Bienvenu à Montréal

Montreal Plateau in autumn. Photo by: Eva Blue, Montreal Tourism

Montréal will always hold a special place in my heart. It is a city that became a gateway to international life for me and where I spent formative years from eighteen to twenty-five—growing, exploring, and meeting some of the most important people in my life today.

Although the city has changed since I lived there back in 2017, the heart of Montréal remains the same. When I returned in 2025, I immediately felt the quirkiness of the city, which blends the cosmopolitan vibe of eccentricity with the neighbourhood feeling of a small town where you run into people you know and you get to know your local barista or bartender or boulanger. Many people in Montréal don’t lock their front doors because there is this feeling of knowing your neighbours, and a general friendliness and ease in the city. In the summer, you can stroll endlessly through the many parcs and quartiers without much aim and in the winter you can tuck away for hours in the corner of a small café until the jazz band starts to play. You don’t feel the same sense of urgency as other North American cities. This dynamic mix of vibes of expansive yet cozy extends also to the city’s unique blend of European and North American lifestyles.

Leonard Cohen mural in downtown Montreal

There is something very liberating about how you can dress in Montréal. You can always find your niche, whether it be punk underground, bohemian festivals, clowning, burlesque, or LARPing. The unique blend of alternative cultures makes Montréal a particularly interesting city for vintage shopping. One of the staples of Montréal’s vintage scene is Eva B’s, where you can trade old clothes and books for cookies and coffee. Simply wandering around the Mile End and Le Plateau, you will find hidden gems of vintage clothing boutiques scattered throughout the neighbourhoods, especially between Saint Joseph and Bernard.

Given the city’s creative aesthetics, it’s unsurprising that Montréal has attracted musicians and artists like Leonard Cohen and Grimes. The underground scene is the mainstream in Montréal and it is painted over the city’s walls with amazing murals, adding to its exaltation of individuality and alternative culture. Beyond the array of street art, the city offers a variety of music festivals throughout the year. You can even find an outdoor festival in the middle of winter called Igloofest from January to February (bring your 80s snowsuit)!

However, winter is not for the frileux or the faint of heart. Although I absolutely loved ice skating on frozen lakes and skiing nearby the city, winter in Montréal literally changed my personal definition of cold. If you aren’t willing to face chilling winds, mounds of snow, and treading lightly over sheets of ice, then I personally suggest visiting from May to October.

Kat’s Compass to Montréal

Best months to visit:

• Spring/Summer: May - August

  • Some of my favourite festivals and events during the season

    • Piknik Electronik (every weekend May-October)

    • TamTams (drum circle, LARPing, and slack lining at Mont Royal parc every Sunday when it’s not snowing)

    • International Jazz Festival

    • Osheaga (eclectic indie-rock-pop-rap festival in August)

    • Mural (street art festival)

    • Juste Pour Rire (comedy festival in July)

• Autumn: September-October (autumn foliage)

  • Celebrate Halloween in MTL! The whole city is dressed up for about a week and there are always multiple Halloween-related events to attend, just be sure to have more than one costume ready!

  • Hike up Mont Royal to enjoy a panoramic view of the city, fall colours, and Beaver Lake! You can simultaneously tour the class McGill campus and the Observatory.

  • Great time for trips in surrounding nature in Québec and Vermont! I personally recommend Mont Tremblant and Mont Owl’s Head, as well as Québec City.

Beaver Lake in October

Food & Nightlife

Montréal is not only a great place to explore cultural activities, but it is well-known for its diverse gastronomy. The city offers some traditional, long-standing staples that characterise the flavour of Montréal with renowned poutine, bagels, and smoked meats. In the winter, you can find sugar shacks or cabanes à sucre outside the city limits for fresh maple syrup straight from the tap to pour over ham, bacon, eggs, waffles, pancakes, and whatever else you can think of! In the city, you can also find maple lollipops rolled over ice during the winter and bloody Caesars for hangover brunch (think bloody Mary, but with clamato juice).

The food scene isn’t all about maple syrup and poutine though. There is also a wide range of diverse international cuisine throughout the city. Living in Montréal during those formative years, I met so many different people from all over the world and it was the first place I tried new cuisines like Ethiopian, Peruvian, Korean, and Chinese hot pot!

Looking for the best bagels in town? Head to the hasidic neighbourhood in Mile End and Outremont. Looking for Korean barbeque? Head down rue de Saint Catherine nearby Concordia University.

The diversity of communities in Montréal brings flavours from all around the world, with many now established as institutions of the city. While some have come and gone over the years, here are some of my top spots for restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and bars:

Longstanding Institutions of Montréal:

• Schwartz Smoked Meats (Aside from the smoked meat, the dill pickles and peppers are amazing, but I can live without the coleslaw)

• Fairmount Bagels

• Saint Viateur Bagels

• La Banquise (My favourite: Le BOM - bacon, onions, merguez)

Restaurants:

• Chez Jose (Portugese brunch, churrasco sandwiches, smoothies)

• Arepera (Venezualan known for its special avocado sauce)

• Romados (Portugese rotisserie chicken)

• Los Planes (Papusas / El Salvadorian)

• Au Festin de Babette (Quaint brunch menu)

• Le Gros Luxe (Fried pickles & Caesars)

• Le Nil Bleu (Ethiopian)

Boulangeries & Cafes:

• Santropol (Great place for a coffee on a nice garden in the summertime)

• Cafe Neve (Strong coffee and chocolate chip cookies)

• Farine et Vanille (Amazing boulangerie for bread, croissants and other pastries)

• Kouign Amman (The place I discovered a classic pastry from Bretagne. To this day, I’ve never had a better one, even in France but it is hardly ever open so you have to check the hours before you go)

Arepera

Bars & Nightlife:

• Else’s (Small bites and drinks in a dimly lit, creative setting)

• Majestique (Small, kitsch bar serving oysters and great cocktails)

• Le Darling (Large bar full of greenery and mood lighting, but can be very noisy if crowded)

• Bily Kun (Ostriche heads on the walls and absinthe)

• La Distillerie (Classic microbrewerie in Mile End with Quebec-made beer for all seasons)

• The Wiggle Room (Burlesque shows in an intimate venue off Saint Laurent)

• Casa del Popolo (DIY music venue with benefit concerts and local acts)

Else’s

Although the city has change over the years, it will always hold a special place in my heart for its uniqueness, quirky sense of style, and its effortless mix of urban and natural life. To me, Montréal represents such an interesting intersection of cultures and different ways of life that allow for truly authentic self-expression in ways that most places don’t afford. You can find something unexpected here, while also maintaining a comforting sense of familiarity. While the city will continue to change, its heart will go on (as will Québec’s pride in Céline Dion), and there will always remain a little unique spark in this city that you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

Montréal, je t’aime.

Weekend Getaway in Slovenia

Four Days in Slovenia

Nestled between Italy, Austria, and Croatia, Slovenia is a small country full of mountains, rivers, lakes, caves, castles, wine, and thermal waters.

Looking for an early springtime getaway girls trip, I put together an itinerary for a four-day, city-break itinerary full of both relaxation and adventure in Slovenia with my best friend, Ashley, to explore a country neither of us had ever been to before. We decided to get one Airbnb for the entire stay and to rent a car for daytrips outside of the capital of Ljubljana, including Lake Bled, Rimske, and Predjama. Little did we know, our itinerary would expand with the recommendations of locals who wanted to share the magic of their country with us.

Day 1:

Ljubljana

The trip started with our Airbnb host, Miro, in Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana. I arrived to the city center late on the first evening and overpaid for a taxi (there is a bus you can take from the airport that is a much cheaper and equally direct option). In the crisp evening air, I buttoned my coat up to the top, bundled myself in my scarf, and checked the directions to the Airbnb. Tucked beside the funicular leading up to the historic castle that overlooks the city, our Airbnb had a historic charm with its old stone walls. It was cozy with warm lighting, a bathtub with stone decorations (which was somewhat impractical for showers but very fun), a hammock, an extra sofa bed, and a fully equipped kitchen.

Ljubljana

After settling in, our host took me for a welcome drink at the local student bar only minutes away from our stay, while I waited for Ashley to arrive the following day. There are limited flights to Slovenia and we were coming from different airports, so this part was a bit difficult to coordinate. We had to arrive and leave one day apart.

Klub Daktari

Our host, Miro, offered me a welcome drink at the nearby bar called Klub Daktari. Over a drink in the dimly lit bar with the same characteristic stone arches of the Airbnb stay, he told me of his work as a professional calligrapher for historic recreations of documents in Ljubljana Castle. Over another pint of beer for only four euros, our host introduced me to some local students who were curious to hear why a Californian had chosen to visit their country. Each person I met made me feel welcome, readily offered to pay for a round, and were excited to tell me about their favorite historic facts about Slovenian culture and recommendations for the rest of the trip. I stayed a bit later than expected surrounded by the bar’s bookshelves and its atmosphere that welcomed philosophic debates over cigarettes in the back room.

The next morning, I wandered around Ljubljana as I waited for Ashley to arrive. First, I stopped at the open air market just outside of the Airbnb with fresh local produce and artisanal crafts. Then I posed for a picture at the famous Dragon Bridge with its many statues that, according to legend, represent how the founder of Ljubljana and his Argonauts slayed a dragon. Wandering around, I passed by families ice skating in the city center. Music was sprinkled throughout the city with its many buskers playing guitar and accordion in the streets, as well as the magical sounds coming from the Academy of Music. I sat outside in the sunshine on heated terraces for a coffee in the afternoon.

Day 2:

Lake Bled

The next day, Ashley had settled into the Airbnb, so we headed off to pick up our rental car in the city center and started our road trip to visit the picturesque Lake Bled. I highly recommend renting a car in Slovenia to explore the country more fully, and the rental services are cheap, easy, and very accessible. The drive from Ljubljana to Lake Bled takes roughly an hour and the route we took passed through some winding, wooded roads in a forest.

Wine shop in Bled Castle

Once we arrived in Bled, there were only a few options for lunch, as we were there in the off-season. Bled is a more bustling town in the late spring and summer months, as they offer kayaking, paddle boarding, and boat tours. With the snow-capped mountains surround the lake, it was still very beautiful in the winter, but I would've prepared sandwiches for the trip had I known how few restaurants would be open. We ended up finding a cute local spot for a lunch and ate traditional hearty winter meals of sausage and breaded chicken. After lunch, we walked the path around the lake and hiked up to Bled castle that overlooks the lake from a mountain top with an amazing view of the church on the island in the middle of the lake. After hiking up to the castle, we stopped to taste some local wines in the shop within the castle walls.

After touring the historic castle, we headed back down the mountain and walked the lake path. Benches were spread out along the path throughout the trail, so we could pause to take breaks. There were small streams and lizards crawling along the path. We got some breathtaking photos of the small church island midway through the walk. In the summer, there are boats that take you to visit the church on the island, but this is not available during the winter months. The walk took us around two hours with many breaks in between. It was a relaxing, brisk winter day in this beautiful setting.

Day 3:

Spa Day at Rimske Terme

As I had heard about Slovenia’s thermal waters in the Pannonian region, I wanted to spend a day at the spa on our trip. After chatting with some locals, I found a spa called Rimske Terme an hour and a half away from Ljubljana by car. Full access to the spa facilities, including towels, sauna, and steamroom, only cost us about thirty euros for four hours. The spa had an amazing indoor thermal water with a circuit leading outdoors with a view of the surrounding mountains. Since we were there during the off-season, the spa was not crowded and there was plenty of space for us to swim without feeling disturbed by anyone else. We did the thermal circuit for an hour, enjoying the sun outdoors in the crisp winter air in the warm waters.

Rimske Terme indoor thermal waters

After swimming the circuit indoors and outdoors several times, we went to the sauna and steam room section. This part of the spa is nude only, so no bathing suits in that section. They have several different saunas, some of which you access from an outdoor terrace. They also have several different types of steam rooms and hot tubs. There is a cold dip and a snow machine to cool down after the sauna, steam, or hot tub. They have underwater couches with bubbles for sore muscles. Overall, the spa was very relaxing and well organized with a quiet atmosphere. The spa is part of a larger hotel with a restaurant surrounded by mountains and hiking trails.

Rismke Terme Hotel and Spa

Day 4:

Predjama Castle and Postojna Cave

On our last day of the trip before preparing to fly back home, Ashley and I took another daytrip outside of Ljubljana to Predjama Castle and the nearby caves in Postojna. Our first stop was to the Predjama Castle—a medieval castle built into a mountainside that used natural caves as part of its architecture. We did an audio tour of the castle, which was a stronghold for a legendary knight, Erazem of Predjama. It is rumored that the castle has a series of escape routes through tunnels in the caves and that the knight Erazem was able to escape capture through using the secret escape routes in the tunnels leading to the surrounding mountains. The caves of Predjama are also home to a large colony of bats that can be see flying around sunset during the summer months, but the bats hibernate during winter.

The caves of the Predjama Castle are also connected to another series of caves that you can visit called the Postojna Caves. There are tours that take you into the caves by a small train car. After the train ride, the rest of the tour is on foot and opens up into a huge series of illuminated caves to show the magnificent formations of stalagmites and stalactites. We were in complete awe of the size of the caves! After a long day touring the caves in Predjama and Postojna, we decided to head back to Ljubljana for an extra special meal to celebrate our last night in Slovenia.

Dinner at

Landerik

I had heard a lot about the wonderful gastronomy of Slovenia with cuisine renowned for sustainability and innovation, as well as Michelin starred restaurants. After speaking with locals on my first night in Ljubljana, I discovered more about the country’s long history of foraging. Our Airbnb host, Miro, even told me that he would sometimes go camping without any food and he would find his food in the woods from wild raspberries to wild mushrooms. With a special connection to a sense of knowing the land and its many fruits, Slovenia is full of gastronomic experiences that reflect this connection to nature.

We decided to eat at Landerik on our last night in Slovenia to get the full experience of the flavors of the country. Each course presented signature flavors and ingredients of the country through an elevated take on traditional dishes; each dish was paired with a specific wine from Slovenia. Although Slovenian wine is less well known than Italy or France, they had some great selections. One of my favorite wines that I tried during the dinner was a white wine called Ferdinand, which was a Ribolla Gialla. The meal was delicious and I highly recommend Landerik to anyone looking for gastronomic discovery of Slovenian cuisine.

We really enjoyed our short trip to Slovenia. Since it’s such a small country, it’s easy to see and do a lot in a short amount of time without having an overwhelming or chaotic experience. Unlike a lot of other short trips I’ve done, there were no hiccups along the road, no unpleasant unexpected surprises, everyone we met was super friendly and helpful, and the trip was super relaxing because the country is really well organized with a welcoming culture.

Since we were there in the off-season, it was not at all crowded, but it was a bit cold and we definitely needed to bundle up to spend time outside. I would love to go back in the spring and summertime to explore the rivers and lakes by kayak, go wine tasting at a vineyard, and explore some hiking trails in the Julian Alpes.

The spa day was perfect for the cold weather and we were really happy to experience both the spa day and cave tours without too many other people. Places like Lake Bled would be worth seeing in the summer months, as I am sure it is a completely different atmosphere.

If you’re looking for a small, inexpensive, and quaint getaway with friends or a partner, Slovenia should be on your list. I will be back to discover more Michelin starred restaurants (at a reasonable price) and to discover all the best glamping this country has to offer. To be continued…

Viva Mexico!

Ten Days in

Mexico City

For my 30th birthday, I wanted to take a special trip to a country I’d never been to before. My parents happened to be planning a trip to Mexico and one of my best friend’s from college has been living there for years, but I’d never had the chance to go visit here. Now felt like the perfect time.

I found a roundtrip direct flight from Paris to Mexico City and took off in October 2022 for two weeks in Mexico. I spent ten days in Mexico City that were full of culture, art, history, and gastronomy.

October to May is considered the dry season in Mexico City, although it was early October so the weather was temperamental. I had always imagined Mexico as being hot, sunny, and dry, but it was much cooler and more humid than I expected and it took me a few days to adjust to the elevation (7,349 feet / 2,240 meters). I experienced a crazy lightning storm during my trip, but also had many sunny days perfect for wandering the city and its many parks.

That was another unexpected part of Mexico City for me—the amount of greenery, parks, and dogs all over the city. The streets and parks are so clean in Mexico and restaurants are typically dog-friendly, so as an animal lover I was in heaven. I was also just astounded by the vibrancy of the city. As it was just after the rainy season, it felt like everything was bursting with color.

I stayed in the Hipódromo neighborhood of Mexico City, so the first day I wandered around Avenida Amsterdam. The former horse racing track has now been transformed into a green space where locals walk their dogs in the afternoon. Murals, tropical flowers, street vendors selling tacos and juice, boutique shops, and cafes made this the perfect neighborhood to wander around outside and get a feel for the city.

Exploring the Roma Norte and Hipódromo Neighborhoods

The Flavours of Mexico City

Another amazing way to get a feel for the city was through its flavors! Of course, one of my favorite parts of the trip was EATING. On my first couple of days in Mexico City, I ate at a few great places in La Condesa and Roma Norte:

• Frëims for brunch eating chilaquiles and drinking fresh juice on their outdoor patio

• Tacqueria Orinoco for authentic tacos in a lowkey setting

• Rosetta for an elevated traditional meal in a restored villa

• La Docena for agua chile and oysters in a hip setting

• Churrería El Moro for fresh churros and hot chocolate

Aside from restaurants, Mexico also has a rich food culture around street food. Next stop on my food tour was a street food taco tour in Centro with Club Tengo Hambre. I highly recommend this tour, as it was a great way to experience an important part of Mexican culture and to taste the amazing varieties of one signature dish that I absolutely love. The tour started out by the Palacio de Bellas Artes (which I went back to later for the incredible murals featured later in this article) and it ended in a little hole in the wall pulqueria (which I’d never heard of or tried before). We walked from stand to stand hearing about the history of street vendors and learning about the different regional varieties of each taco. All together, we tried around ten different types of tacos. Here are some of my favorites:

The first taco stand we tried had the most amazing selection of salsas and served steak tacos with a regional melted cheese. We also tried a chile relleno tacos, a taco served with kebab style meat influenced by Turkish immigrants, blue corn masa handmade tacos made with a particular mushroom that grows out of the mold of the corn, and a taco served in a shepard’s pie style mix of meat and potato popular among local workers as an inexpensive, but filling lunch.

The tour finished off at a local pulqueria full of colorful murals behind swinging saloon style doors and an old juke box playing retro music. I had never tried pulque before, but learned from the tour guide that it is a traditional drink made from the fermented sap of agave. We tried two flavors: celery and guava. I preferred the guava for its sweetness. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, similar to a thick and somewhat slimy version of kombucha with an alcohol content similar to beer. The tour guide told us that a lot of teenagers in Mexico learn how to drink with pulque. It’s also an important part of Mexican history, as there are many legends around pulque and during the Aztec era, it was considered a sacred drink. It later became a drink of the people after the fall of the Aztec empire and then banned by Spanish colonizers due to its ties to non-Christian religious beliefs.

Each dish and each drink from the tour had a special significance, either to a particular region or to the history of the country or Mexico city. I loved learning about the importance of rice, beans, and peppers being accessible to people from every walk of life in the country, and how important the street vendors are for working class people who commute to the city and need cheap, nutritional options for lunch during the day. The taco is a true art form of Mexican cuisine that makes the country turn with its unique, rich flavors providing a full meal that you can hold in one hand.

Cultural Sites and Museums of Mexico City

Beyond the flavors of the city, I was also taken by the beauty of some amazing sites, museums, parks, and artworks. Mexico City is full of vibrant colors with a rich history that has been meticulously preserved. I was in absolute awe of the size of the main park Chapultepec and the curation of the Museo Nacional de Antropología. I was also thrilled to visit the former home of an idol of mine—the unique Frida Kahlo and to see the astounding murals of her husband Diego Rivera in the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Highlights from Chapultepec Botanical Garden

From the botanical garden, I walked over the nearby Museo Nacional de Antropología. Between the park and the museum, there are several street vendors serving elote, mango, and all kinds of snacks for an afternoon pick-me-up. I decided to grab some mango then headed into the extensive museum. The Anthropology Museum is too large to explore fully in one day. It’s the type of museum you could spend weeks on end studying. I decided to focus on a couple key sections, including the Aztec and Mayan, which showcased astounding art and cultural artefacts dating back centuries.

Highlights from Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Exploring Mexico’s many museums offers a small glimpse into the country’s vast culture and history. While I only discovered a small part, the fragment of culture that I experienced during my ten-day trip left me profoundly inspired. I visited several other museums during my trip, including:

• Frida Kahlo Museum (I recommend reserving in advance)

• Palacio de Belles Artes

• Museo de Arte Popular

The Frida Kahlo museum showcases the artist’s former home and is a popular destination among tourists, so a reservation well in advance ensures your visit. While few of her artworks are present, the museum gives an in-depth view into her daily life and the adversity she faced. Wandering the garden, surrounded by the electric blue walls of her home, one can easily see the influence of Mexico on the surrealist painter’s vibrant palette.

The murals of her ex-husband, Diego Rivera, can be found in multiple locations in the city. At the Palacio de Belles Artes and stood before breathtaking, large-scale murals from Rivera and other talented Mexican artists. For me, this was a must-see and I was so thankful that I did not leave Mexico before standing before these murals in-person. The detail and sheer size of the murals truly took my breath away.

The Museo de Arte Popular highlights folk art across multiple floors for those interested to discover traditions like embroidery, weaving, and dias de los muertos skeletons. This is another extensive museum that I went through a bit too quickly, as I visited it after the Palacio de Belles Artes, but it gives an in-depth view into Mexican folklore and cultural symbols still relevant today.

Palacio de Bellas Artes, a must-see for its large-scale murals

From religious deities rooted in the country’s topography and nature to the bright colours that fill the city, there is so much to see in Mexico city that one could easily spend two weeks exploring the capital alone and still not see everything. I only scratched the surface of the country’s rich cultural heritage during my ten days in the capital, but it deeply impacted me to experience Mexico firsthand—to taste its flavours, smell its marigolds, and feel its vibrant energy. I highly recommend Mexico as a destination for history lovers, foodies, and art enthusiasts and I plan to return several more times in my lifetime.