O Canada?

First of all, happy Independence Day! As a fifth grade teacher who teaches US history, I love this day. I like to think that most of my students will be talking about some of the stuff they learned this year - like who signed the Declaration of Independence and why. Who can forget Paul Revere's ride - gotta love it when horses are involved! Most of my students agreed King George III was a jerk and that taxation without representation was unfair. Some even thought taxes were unfair altogether - I let them make up their own minds. But what does that have to do with Canada?

There are 195 sovereign states recognized by the United Nations. I'll never hit all 195 of course, and there are a few that I'm not interested in visiting at all (sorry, Somalia, but you need to clean up your act first), but I'd like to see at least 10% (and more would be amazing!) of them before I am too old to hobble around. 

​So far my list of Been There! includes the Canary Islands (geographically part of the continent of Africa but belonging politically to Spain), mainland Spain, Costa Rica, Ireland, Peru, Canada, England, Scotland, Belize, Guatemala, Portugal, Italy, and Vatican City. That makes 13 (I am counting the USA as one of the countries I've been to) of the 195. In dressage speak, I've earned a 6%, still short of my goal of 10%. That's okay as I'm getting close.

Early tomorrow morning, my husband and I are off to visit Montréal and Quebec City in eastern Canada. ​​We've already been to Canada once before - we visited the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island a few years ago, so this particular trip doesn't get me another mark on my list. Even so, I am excited about the trip. After Paris, Montréal is the second largest French speaking city in the world.

Carriage ride in Florence, Italy.

I've ridden horses, or done something with horses, in many of the places we've visited. I've ridden in the Canary Islands, Ireland, Scotland, Belize, and Portugal, and we've done a carriage ride in Italy. I'll be keeping my eye out for an opportunity in Montréal or Quebec City as well. My husband's always game for an equine experience, even if it's just dropping me off while he goes for a beer.

We don't really have a specific itinerary like we usually do, but we plan to visit Notre Dame Basilica and Old Montréal. There's really no end of things to do. We'll be gone for close to two weeks, so you won't hear from me again until the middle of July.

​Enjoy your 4th of July festivities!