It was cold up in Montreal, really cold. Our first full day was a balmy 46F, but from that evening on, high temperatures never so much as approached freezing. Three of the next six nights posted lows in the mid single digits – lows that were never higher than twenty.

This is hardly the coldest part of the winter for Montrealers, a few of whom sported cotton and denim jackets that I’d wear on a 50 degree day. Late winter will present itself this week in Quebec’s metropolis, when lows plunge below zero – as low as -20F – and with highs in the teens at very best. Even for bitter Februaries, that sort of cold is incredible. We left just in time.

This coming week in Montreal

Due to the frigid air, I took very few photos on this trip. A few in the Basilica, some more atop Mont Royal, one or two at a museum – all without much effort. The biggest surprise was a three alarm fire (no significant injuries) near my rental on the night of January 2nd. That deserved a few snaps from afar, but in general my hands stayed warm inside their gloves.

A three alarm fire on Saint Joseph Boulevard

Had I spent winter break on a beach chair in Florida, or Costa Rica, I’d probably look down upon the forecast for my first day back – 60 and raining. But having spent a week in long johns, earmuffs, scarves, and infinite layers, I’ll enjoy it. And when the temperature dips to nine degrees in Plainfield on Wednesday night, my new Canadian coat will keep me warm.