Our Sabbatical Life

  The first time Will and I traveled to Montréal was in the summer of 1999.  We had just gotten engaged, and we were taking a side trip into Canada on our way to Vermont.   The trip was planned as very much a union of two vastly different interests: the outdoorsy and the cultural.  As you might imagine, the Vermont part was 100% Will's trip.  I had not been on a bike since I was 12 years old, and I had no idea just how difficult biking 25 miles per day in Vermont would be.  (Now I know.) And the idea was that Montréal would be  my  part of the trip: French food, French language, Old Montréal architecture, and the art museum.  Will was happy to eat croissants and crepes and fondu (poor Will, right?) and then try to feign interest as I enjoyed a day of art at the museum.  But as luck would have it--or was it planned all along...?--Montréal Museum of Fine Arts was not open on Mondays, the only full day we would be in the city.  So, we never made it to the museum in 1999.  Nor ever sin

Remember the amazing and whimsical graffiti art in Montréal (like the one below)?  Well, here they are--and here WE are--again!   Yep, seven years after we were last in Montréal, we are back for another love affair with this French-speaking city with a hip and edgy vibe.    We realize it's been several years since we last posted, so a quick recap is in order. We were living in Portland, Oregon, when the coronavirus struck, and we quickly packed up and drove back to Chicago area in March 2020.  Then found ourselves working very intensely, very long hours.  That meant we had less time to travel or bike or hike to fun places.  And also that we had no time to write about any of little things we did have time to do.  Then Will took the opportunity from his company to take another package to leave earlier this year.   So, perhaps we will be able to revive this blog to document our (once again) sabbatical life?  For the first jaunt of our summer 2024 trips, we are in Montréal for a week,