.montreal, quebec.

Ok, ok. So, my plan to keep you posted while I was on my trip to Canada failed. I thought I could make time to sit in front of my laptop each and every night before I went to bed to update you all didn’t go exactly as planned. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, I still managed an extremely busy and tiring schedule which resulted in my need for sleep the moment I’d step foot back in my hotel room. I know that isn’t a good excuse but, here I am trying to make it up by giving you my own personal “Top 5 memories from Montreal, Quebec” in no particular order.

#1 – Lay’s Ketchup Chips
I had never heard of it prior to my visit to Montreal. In all honesty, I was kind of perplexed at the idea of the flavor. Why hadn’t I heard of it before? Why had I never seen them in California? I learned quickly that it was a local favorite along with “Lay’s Dill Pickle Chips” (which I didn’t try but will the next time I visit). Apparently they are only available in Canada which also perplexes me now that I’ve tried them. Funny thing is that when I saw the bag, my mouth started to water. I kid you not; and when I opened the bag they looked so good. After I ate my first Lay’s Ketchup chip, it was so deliciously tasty I wished every one of my friends and family were there to try it too. It was that good! Here's a photo of the bag before I ate its contents. :)


#2 – Hockey
Here at home, when I turn on my TV and click over to ESPN; it would be typical to see highlights and reports on most every sport—from the NFL, NBA, MLB, Tennis, Boxing, NASCAR, and even MMA. But what we seldom see is much reporting on the NHL. I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty for turning my attention back to my mirror to finish my make-up in the mornings the moment Hockey highlights took its turn. Watching Hockey on TV was never appealing to me and the fighting… well it was down right wrong in my eyes. I never thought I’d say this but after my trip to Montreal, I now have a new found respect for the sport of Hockey. The Canadians are nothing short of “die-hard” for their Hockey. It’s on TV—pretty much ALL THE TIME. Every Dive Bar, Sports Bar, and Restaurant with a working television had them set on the Versus Network (which is mostly hockey all-day-every-day). And yes, I do truly feel it is a sport because it takes a ton of physical ability and stamina to get through an entire game. I seriously had no idea what a cool sport Hockey really was, not to mention how great the NHL is. The league is fantastic and very professional which earns them a nod here on my list. They hosted an amazing All-Star Weekend which coincided with the centennial anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens—what a way to celebrate the sport!


#3 – French Fries Vending Machine
It’s true and no I didn’t try it. I think I was more intrigued than grossed out. They had all sorts of toppings too like cheese, gravy, and ketchup. You place your cash in the dispenser, press a few buttons, and out comes your order. The kicker was that this machine was inside a restaurant. This resulted in me NOT ordering fries since I couldn’t be sure they didn’t have a French Fries Vending Machine in the kitchen reserved for all of the French Fry orders. Ok, now I think I’m grossed out. :o/


#4 – Meeting Gordon "Gordie" Howe
Gordie is often referred to as Mr. Hockey, and is known as one of the Greatest Hockey Players of all time. Being most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength, and the longevity of his career; he's quite a legend. He is the only player to have competed in the NHL in five different decades. It was an honor and a pleasure to meet someone so respected. I can go on and on about him but I probably couldn’t do him justice so you’d be better off googling him. He happened to be staying at my hotel so I got to chat with him for a few. I even met his best friend Felix who was such a sweet man. I hear they've been pals for over 60 years. This picture is definitely worth a thousand words.

#5 – My flight from Montreal to Dulles
Leaving the Montreal airport wasn’t an experience that I’ll try hard to remember. It was mostly terrible because of the customs lines, the long walk with my baggage, and the impersonal customs agents. But, I will remember my short flight to Dulles (where I was connecting to my flight home) upon leaving Montreal. Being on a little commuter plane isn’t my favorite but in this instance, it wasn’t so bad. I so happened to board the plan with the last group since I had an aisle seat. As I dug through my purse for my passport in case the airport attendants needed to take one last look at it prior to me boarding; I found myself just about last. Next to me was a nice gentleman who was kind enough to small talk with me for the 15 minutes as we waited to board the plane. We chatted about where he lives and he asked what brought me to Montreal. Since I knew who he was, I asked him if he ever got tired of people asking him for autographs or photos—and politely he said no. Super nice guy and I’m glad I had the opportunity to chat with him. Interestingly it was Mark "The Moose" Messier. Messier is widely considered as one of the Best NHL Players of all time and, is regarded as one of the Greatest Leaders in the NHL history. He is second on the all-time career lists for regular season points (1887), playoff points (295) and regular season games played (1756). He won five Stanley Cups with the Oilers and one with the Rangers, and is the only professional athlete to captain two different teams to Championships. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Wow!

A final thought. The fact that everyone in the city of Montreal spoke French was so cool. I kept pulling out my “bonjour” everywhere I went. As the week progressed, I got brave and added “comment sont vous” and I learned that “bonsoir” was appropriate in the evenings. I SO wish I was bilingual in French. Even with 2 years of high school courses in French, my most complicated sentence was “je m'appelle Christine”. One day…

Peace,
Love, &
Ketchup Lays~
-C