New Year Reflections

As 2013 starts and I hide from the cold outside, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on how I'm doing on renewing my love affair with Montreal.  At the beginning of 2012, I declared I would:

• Embrace winter (if it ever comes).  Go skating, tobogganing, maybe even snowshoeing - at least once a week.  Find and enjoy more tea or hot chocolate.
• Embrace summer (when it comes).  Find and enjoy new terrasses.  Eat outside on my own. Finally attend a show at the Just For Laughs festival.  Spend time at the Jazz Festival.  Have a picnic in a park.  Watch the fireworks from Jacques Cartier bridge.  Find and enjoy more shop-made ice cream.
• Walk or ride my bike just for the fun of it.  I got a bike bell in Amsterdam.  I should use it :)
• More solo street photography (outside of my monthly MEETin photo walks).
• Go to Jean Talon or Atwater market every week.
• Go to the Botanical Gardens (my favorite) or some other park once a month.
• Visit museums.  We have A LOT of museums in Montreal and admission is inexpensive.  Hmmm... I really should get an Access Montreal card.
• Explore more restaurants, especially in my own neighbourhood and around work.
• Wear fashionable clothes.  Yes, I like living in a city where I can dress nicely.  Now if I only worked in an industry that didn't think I had a job interview or a hot date every time I dressed up...
• Update this blog once a month.

How did it turn out?

• Winter was really mild, so instead of enjoying winter sports, I walked to work a lot more often than I normally would, went back to yoga and discovered hula hoop.  
• Summer was consumed by work, so I didn't accomplish any of the items on that point.  Still, a lot of the remaining points did get done over the summer, so I still found ways to enjoy what Montreal has to offer.
• I cycled and I love it every time.  I even did a cycling event with MEETin and inadvertently toured Verdun.
• Solo street photography... Once I got my new compact camera, I carried it with me so I could take a lot of impromptu photos as I walked around town.  When it warms up again, the camera will go back in my bag.
• We signed up to have a box of locally grown organic fruits and vegetables delivered to the office every week, so I had no need to go to the markets every week.  We got a lot of vegetables, enjoyed a healthy summer diet, and learned a few new recipes along the way.
• From late May through late September, I grabbed my camera and spent an afternoon a month at the Botanical Gardens.  I have even more photos of the beautiful flowers and plants.  My only regret is that I missed photographing the Fall foliage in October.
• For the first time, I participated in Museums Day and discovered two fascinating museums on Parc Jean Drapeau.  As that day wrapped up, I was already planning what I wanted to do in 2013.
• Not at the same level as 2008, but I did explore some new restaurants, mostly in my neighbourhood.  Memorable meals include a succulent lamb tajine at Au Tarot, excellent fish with Jerusalem artichokes at Bar et Boeuf, and fabulous game at Le Club Chasse et Pêche.
• Slowly my wardrobe is getting updated...
• Only missed July and November updates on this blog.  Not bad, considering I hadn't regularly updated this since 2008.

My goals for enjoying Montreal in 2013 are pretty much the same as last year.  Instead of writing journal posts summarizing what I'm doing, I'll work to make this blog more interesting. I would also like to do more travelling this year.

Happy 2013 everyone!