You know what’s the absolute nicest? A snowy Montreal afternoon spent with friends, a bag of sesame-covered bagels, a big pot of tea, and a wool-clad baby named Emery.

Truly, the nicest.

In addition to all the fantastic Montréal en Lumière events we attended, we also had some opportunities to take in the city with friends.

After we’d visited Jean-Talon Market, we met up with our friend Ariel and went for a winter walk. We wandered right through the middle of Parc Jarry, which had a tiny festival of its own happening that day. And the scene? The scene was about as Canadian as you can get.

We first saw people snowshoeing, then watched as skaters very gracefully did laps around a frozen pond. One little boy didn’t have skates, so he hung onto the end of his dad’s hockey stick (what else?) and got a ride across the ice.

Of course, people were also drinking hot chocolate which, if my memory serves me correctly, somehow triggered a conversation about our favourite Timbit flavours.

(Sour cream glazed and honey cruller, in case you were wondering).

Feeling a wee bit chilly, we next stopped in at Vices & Versa, a cozy pub that pours an impressive number of Québec craft beers, including casks.

I tried the Coup de Canon stout from Le Bilboquet, Ariel had the Interdite IPA from Brasseurs du Monde, and Dana had the 7 Sisters: Celeno by Hopfenstark. The place had a rustic ‘après ski’ vibe to it, which I loved since I’m a bigger fan of post-mountain imbibing than skiing itself. The pub also regularly has live music--we highly recommend stopping in if you’re planning a Montréal brew crawl!

Next, we walked over to our friend Joel’s, who recently moved from Vancouver and has settled into Montréal's Mile End. He welcomed us into his cool new abode (we’d expect nothing less of you, Joel!) where our friends Amy, Jess, Mel, and Mel’s little boy Emery were waiting for us.