Pre-Canada Thoughts

I think of the whole of Canada the same way I think of those American fly over states and the American midwest: quiet, slow, basically the same as the rest of the US apart from maybe a slight accent and an outsized interest in local agricultural products (corn, cheese curds, maple syrup).

Here are 10 Things I Expect from Quebec:

1. THE COLD.
2. French
3. Nice people
4. "Paris without the jet lag" -The New York Times
5. Poutine 
6. Hostel fun 
7. Quaint charm 
8. Great bar/music scene   
9. Meats
10. Cold... 

Now, let's break that down.


1. THE COLD.
I hate being cold. I love winter, I like cold weather in general, but the actual feeling of being cold is the absolute worst. I also tend to feel cold more often and more quickly than other people thanks to poor circulation, so I'm pretty nervous about spending 4 days in Montreal in January. The forecast is 5 degrees Fahrenheit the day we arrive...yay...thankfully it will climb back up to around freezing for the rest of the week, but Monday will definitely be a day of indoor activities.  
 

me in Montreal

2. French 
It's Quebec. People will speak French.
Québécois is the mother tongue of 22% of Canadians (7.3 million people), about 80% of Quebec's population are native francophones, and 95% of the population speak French as their first or second language.
I can introduce myself and count to 14...thanks, 3rd grade French class!
I'm planning on studying some Québécois phrases on the road to hopefully win some local favor, even with my embarrassingly poor pronunciation.

3. Nice people
That's the Canadian stereotype, right? 

 
4. "Paris without the jet lag" -The New York Times
I don't really know what this means, exactly, but it's raised my expectations. 
I hope there are croissants. 
 
5. Poutine 
Speaking of food...I'm not convinced I will like this concoction of french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds, but I'm definitely looking forward to giving it a try!

6. Hostel fun
We're staying in the coolest and best hostel in Montreal, according to my careful, in-depth research (credit: www.google.com).
While Montreal might be a bit tame, and Canadians might just be less interesting Americans...I am counting on this hostel to provide some much-anticipated international flavor to the trip! Hopefully there will be some hip young travelers looking for adventure that we can swap stories with.

7. Quaint charm
We plan on taking a day trip up to Quebec City- just look at this place!

 

 
8. Great bar/music scene
I have a list of about 10 "must go" places. Clearly I can't hit all of them, but I'm excited to check out the nightlife!
 
9. Meats
Montreal is famous for its meats. 
Anyone who has been to New France at Busch Gardens, Williamsburg- that's basically how I'm imagining it... 

10. Cold...
I know that we were all complaining about the absurdly hot winter, but now that the cold is actually here, I'll say that I'm a bit apprehensive. I'm sure it will be fine...if worse comes to worst, I'll just huddle in a cafe all week with a big cup of cafe au lait and a plate of smoked meats.



Overall, I'm honestly thrilled to be going to Montreal. I've heard nothing but good things about the city and I can't wait to get out and explore a new part of North America! The challenge of French is particularly exciting. 

Yesterday my friend and traveling companion, Dylan, took me and another friend up in a little Cessna airplane! Dylan is an Air Force pilot-to-be, so we flew over the Hudson River and got a view of the NYC skyline before a quick field trip to New Jersey to drop off our friend at home. Even just that short air tour and brief sojourn to the local rural Jersey airport began to rev the engine on my travel impulses and get me really excited for the trip to Montreal! 
Tomorrow we embark- adventure (or at least good food) awaits!  

Montreal