacking, drinking and fun conversation!   New Year's Eve, we actually braved the weather and ventured to Old Montreal, where they had outdoor concerts, ice skating and fireworks!  We crossed the river to get a better view of the fireworks which went off at midnight, accompanied by a musical melange. It was so awesome, but so very COLD!!!!

We are getting out and experiencing the city, which is a lot more often than what we did living in Texas, and in the winter!!  One of the great things about living where we are; we're across the street from the metro and when it gets too cold , there's always a place nearby we can duck into, to get warm.

A few people have asked if I regret moving here; my answer is this: right now I don't regret it, but that's not to say I won't/can't change my mind. You never know how events will play out, as those determine how you may feel and react about a place, person, situation, etc...

When I'm older(say around 90), sitting around looking back on my life and the paths I've taken, while reflecting on this time, I don't want to say, "why didn't we", rather than "why did we".  Life is filled with too many of the "what if" questions.  I'm not much of a collector so I don't want to start collecting these questions at this point in my life. They tend to weigh heavy on the mind and take up too much space. Besides, my "No Vacancy" sign, is on!

The brunt of it is on my husband, as he's the one working(I'm still holding out hope for me!).  So the only thing I can do now, is give him LOTS of support and encouragement; lend an ear when he needs one; make this house a home and hope for the best possible outcome.  That's all we can do. It doesn't matter if you live your whole life in the same spot, or if you venture out of your comfort zone.  Whatever you do, where ever you go, get out there and take on the world! 

Start having a LOT of "firsts"!  You never know where the road will lead or who you will meet along the way. 

Stay tuned!