By: Zoe Boyd 🇦🇺
It’s been nearly two whole months since making the BIG leap (flights ✈️, buses 🚌, trains 🚆 OH MY!) to the little Island of Montreal, and over a month living here at Chelsea House 🏡, and there is no better way to describe this whole process other than… ABSOLUTELY INSANE! 🤯
I hadn’t even realised just how long I'd been here until I looked at my uni calendar 🗓, which is now starting to pile up with assessments and deadlines 📚, and noticed all the fun things I’ve done over the last two months.
My year-long adventure started with a quick weekend trip to Quebec City 🇨🇦, a gorgeous city full of stunning French architecture, the cutest little shops and jam-packed with history. My mum and I spent the weekend exploring the cobbled streets, soaking up the atmosphere and the lingering warmth of the August sun. We finished our trip with a ghost tour, where they showed us all of the macabre sights around the historic town and finally some delicious, and truly Canadian delicacies - Beavertails!
Once back in Montreal 🍁 we spent some time exploring the city that was to become my home for the next year. The city was more diverse and vibrant than I ever could’ve imagined. The weather was amazing (for some reason I was convinced I was going to be walking straight into the Canadian winter 🥶) and the streets were filled with tourists and locals alike.
There was so much to do and see 🥰 in the first few weeks I was here. We spent a lot of time exploring the area around Chelsea House and simply enjoying our surroundings and the beauty of the city. I hadn’t realized just how ‘Europeanised’ some areas within Montreal were, from the cobbled streets of the Old Port and the seemingly hundreds of Churches ⛪️ - it felt as if I was in a completely foreign city. So far my favorite church has been the Notre Dame Basilica, yet I’ve heard St. Joseph's Oratory is also a sight to behold, and a great place to watch the sunset 🌅, so I hope to visit there soon as well!
I’ve also spent considerable time checking out some of the local foodie delights 🤤- I tried Beavertails while I was in Quebec City, but I’ve also devoured some other Quebecan staples while here in Montreal, including Poutine 🥔 from La Banquise and the stunning, all dressed bagels 🥯 from St Viateur.
I’ve also been on the search for the best cafe ☕️ and pastries 🥐 in Montreal. Some of my favourites so far have been:
- Crew Collective
- Tommy’s Cafe
- Cafe Myriade - super close to Concordia and have the best pastries!
- Le Toledo - also great for Pastries
Some other great food places I’ve found are:
- Nilufar (for the cheapest falafel pitas ever!)
- Bloom Sushi - the cutest vegan sushi place in Old Port
However, I am always on the lookout 🕵️♀️ for great places to try, so if you’ve heard of anything worthy of a trip, please let me know!
Despite being a self-acclaimed foodie, I have had to limit the amount of money I’ve been spending on food and instead try my hand at cooking… bleh. Personally, before coming to Montreal, I hated cooking (with a passion), but I've forced myself to make the most of my time here and pick up some life skills (arguable 😉).
The best way around managing my time, money, and effort in regard to cooking has been with Hello Fresh, a meal plan service that delivers straight to your doorstep and makes the whole process, from beginning to end, much more enjoyable. Here are some snippets from my latest cooking adventures 👩🍳!
Another great thing about it is that I can send a $90 off discount for all first-time users… so, if you’re struggling like me and want some cheap and easy meal plans, use this link to receive the discount! 🤑
In-between cooking, exploring the city and preparing my winter wardrobe, I've also had the chance to meet some really amazing people. The social events run by my University, such as the Frosh Week, as well as all of the bonding events run at Chelsea House have made making friends so easy, which was an aspect of moving that I was especially apprehensive about. From Karaoke Nights at Mad Hatters, watching sports games such as Hockey, Lacrosse and American Football and exploring more of Montreal's famous nightlife, I have had such a blast and can't wait to make some more amazing, lifelong memories.
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