After classes ended Friday afternoon, my host family and I jumped in the minivan for a quick trip to Montreal. (Fun fact, I had thought that Montreal and Quebec were only an hour apart. Nope. Three hours, in fact.)
We arrived around 5:30 p.m., unpacked and then ate a quick dinner of pâté, brie and fresh bread. After dinner, we hopped back in the minivan and headed toward the botanical garden to see the Chinese lanterns on display.
Taking photographs was a little tricky, but I think I managed to snap a few good pictures of the lanterns. They were truly gorgeous. Each lantern can take up to two months to be handmade in China. And each year the theme is different! I think the theme was Chinese folklore and animals. I thought the floating boat lanterns were the prettiest!
The weather cooperated nicely and we had a pleasant walk around the garden, though I'm sure it is even prettier in the daylight! It reminded me of the drives my family used to take to view the Christmas lights. All we were missing this time was the hot chocolate and sprinkle laden Christmas cookies. Ahh, memories!
Woo the festival of my culture!!
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