I feel very lucky that I get to travel to some pretty cool places for my job (Dublin, London, Paris, San Francisco, New York…). This week took me to Montreal. I haven’t been to Canada in a couple years; my last trip was to Vancouver back in 2012. I didn’t have much time to actually consider what I would do with my free time because I was so busy prior to leaving for the trip. But the day before I left, I managed to check out trip advisor for the top tourist attractions. What made my list? Notre Dame Cathedral and Mount Royal.

I knew I wouldn’t have much free time since I was attending a conference with a packed agenda, but I did manage to sneak away one afternoon to hit the two must-do things in Montreal that were on the top of my list, wander around a little bit, and catch a few pretty photos along the way.

First stop: Notre Dame. You might recall how I reacted to seeing Notre Dame in Paris, so I eagerly found my way to Notre Dame in Montreal. To my surprise, they only accepted cash to enter. I hardly ever carry cash with me, so after snapping some lovely external pictures, I opted not to find an ATM, and instead head down to Old Montreal to look for pretty things to shoot.

Although it was freezing the entire time I was there, the best part about my tour was seeing the changing leaves. It is just really hard to describe the glorious color of changing leaves, the reds, the oranges, the yellows. It is just so beautiful. I tried my best to capture some of those colors along the way.

Second stop: Mount Royal. I opted to take a taxi to the top of the mountain because 1) it was freezing outside and 2) I concluded it made more sense to walk DOWN the mountain than up in this crazy cold weather and 3) a taxi only cost $10!

After the taxi dropped me off, I walked down a winding path until I found the main look-out. From the pictures, I think you can tell just how gorgeous this view is. Every Trip Advisor review I read said the trip up the mountain is worth the effort, and I have to agree. Seeing the view of the city among the fall leaves, was really breathtaking.

After several minutes, I then began the winding journey to walk down the mountain. It was a little more rustic than I had imagined. My boots got quite a bit muddy and there were points when I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere amongst all these trees, rocks, dirt and leaves.

I am very glad I took a taxi to the top and then walked back to my hotel (probably 3ish miles), as I don’t think I would have been a very happy girl if I had walked both ways with how cold it felt out there. But the mountain was gorgeous and I’m so glad I got to see the city from that vantage point.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have more time to explore the city, but I did manage to eat some poutine (gravy on the side!). Despite the extremely cold weather and cold I picked up while I was there, I’m glad I got to experience a new place. The best part about my trip? It reminded me just how thankful I am for my family and living in a warm climate.