A new year for books and breakfasts! Montreal is extremely snowy, which lends the city a kind of magic. Before moving here, I’d always heard how much colder it would be than Toronto (my hometown), but my cousin who grew up here imparted that Montreal has a sort of joie de vivre in the winter. The city excels at snowplowing (apparently McGill hasn't closed due to snow in forty years!), so many people continue biking to work in their protected lanes despite the frozen temps. I’ll often see people with cross-country skis riding the bus to Mont Royal in the middle of the city, and sometimes during my seminars at McGill I can see people skiing down the mountain. Rue Saint-Laurent is lined with twinkle lights and the city’s many parks are particularly scenic when covered with snow. 😍