My husband and I started traveling without children in our 50s. We spent a lot of time talking about all the places we wanted to visit. Our bucket list was quite long and full of exciting places all around the world. In July 2017, my husband died after a very short and ferocious battle with lymphoma. I was 60 years old and frozen in time. I did not know how to move forward.

Because travel was one of the things John and I loved doing together, I knew I wanted to complete the bucket list. As I struggled to figure out how to do this on my own, one of my dear friends, Camille, from our North Carolina parish invited me to join her on a trip to Montreal with a bonus day trip to Quebec City.

Once we were settled in our hotel and had a bite to eat, we began walking and discovered our first cathedral.

***Christ Church Cathedral*** is an Anglican cathedral. The first Anglican ministry in Montreal began in 1760. The present cathedral was built in the mid-1800s and consecrated in 1867.

When we began planning this trip, we had three things we wanted to accomplish.

The first was a special light show that was held at the ***Notre Dame Basilica*** in Montreal.

This was the second year the AURA Experience was happening at the basilica. This light show not only enhanced the breathtaking architecture of the basilica but also focused on the beautiful scenes depicted throughout the basilica. Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures during the light performance. However, I was able to find some great photos of the light show on the internet.

The Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church located in the historic district of Montreal. The interior of the church is regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. There are hundreds of wood carvings displayed throughout the basilica along with several religious statues. The stain glass windows are unique in that they portray the religious history of Montreal rather than biblical stories found in most other churches. This basilica is one of the most visited monuments in North America with approximately 11 million visitors every year.

The second site we had on our list to explore was the Saint Joseph Oratory.

This beautiful structure is a minor basilica and national shrine in honor of ***Saint Joseph***, the foster-father of Jesus and a very important part of the Holy Family.

Saint Andre Bessette founded the oratory in 1904. I did not know anything about this saint until I visited the shrine. Saint Andre was a religious brother and member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He was also the guardian of the place of prayer that developed on Mount Royal. In this role, he welcomed thousands of suffering and hopeful people. He listened to them and recommended that they pray to Saint Joseph.

The small chapel built in 1904 expanded four times until Saint Andre’s request to build a basilica was finally fulfilled. I attended my first Mass in French at the oratory. This was a beautiful adventure, and I was so happy to explore its beauty.

Before embarking on our third must-see adventure, we found two other beautiful churches in Montreal.

The ***Marie Reine du Monde Cathedral*** or ***Mary, Queen of the World*** in English, is a minor basilica and the third largest church in the Quebec province. The construction of this church began in 1875 and was consecrated in 1894 under the name ***Saint James Cathedral***. The church became a minor basilica in 1919. It was rededicated in 1955, and the name was changed to ***Mary, Queen of the World.***

My favorite church in Montreal was ***Saint Patrick’s Basilica***. The woodwork and architecture throughout the church was quite stunning. Saint Patrick’s is a minor basilica. The church opened in 1847 to serve the needs of the growing Irish community in Montreal. Its first Mass was celebrated on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1847.

The third item on our list was a day trip to ***Quebec City*** with a visit to the beautiful ***Notre Dame Cathedral-Basilica of Quebec***.

Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America and the only fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist. Quebec City was a very different experience from what we encountered in Montreal. The historic district of Old Quebec was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. We enjoyed our tour and seeing all the beautiful sites.

The highlight of this day trip was a visit to the cathedral-basilica. This beautiful cathedral-basilica is the oldest church in Canada. It was also the first church in Canada to be elevated to the rank of minor basilica. This occurred in 1874.

My next adventure will be in August. I will be exploring three national parks with two friends.

Normally I have several trips planned for the rest of the year. However, I am in a holding pattern waiting for my son to let me know his retirement date from the US Army. Once I know that date, I will be headed to Hawaii for his retirement and then can plan the rest of my trips. Portugal is at the top of my list. I am looking forward to visiting Fatima.

I am still writing and book #5 is coming along nicely. Be sure to sign up to receive updates on my books and travel.

God bless and Happy Reading!