Even though it was kind of a stretch, I knew I just had to visit my best friend, Nina, if I was going to be in the area. We have been friends for about four and a half years and I have visited her once before as a graduation gift from my parents. It was an amazing week and I have looked forward to seeing here again every day since.
Tuesday, 25 August: After an overnight bus ride from Philadelphia, I arrived in Montreal early that morning. Nina and I went to the Old Port where we walked around, rented peddle boats and ate lunch at a familiar vegan restaurant in the area. After a much needed nap in the afternoon, I spent time with her family, including her new Australian Shepherd puppy, Rosco, who is quite the handful.
Wednesday, 26 August: We headed in the city with Nina’s friend, Tatiana, for an afternoon at the Biodome. After that, we headed to John Abbott College for a movie in the park (Mad Max: Fury Road), only to get rained out ten minutes from the end.
Thursday, 27 August: We were supposed to go to Six Flags, but by a wonderful stroke of luck, the park was closed that day. Instead, we met up with her friend, Amanda, for breakfast, a “maze,” a stroll downtown and a relaxing evening on the McGill University campus. The “maze” was not a physical maze, but rather a mental one; we were locked in an unassuming room which actually contained clues to solve a mystery. Although we didn’t solve our mystery, we worked well as a team and got pretty close for first-timers. It was nothing like anything I’ve done before and it was a lot of fun! To end our day, Nina and I got poutine (a famous Canadian dish of fries with gravy and cheese curds) for dinner. In my half a dozen times visiting Canada, it was my first time giving poutine a proper try. I had mine with vegan “gravy,” mushrooms, green peppers, onions, sour cream and olives. It was delicious!
Friday, 28 August: We revisited Olympic Park for a day at the Botanical Gardens. It was beautiful, I just wish I had more energy to explore. Later that day, there was a small fair in Laval near Nina’s house where we spent our last evening together. I had a relaxing and fun week with Nina and I already can’t wait to go back again.
I’ve learned a lot from this trip that I could probably use abroad, but my biggest lesson was not to set my expectations too high. I expected this trip to be perfect and for many reasons, it wasn’t, but I learned to roll with the punches and still had a great time.
I was dropped off at the train station in Montreal this morning and I’m now on a train to New York. I didn’t want to bring my smorgasbord of suitcases with me throughout my east coast trip and New York was the cheapest to fly out of to London. I can’t believe my international adventures start tomorrow. Nick is dropping me off at La Guardia early tomorrow, where I will stop in Chicago before landing in London (Heathrow) late tomorrow night.
Photo by Victoria Heath.
So proud of you! It is perfect because you are safe and experienced so much. Enjoy your next steps. Love you, Mom
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles – what a great adventure. Did you ever imagine as a teenager you would experience this kind of year AND school hasn’t begun! You win for best emails. Love, AC
Your are doing so fantastic!! I hope you are planning to write a book/travel brochure/DVD/ ….when you are finished with college. I can see it now …Travels with Rachel. I will be able to say I am her grandfather!!! These are great!! Love you, GPA
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