I realize it’s a little late in the season to feature a video of Montreal showing how beautiful it is in the winter, especially given that now’s the time to start planning a summer getaway to the city — a season when the city really comes alive — but this ode to the freezing city in winter makes you realize that Montrealers almost have as much fun in the winter as they do in the summer (hello snow rave at 0:50).

By Matt Stabile

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Stabile is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Expeditioner. The Expeditioner began in 2008 and is headquartered in New York City. You can read his writings, watch his travel videos or contact him at any time at TheExpeditioner.com. (@TheExpeditioner)

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Growing up in the Ottawa Valley was not especially interesting. It was not as adventurous as Toronto. It was not laid back like Vancouver. It was, however, an hour or so from Montréal, the city that boasts bagels, poutine and dépanneurs with beer-stocked fridges. Being young, penniless and car-free, I never got the opportunity to truly appreciate the cosmopolitan Québécois cuisine.

After I moved to Toronto and saved a little money, my friends and I decided to take a weekend trip to the city. To say that “we did the city right” would be an understatement, as we overindulged in a lifestyle that was decadent, yet affordable. We stayed up until the bars closed at 4 a.m. — an anomaly for Ontarians — consuming riches of wine and martinis, and eating until our bellies rounded. Since then I have not returned, still suffering from the food coma that ensued. That was five years ago.

For me, reading Emma Sloley’s account in The Australian of going “the whole hog” was nostalgic. Although I had not eaten a pig’s hoof stuffed with foie gras or “gooey gratin,” her article still brought back memories of Brazilian beef skewers and all-you-can-eat sushi. It made me remember the grilled paninis avec tomates sechées and poutine piled high with fresh curds and gravy. It reminded me that Montréal’s cuisine was and is dynamic and worldly.

From an early age Canadians are made aware of the precarious nature of Québec as a province. In history class we were taught how the province established and maintained its identity. I always wondered how a region could keep its culture for hundreds of years. Reading Sloley’s article I realized a point that some people tend to miss: their reliance on self-sustenance. She often remarked how the food on the table was sourced from farms in the region. As she mentioned, “the restaurants, while paying homage to their Gallic counterparts, lean towards a locavore-oriented cuisine with none of the formality of classical European dining.”

Growing up in a border-town of Provence du Québec, I would like to mention that locavore-orientation (a locavore is one that eats food grown near them — usually 100-mile radus) is not a movement in Montréal, but an idea deeply rooted in the province’s identity. To me, dealing locally has been, and hopefully will always be, what makes Québec authentic and genuinely unique. The French-Canadians have supported local farmers from the beginning in an attempt to not be consumed with anglophone tendencies.

Although the city dabbles its toes in global luxuries, like diverse food and shops, it always maintains one foot firmly planted at home. Some people chide its reluctance to keep up with the times, but some see its syrup-paced change as a good thing.

Personally, if I am still fantasizing of food comas, they must be doing something right.

By Brit Weaver

About the Author

Toronto born and based, Brit is an avid leisure cyclist, coffee drinker and under-a-tree park-ist. She often finds herself meandering foreign cities looking for street eats to nibble, trees to climb, a patch of grass to sit on, or a small bookstore to sift through. You can find her musing life on her personal blog, TheBubblesAreDead.wordpress.com.

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Now that the World Cup is officially over, outside of Spain, the world is feeling quite a void right now. One spin through your Facebook statuses will prove that. So when Team England bowed out of the tourney, the UK-based Wanderlust had more than enough reasons to create a list of destinations specifically focused to boost happiness.

Got a few days off? Head to Montreal’s standup festival this weekend (July 12-18) where comedians such as Steve Martin, Lewis Black and John Pinette will take over the city. If you’re looking for more of an enlightening experience, head to Mumbai and enroll in a few classes of laughter yoga. You’ll boost your mood through a combination of yogic breathing and laughing.

Will you need more than just a few days? Let your inner hippie run wild: rent a VW van and hit up some festivals. I never saw flower children upset because their teams lost a World Cup game. For a more guaranteed cure, Hawaii’s Aloha Festival (Sept 2-25) will do the trick. Grab your grass skirt, rum cocktail, and hula the nights away. Before long you’ll forget the World Cup even took place.

Whatever you do, avoid the town of Happy, Texas, at all costs. Shedding the World Cup blues can’t be forced.

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It was a friend’s birthday weekend. We booked time off work, postponed the completion of our papers, and road-tripped to Quebec’s biggest city, Montreal. Amazingly, I had never been.

By the end of the trip, all I wanted was to prolong our stay for just a few more days (perhaps years), but we had obligations to get back to.

So, when I read this article in The Toronto Star, I was curious: apparently, Montreal has a secret hidden behind its glass.

Being a city full of artists and a certain je ne sais pas, I was not shocked to read that glasswork is a big deal there. As the article points out, there are schools dedicated to the medium (Espace Verre). Right now glass appreciation year is happening, and the city is holding a celebration called “Montréal, Ville de Verre” — City of Glass — with over 100 events.

However, as Carol Perehudoff points out, glass as art is not the only window to Montreal’s soul. Apparently, in two different churches, stained-glass windows have been uncovered. The mystery is why they were covered up, or bricked over, in the first place? Sleuths, bust out the magnifying glasses.

Anyways, Ville de Verre has activities running all year long, and now that it’s summer it should be added to the itinerary. Winters are mighty cold.

By Brit Weaver

About the Author

Toronto born and based, Brit is an avid leisure cyclist, coffee drinker and under-a-tree park-ist. She often finds herself meandering foreign cities looking for street eats to nibble, trees to climb, a patch of grass to sit on, or a small bookstore to sift through. You can find her musing life on her personal blog, TheBubblesAreDead.wordpress.com.

The post Montréal Is Not So Transparent appeared first on The Expeditioner Travel Site.

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Having just discovered Montreal’s own foray into the modern bike-sharing world with “Bixi,” it got me thinking: Montreal must be one of the world’s top biking cities. And lo and behold, T+L has confirmed my suspicions, with Montreal coming in at number #4 behind, not suprisingly for anyone who’s been there, Copenhagen at #1, followed by Portland and Munich (#2 and #3 respectively.) Click here for the full list.

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What more patriotic way to celebrate the 4th of July then to pack up and head to Canada for the weekend? TheExpeditioner.com will be in Montreal for the 2009 Montreal Jazz Festival, poutine, and the Sunday Tamtams. You know, the typical 4th of July kind of things. Postings will resume on Monday.

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