We Went to Montreal in the Heat of Summer

About five years ago, we went to Montreal during a cold snap. It was painful to walk outside, so we had to use the underground city to get anywhere, and we vowed we would go back in warmer temperatures to walk around above ground.

We traded super cold temperatures for super hot temperatures.

I’ve driven over the border crossing several times, and it’s usually a large operation — almost like a line of tollbooths on a highway. But when we drove up, we went through a tiny town with winding streets and finally pulled up to a single booth in a rural neighbourhood. The kind agent asked question after question about our trip, what we do in the US, and finally, why we were passing over the border in this random town that wasn’t a direct route to Montreal.

“Oh!” I said brightly. “Have you ever heard of the Three Pines books?”

With that, he rolled his eyes and waved us through. He did not want to hear about our Three Pines trip to see Gabri’s B&B and Myrna’s bookstore. Or that the town that inspired the books — Knowlton — has planted three pines on the village green where the Three Pines kids search for Easter eggs beside the pond.

I may have blurred fact and fiction.

We then spent a week in Montreal and Quebec City (the twins planned that part of the trip for us!), climbing to the top of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours chapel, learning everything we could about hockey, and eating St. Viateur bagels.

Did you see my squirrel friend in the picture above?

A final trip before they leave for college.