Kept My Eyes Peeled

Basilique de Notre Dame, Montreal

Well, I'm all settled back in good ole East Tennessee after ten days in the beautiful Canada. I can't believe this trip went by so fast, and now it's back to the daily grind of reality. However, even though Canada is so close to us, there's some pretty big differences between our two countries :)

View from Mont Royal, Montreal

Chateau Frontenac, Québec City

• Canadians love the A&W restaurant. Honestly, I'm pretty sure I saw more A&W shops than McDonald's. And that's saying something. 
• Canadian dollar bills are PLASTIC! There's a clear shiny strip along the side. I thought it was super cool; I even saved a five dollar bill. Also, I'm 99% sure they don't have 1 cent coins. If you pay in cash and need a cent in change, they just round up or down. 
• Many of you might already know this but the province of Québec is french-speaking. However Québec city is more strict in speaking French than Montreal. Because Montreal is so international and has a lot of immigrants, it is much more bilingual, which worked greatly to our benefit. 
• Toronto is crazy about dogs and dog parks. They are around every corner. And you would think that Toronto being such a big city that it wouldn't be friendly for big dogs, but you'd be wrong! I saw goldens, mastiffs, great danes. I mean, that's crazy! And it was so green! 
• Trains are now my preferred method of travel. Amtrak allows you to sit wherever you want, but Viarail (inter-canadian travel) is assigned seating like on a plane But you have plenty of leg room and a bigger bathroom than airplanes.
• Canadians might like pizza more than americans do. At least, the amount of pizza shops around every corner makes it seem that way. 



Québec City

• Coffee shops are also super common. At least three or four on every single street. 

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Toronto

Toronto

I loved Canada, and I HIGHLY suggest doing your own Mini-Canada tour. It's a beautiful country with a lot to see and do. It's easy to navigate (well, Toronto is a little different), and we were able to get around without Wifi and just our brains and paper maps. This is a great first trip, not too foreign, everyone speaks English if you ask nicely, but it also has a very european feel to it. If you have any questions or want any recommendations, shoot me a comment!

Á Bientôt,
     HER