Day 1: Montreal

Husband is apparently very good at his job. So good, in fact, that one of the companies he bids for offered him a business (aka party) trip to Montreal in July. When he told me about it in March, my first response (was not to be proud and happy for him but) was to ask whether there was room for me on this trip. The convo went something like this:

Me: Are spouses invited?

Him: I'm not sure.

Me: How can you find out?

Him: (shrug) I don't know...this is my first one of these and I don't want to look ungrateful-

Me: I totally understand. I have no problem handling this myself. Who do I call?

Him: (hand up, with a grimace) I'll take care of it.

A week later he was booking flights. And, other than my plane ticket, all expenses were covered. 

SWEET.

Day 1 started with a 6 AM international flight (which translates into VERY early wake up call) to O'Hare in Chicago, a 34-minute layover at O'Hare, and a 2-hour flight to Montreal.

Having taken several international flights, I was sort of dreading the day. I have some airport-security anxiety (I know I'm not a terrorist but I can't squelch the fear of bring mistaken for one) and going through customs can be a long and arduous process. As it turned out, it was the best international travel experience of EVER! 

We got on the plane, we rode smoothly on the plane, we departed the plane, we walked straight on to the next plane (3rd row, in fact!), we rode smoothly again in the plane, we departed the plane, we breezed through customs (no line!), our bags were already on the carousel when we arrived at baggage claim, and then we boarded THIS!

It's a limo. A LIMO. 

Definitely weren't expecting that. And as we rolled on through the heart of Montreal (which is a beautiful city, BTW), people kept squinting and staring, trying to see what famous high-rollers were riding in such style. HA!

We stopped here:

And if I swing the camera to the right, 

That is the view down the street. Down the street.

We checked into our hotel suite (yup...suite...bedroom, bathroom, sitting room complete with a fireplace, and a kitchenette...whaaaaaat?) and went to have lunch at a French bistro down the street. (The concierge called ahead for us...I think he was worried about the pale Kansans who kept raving about the beautiful weather...it was 78 and they were experiencing a heat wave.) 

We were seated next to a wide open window where we experienced this:

And this:

A duck-meat salad (my dish...the duck tasted like ham)

And

A lamb burger (Husband's dish. We were also encouraged to try the soup du hour which was leek and apple soup and divine. Oh...and this meal (Meal #1) was free.

We returned to the hotel where we napped and had "cocktail hour" in the lounge at 5. At 730, we left for the restaurant. I'm not gonna lie...this felt a bit long. I knew two people outside my husband before this trip, so there was a lot of small-talk. (Thankfully, I come from a long line of professional small-talkers. And it got easier the more people drank. Again, for free.) We finally departed on foot (good thing because several were already in no shape to drive) around 730. The weather was perfect (the guy from Seattle was sweating) and the city was just crazy beautiful. Cobblestone streets, stone high-rises everywhere you looked - amazing.

As we took our seats at the quaint Italian  restaurant, the gal coordinating the whole event came over and said, "Let me explain something to you about Montreal." (She's from Chicaaaaago so she said "Montreaaaal.") "Did you know it's an island? So everything is on island time. Do you know what I mean? We are good Midwesterners used to a schedule. They don't really do that here. So, buckle up...we will be here awhile. I've got appetizers on the way and you can eat and drink all you want - I've got the tab. Enjoy!"

Aaaaaaaand that's the story of how I came to eat bruschetta, oysters, octopus, delicious risotto corn balls, and authentic Italian meatballs all before dinner.

C'est la vie. Meal #2.

On the way home, we walked by the basillica that shares a wall with our hotel. 

A lovely end to a wonderful "travel day," as everyone kept calling it. Best travel day ever!