Glamour Diaries: Mon voyage à Montréal, Québec

My apologies for the lack of posting! I had planned to write a few entries before leaving on my week-long trip to Montréal, Québec and then posting them while I was there. However, I didn't really quite do any such thing. Oopsies :( But, but, but! I wanted to take in the whole experience! Including sitting on my bum in the apartment, eating ice cream while watching Breakfast at Tiffany's and Uncle Buck in Montréal.

A few things that I did: I traveled up and down r ue Sainte-Catherine quite a bit. It is one of the main streets of downtown Montreal which is lined with many restaurants, two malls (Montreal Trust and the Eaton Center), as well as many various stores. Stores include - but are not limited to -The Bay (which include cosmetic counters of YSL, Chanel, Dior, MAC, MUFE, Guerlain, and many more), Lush, Jacob, Apple Store, Parasuco, Urban Outfitters, Louis Vuitton (just off of St Catherine) and so many more. I really didn't do all that much shopping because I was so overwhelmed by it all.

I didn't tour around McGill University but I was around the campus and I did go into one building, I forget the name of it. We walked through the Plateau, on la rue Saint-Denis. I experienced a bit of the Underground City as well. We also checked out Old Montreal which has the most beautiful buildings. And if you're ever in the city I would recommend you check out the House of Jazz. A friend and I went there and enjoyed a live band and some drinks. Oh, and most importantly, the Bio-dome! It was so much fun, I love animals. I also ate at some great restaurants including Zero 8, Le Commensal, and Bofinger.

On my next trip to Montreal I will ensure to check out the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. We made three attempts to get to the museum but there was always something preventing us from doing so. The first time we looked it up on the map (but it was the incorrect location) then rode the bus for a while to get there, in the dark and in the rain. We couldn't find it so we decided to go home and catch a movie at the cinema instead. The next day we found the right location but it was closed due to some "Velvet Ball" being hosted. And then the last time we tried to visit, the place was closing at 5 pm, the time we had arrived. So I gave up and I'll try again next time.

I did pick a few things up at the Lush store. One of my purchases included a small bottle of Snow Fairy shower gel for my sister. But it was taken away from me at the airport! I took out the wrong bag from my suitcase to pack in my carry on because the suitcase was overweight. Needless to say, I tried to get away with it in my carry-on. You're not allowed liquids over 30 ml. Never again will I ever try to sneak in a bottle of liquids more than 30 ml. It's not worth it. Not even for Snow Fairy. Ugh. And I was "randomly" chosen for a body search and then they searched through my backpack because they had seen the water bottle-shaped image in the "x-ray" scan. It was a little embarrassing. Stupid move on my part. I should have chucked it (my suitcase was gone by the time I realized what I had taken out). You live and you learn, even though you knew better to begin with. The things we do for our beloved cosmetics.

In conclusion, I must say, I do love the French culture of Montreal and the bilingualism there is really great. People are very friendly and nice. It's a big city but it is pretty well laidback. I could see myself living there! It's beautiful. I also live in an official bilingual province and Montreal has inspired me to learn French again.

This was a rather large post. Again, my apologies. Some posts you can expect in the near future:

- Lush Cosmetic product reviews

- November Favorites

- Winter Beauty Aids

Rue Sainte-Catherine