Hello from Montreal!

Just a quick message to say that we've been in Montreal for one week and it's been fantastic. We've been staying with Josh's parents out in NDG and it's been so relaxing! We're still somewhat on Vancouver time, waking up after noon and going to bed around 3am. But we're here for over 2 weeks and that's what this holiday season is for, right? :) We've been able to visit with friends and family and even experienced the wonderful deep freeze of -20 Celsius!

We're heading up to a small town called Lachute (near the Quebec/Ontario border) in a few days to spend some time at a friend's cabin. Temperatures here aren't so crazy at the moment - on Christmas Eve it even rained! But the snow isn't going anywhere. Unlike Vancouver which has been suffering with 2 weeks plus of snow, Montreal has the infrastructure to get rid of it. After all, they don't get 2 weeks of it, they get 4+ months! The moment the snow starts to fall, out come the snow ploughs. They perpetually clear the streets and side streets. Even the sidewalks have miniature snow ploughs - completely unimaginable in Vancouver! In Vancouver, there are maybe half a dozen snow ploughs and you're lucky if the main roads get plowed more than once. The side streets are never plowed, and the sidewalks are up to the goodwill of local businesses and residents. In Montreal? This is all taken care of and it's really nice to go for a walk through the streets (as long as you're appropriately dressed).

But anyhow... this is just a quick "hello" to friends and family who might be reading this. I'm hoping to update this blog with more details about our Montreal adventure shortly!