A Thousand Hours

Nearly every year since 2004, I have made an annual "pilgrimage" to Montreal.

The first year, I was there in May with Joel, but Joel and I have two different ideas about exploring new cities. I tend to be quiet, stick to my feet and wander just watching. Joel likes a point to the travels. In other words he'd like to get out of the hotel and take a cab to point A, enjoy himself and then take a cab back to the hotel. Minimal walking around point A is okay, but he's not a wanderer. He likes direction. 

My problem with this method of vacationing is that it's how I live my life. I don't see the forest through the trees as I'm whizzing from one place to another. 

So later that summer I declared a Dana-only 10-day vacation. I drove from Champaign to Montreal and back by myself. I visited friends in Toronto, Ann Arbor and Montreal. I went to festivals, the Toronto Islands, saw Rod Stewart on the street with his new wife (who doesn't look that much different from Rachel Hunter) giggled at hundreds of people camped out chanting outside of Madonna's hotel and I chilled out. 

When I came back, I felt fresh. I had perspective. I had time with myself in a different place. I'd stayed at an awesome hotel (go Hotel St. Paul!)

I went back again in January 2005 after I decided to quit my full-time job at the health insurance company. I even rented a lovely apartment on St. Louis Square. Who goes to Quebec in the winter? Me. Everyone looked at me funny when the only solid reason to my calling to go up north was, "I'm going to see a Roy Dupuis movie." :-)

I went on another pilgrimage, this time with my best friend KTDID in June 2005. We spent a lot of time in the Eastern Townships and then up near Mont Tremblant at a cabin on a lake, where we canoed and grilled out. We headed into town just one day. In the middle Kate flew home and Joel flew up and drove back down to Champaign with me. 

In August 2005, our friends Mitra and JF got married in Vieux Montreal. We went up for the wedding. I was around 8 weeks pregnant at the time and pretty miserable. 

I didn't get back up to Montreal until X-man was 17 months old. I had four days alone to sleep, read, wander... and so many things that I loved the several times I had been there before, I grew to appreciate even more after a long absence.

Now I'm looking at July with wonder. Do I keep going back to spend my Loosey-only 3-4 days in a place I'm comfortable, but still a place that never fails to show me something new? Or do I look past my comfort to a whole new adventure... one that is only limited by points with Hilton and frequent flier miles on American? :-)