Bonjour from Montréal

I’ve been here since Wednesday and it’s been a whirlwind but going really well so far. My work meetings and the conference has been great and taken up most of my time, but the weather has been lovely and I‘ve managed to see some of the city. What a charming place!

Coffee (trying to stay awake!) and doing some work at Vancouver airport while waiting for my Montreal connection.

The flights were EASY. If very long (total time in the air- 19 hours). From Brisbane to Vancouver was 14 hours (on a Dreamliner), then Vancouver to Montreal was 5 hours. I watched Oppenheimer (is it just me, or was it a bit slow in the middle?) Ted Lasso, among other shows. Jet lag hasn’t been too bad, thanks to Melatonin and just having jam packed days!

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Montreal.

The first day and a half was all work (conference, welcome reception, more conference), but the Friday evening a booked a sound and light show (called Aura) inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral, and honestly I was blown away. It was truly amazing, and after we could take some time in the cathedral. No photography allowed during the show but I took some before and after.

Before the show.

After the show.

Wine and poutine- yes please!

Afterwards I wandered down to the water and stopped at a casual restaurant for a glass of wine and try poutine, Montreal’s famous dish. I had mine with slow cooked spare ribs to make it a meal- it was delicious!

The next evening I had a few hours between the conference and the conference dinner, which was in Old Montreal, so I bought a self-guided walking tour app, and wandered for an hour.

Wandering through Old Montreal.

Love the history. This restaurant is from 1725.

And how have I gone with taking “care” this week?

Well… fairly good! I have:

• Done ALOT of walking

• Took a break one conference lunch breath (when I was very tired) and ended up having a nap, getting Starbucks and walking through the McGill University campus (very pretty).

• Taking some time to sight see, but also not stressing about fitting in too much

• Being kind to myself about how I “perform” at the conference. That is, my public speaking, networking skills, asking questions after presentations. I can be quite insecure if I don’t actively give myself a pep talk!

I havent done any mindfulness, but with all the walking I feel like I’ve ticked the mental health box.

All in all it’s been a great visit to Montreal and would love to come back one day, maybe with the family.

Next stop - Nova Scotia! Very excited to see this part of Canada, and some friends (both old and new!)