It's day nineteen (for me) in the A-Z blog challenge! This month I'll be sharing all about my Christmas/New Year travels to Canada – providing insight into the places I went, reviewing the hotels I stayed at, and telling my story. Today's letter is X for the eXciting fireworks we got to watch on New Year's Eve from our hotel room at Auberge du Vieux-Port in Montréal, Canada. Feel free to follow along as I make my way through the alphabet this month! :)
Even though I had been planning our trip to Montréal for weeks, I neglected to do one of the most important things that one must always do when going somewhere on a holiday: getting reservations at a restaurant for dinner.
At first, I put off this aspect of planning because I wasn't sure if we were actually going to Montréal…
Then, it was because I was trying to plan all of the other things. (My method of building a trip itinerary is to start with the decisions that come easiest to me. For some reason, figuring out dinner for New Year's eve did not strike me as an easy task.)
My next problem was that I was afraid of the French language… (Don't be! Most people in Montréal speak both English and French.)
Finally, my decision was made all the more complicated in that my husband and I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a meal. Montréal offers lots of options for New Year's eve, many of which are multi-course meals with entertainment and opportunities to watch the holiday fireworks with your fellow diners. My preference was to go somewhere on the cheaper side, less extravagant, less noteworthy, more down-to-earth, and just have dinner.
Upon arrival to Auberge du Vieux-Port, we sat down with the concierge and came up with a plan. She recommended Holder as a great place for a New Year's Eve meal. Not being familiar with the area, we ran with the idea. I mean - so long as we had a place to eat, right? … And one that wouldn't have us waiting in line forever? :)
Holder was approximately a 30-minute walk from our hotel and on our way, we spotted this…
Just one of the many Cité Mémoire exhibits located all across Montréal bringing the cities history to life. If you listened to the recording I did, you can hear where someone pulled us aside to explain what we were seeing. (We had no idea what the exhibit was or of its existence!)
Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time following our discovery to go around the city in search of other historic projections (plus it was super cold!), but the exhibit is continuing on throughout the year. If you find yourself in Montréal for any reason (business or pleasure), definitely consider going around the city seeking out the projections and downloading the app to learn more. (Alternatively, they have a guide that can take you around as well.)
After a bit of harassing my husband ("Are we there yet?" … "Are you sure you know where you are going?"), we spotted our restaurant. (Warmth! At last!)
They were going to sit us in the middle of the restaurant before I asked for the window seat. After checking their reservations, they agreed that we could have the seat we wanted. (Just know that if you want a window seat, tell them that when you make your reservations!)
We spent a few minutes looking at our menu before deciding exactly what we wanted.
By then though, we realized our friends across the ocean were celebrating the new year! Quickly, we messaged them wishing them a happy new year. :) But of course, when they sent a picture of their entirely family toasting, we tried to send them a toasting image in response…
Only we failed. Do you know how difficult it is to shoot an "us-ie" without a selfie stick in a dark restaurant? Not to mention I'm totally not photogenic, so having my picture taken is a NO.
… And we weren't drinking champagne …
I guess there is always next year?
Despite my claim to not want a multi-course meal, Justin and I still got one… *sigh*
We began our dinner date with a Caprese salad, followed up with dinner entrees of peasant soup (for me) and duck confit (for him), and ended our dinner with a cheese plate and mi cuit au caramel (like a chocolate lava cake only with caramel instead). By this time, our three-hour reservation was up and it was time to head back out into the snow to our hotel…
Before the fireworks were set to begin, Justin and I repacked our bags for our trip home, set up my tripod on the large window seal of the hotel room, and then laid down for a quick two-hour nap. (We were exhausted!)
Only a few minutes before midnight, I jumped out of bed and set myself up for photographing the fireworks…
Cloud coverage was absolutely terrible for photographing the fireworks. Add this to the fact that we were on the lowest level of the hotel, and I was happy to get the shots I got.
Rather than immediately go to bed, we opted to try the strawberry and white chocolate Bûche de Noël we had purchased in Québec City as we watched all of the city's firework go-ers walking, dancing, and singing as they headed back to their homes and cars. Overall, this wasn't a bad way to end our first trip to Canada. :)
Have you ever celebrated the New Year in another country? What do you typically do for New Year's eve?
