Traveling Toronto and Montreal

I've been meaning to travel up north for years. Living in the Southwest of the United States—the high desert, to be precise—I'm accustomed to endless days of sunshine and dry weather.

So, I hope you'll forgive me when I say that when I think of Canada, I think of short days, rain, and endless snow. And while I love snow, I love the sun much more.

Well, I'm happy to say our trip was filled with mostly sunshine, a little rain, and since we traveled in the summer, no snow 😄

Toronto was a bustling, diverse city that felt much like many larger cities I've traveled to. But the food was pretty darn fantastic. As in, every place we sought out and everything we had was delicious.

And while I liked Toronto, I really liked Montreal.

It felt like being in France mixed with the bustle of New York City mixed with the food in San Francisco. Perhaps that's not entirely accurate, but it's as close as I can get.

I felt like a foreigner, not because I am from America, but because I didn't speak or understand French, which I think is fascinating. Often, we talked about how this could legitimately be a place we could move to and be happy in, save for the fact that we don't speak a single word of French.

So, what else drew us in when traveling through Montreal besides the apparent linguistic prowess of its individuals? It's hard to put the finger on; it's the combination of quaintness in the neighborhoods, the youth of the city, the food—of course, and the politeness and calmness that seems to emanate from every street. There's a sense of culture in Montreal that permeates, something I feel like many cities lack.

I told several baker friends about this, and they all agreed. The city has a strong draw, an appeal, but then they said something that gave me pause: well, keep in mind you did visit during the summer.

So, I expect Montreal to get hit hard in the winter, but in my opinion, after having walked many streets, eaten at many restaurants, and seen many sights (photographed and not), living there might just be worth the snow, even for a sun glut such as myself.