Soccer, Jamming, Meal Prepping, and Yoga

This girl does not let the grass grow under her feet. Julia is back in Columbus and getting into a groove. She went with friends to yoga; I'm glad she's finding a way to de-stress and show off her new yoga gear! They have also frequented the new OSU gym by their place. Between some Papa John's orders here and there, Julia and Sarah are meal prepping together--yes, meal prepping meatballs, chicken, pasta! That's my girl.

Julia went to the Columbus Crew versus San Jose Quakes soccer game; they won 2:0. She also jammed on her piano with her boy band friends. She has several different groups of friends, which keeps it fun and interesting.

The cats are clingy; Peanut Butter misses his snuggle time with Jules. Quiet is being cranky unless held. We miss her!

Montreal, McGill, and My iPhone!

We had a smooth flight to Montreal only to plummet into panic when I left my iPhone in the backseat of a taxicab. Four days later, we picked it up from another tourist from New Jersey (thank God). Montreal was nice; Quebec is a hard act to follow. We enjoyed walking through Old Montreal and seeing Notre-Dame Basilica, Mount Royal, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Old Port. Despite a lot of construction, we maneuvered around McGill (Brenda's alma mater!). It is a great school in a wonderful location. We walked the Rue Saint-Paul and Rue Denis, quaint with good shopping. Again, the food options did not disappoint: smoked brisket, lamb, duck pate, duck breast, calamari, and lots of bread.

 

In love with Quebec

We went to Quebec with little expectations of cooler weather and quaint French cafes; instead, we were blown away by the city's charm, food, parks, history, hotel, and overall vibe of the city. It was fantastic; so wonderful, in fact, that we would go back in a heartbeat (with Julia!). Steven arranged an informative bike tour of the "oldest city in North America," which happened to be given by the "oldest bike guide" we have ever had. The guy was so cute, kept cracking himself up and all decked out in bike gear. We enjoyed the farmer's market, Old Quebec, the Citadel, Chateau Frontenac, the boardwalk, Place Royal, Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Port, the Petit Champlain district's cobblestone streets, the Plains of Abraham, World Clock, the bistros and boutiques, and fireworks over the Saint Lawrence River--the only fresh water in the world with two tides per day. The food was amazing. We had duck breast, quail eggs, seal meat (fatty and yummy), beef tartar, veal liver, walleye, foie gras, shrimp ceviche, croissants, smoked meat, fish-n-chips, and bread with maple butter. It was so nice to get away, although we really missed having Jules with us.