Oh, Canada!

Hey all! 

Zach here. I'm excited to venture into some new stuff as Tara and I work together on blogs covering our travels! If you don't already know, we started an instagram account dedicated to our traveling obsessions called @leaguetravels. I'm an artist/designer, and the name of my company is League Design (www.leaguedesign.us)- so we thought that League Travels would be the perfect combination of Tara Michelle Brose and all things League!

Over memorial day weekend, Tara and I went up to Canada with our friends Jeremie and Natalie. Jeremie's family is french Canadian, and they have a wonderfully cozy cottage just outside of Montreal, near a little town called Lachute. Imagine a quaint midwestern town and the French countryside had a baby- that's Lachute. Everyone is nice, everyone walks slow, and everyone smiles at you. That's a tell-tale sign you aren't in Kansas (NYC) anymore- complete strangers smiling at you without then wanting a dollar to help them "buy their bus ticket to Albuquerque". Don't get me wrong- NYC has it's own charming personality- but Lachute has the slow-down-and-smell-the-roses vibes down pat. 

Even though the cabin itself is in Wentworth Nord, it's just a short drive from downtown Lachute. We went into town Saturday morning for brunch on the patio at Restaurant Olive, and it was perfect; quiet, delicious, and very relaxing. We also had warm service from a wonderful waitress who spoke only French. I knew people in Quebec spoke french, but to be honest, I was surprised that many of them spoke very little English! It felt like we were sitting at a Parisian sidewalk cafe! I had the breakfast plate with potatoes, bacon, sausage, cheese and hollandaise sauce (aka the french heart attack special), and it was every bit as fantastically delicious/disgustingly gluttonous as one might expect. (I'd recommend splitting it!). A quick stop at the grocery store to stock up afterwards, and we headed back to the lake for the rest of the weekend!

The cottage was right on Lake Louisa, so our days were spent soaking up the sun on the dock, kayaking and paddle-boating around the lake, swimming, eating ice cream, and napping. We love NYC with everything inside of us, but it sure is good for the soul to get away and unwind every so often. (ok- let's be real.... we get away at any chance we get!) We made all our dinners on the grill, ate our weight in s'mores around the bonfire, and ended each night with a scary movie. It really was everything that cabin-on-the-lake dreams are made of. 

It's worth mentioning that we forget about the stars in NYC. We know they exist, but we don't really see them. The night skies were so brilliantly illuminated at the lake, and I had fun experimenting with the camera to capture it!

The last day, we packed up and drove to Montreal. Jeremie and Natalie had their dog with, so we walked around searching for a brunch spot with a dog-friendly patio. Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal) was completely charming. Cobblestone streets lines with open air cafes and shops in every direction! We ended up eating at a little open-air cafe on Place Jacques-Cartier before exploring the surrounding streets. Tara and I spent some time shooting (more to come from her on that, I'm sure!), we bought some souvenirs (maple syrup in leaf-shaped jars, duh), and we had the best gelato from Mlle Catherine! 

We ended the wandering with a walk through the Chateau Ramezay gardens, a wonderfully restored property built for Montreal's governer Claude de Ramezay in the early 1700s. It was the perfect end to our trip, and we continued on with our drive back to NYC. 

We loved the weekend, and can't wait to spend some more time in Montreal!

Thanks Jeremie + Natalie for having us up!