j.wo's adventures

One of my favourite parts of an all-around fantastic girls' weekend in Montreal: learning to sabre a bottle of champagne! #lechampagnerie #lifegoals

P. had a great time overall and, despite throwing her nap/sleep schedule out the window and suffering a bit for it ourselves, we did too. The Butterflies Go Free exhibit at the Botanical Gardens and the Insectarium were highlights. However, so was running into a random Sugar Shack stand in Old Montreal and tasting maple syrup taffy. Another highlight was an hour running around Notre Dame’s square, horse-watching (horse-drawn carriage-watching?) with daddy while mama napped back at the hotel. That one was appreciated by all.

There were many good eats. These are just a few moments of enjoyment. Our fanciest, most delicious dinner was so good and at such a foodie joint that we didn’t even stop to take pics! (Le Robin Square: no highchairs but gracious to our kid. AMAZING food – smoked meat-topped truffle mac & cheese, roasted pork belly to die for, killer flavourful housemade hot sauce, etc. Wish we could have fit in dessert!)

Massive, nearly empty large hall with interesting pillars? Great spot for a mid-afternoon, toddler-runs-free session while the adults take a tea break.

A hotel with a killer lobby is a bonus. A large koi pond with an impressive stone pathway, for instance. #toddlerapproved

Out and about in Montreal for a long weekend

Life itself is monumentally different with a kid, never mind travelling with one. Still, one thing we want to instil in our little girl is an appreciation of different places, people and cultures. While our trip to Montreal on Easter weekend isn’t her first time travelling away from home (we visited family and friends in Ottawa and New York last year), she was old enough this time around to actually remember and enjoy her experiences. Feels wonderful sharing new things with her for the first time.

Seeing as how constant travel isn't yet something I can swing, I'm switching this blog to also include my regular, everyday adventures -- most of which involve food, cooking, baking and/or eating. Cheers!

Glorious afternoon and the scent of spring flowers on my walk home!

My 'hood

Good morning, Toronto. I've never been a morning person, except under duress and while jet lagged, but I guess it can be a beautiful hour ;)

Tried to sleep much of the flight home and keep ourselves awake Sunday to make a dinner visit with M's family. Utterly failed. Unpacked, did half of the laundry and tidied up. Then crashed, powerless against the beast, until 9:30 pm. Yeesh!

First official meal back in Canada: fish tacos for me and beet salad for Matthew, plus fries to share. HNIC playing overhead at YVR. Even though our flight from Hong Kong was stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours due to a faulty plane on the runway (not ours!), we still have a ton of time to kill here before actually arriving home in T-dot. Thankfully customs was a breeze, but NB: beef jerky is not permitted to come back with you from China. Sorry Becca.

Magical discovery at Vancouver airport! Love these chocolates, ever since Dymo introduced me to them all those years ago! This one is a dark chocolate vanilla caramel with pink Himalayan salt, but I also got a box of dark chocolate Victoria creams. Yum!

While it's hard to believe we've been in China for three weeks, I have to say I have been missing the comforts of home over the last few days: my dentist, for one, but also our comfy bed and my relatively spacious kitchen to cook the regular food we enjoy. Still, I feel we've learned a lot this trip and I hope to incorporate some of it into my life at home. Plus, I'll post more extensive videos and photos once I am back on our supetfast wifi at home!

Our first night in Hong Kong, I bit down funny on a piece of chicken bone and have had varying degrees of pain on one side of my mouth ever since. Today was the worst, but I managed to land an emergency appointment at my dentist for the day after we return, thanks to the amazing staff there. They think (from my description of symptoms) that I may have cracked a tooth. YIKES! Talk about suffering for food! Will be on pain meds for the rest of the trip…and trying my best to be a trooper!

A stroll in Kowloon Park helps us to digest after an indulgent buffet lunch (the best I've ever had, with some killer desserts) at the swank Mira Hotel!