The first week of December, after an early snow storm at our place, Marie and I headed to Montreal to look after William and Amy for four days while Phil and Fer were partying it up in New Orleans. Fer had bought the four of us tickets to Illumi for that Friday night so we bundled up warmly, caught the Metro to Station Montmorency and then the shuttle to Laval where the event was being held. Illumi proclaimed to be a 'magical, captivating and extraordinary nocturnal outdoor journey created from thousands of monumental light sculptures'. I had not been aware of it until Fernanda told us and thought it would be a great experience for the kids. We got there just as darkness fell, picked up our VIP wrist bands and grabbed some free hot chocolate. Soon the night was aglow with more than 10 million brilliant lights and music, the largest multimedia sound and light show in the world. We spent the next three hours exploring the fantasy worlds, Feliz Navidad, the Merry-go-Round Square, Infinite Poles, Magic Lanterns, the Many Colours of the Savanah, and Dreaming on a Star. We checked out the Christmas market and the food merchants gathered around a gigantic tree of sparkling lights trying to decide what to eat. It was certainly cold but frequent trips to the VIP tent for hot beverages and pizza later kept everyone happy. The kids especially enjoyed the train ride and a warm place inside the giant tree to play video games! A visit with Santa was next before we headed home with rosy cheeks and wonderful memories! gws
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| Phil, New Orleans |
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| on the Metro |
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| Map of Illumi |
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| warming up at one of the fire stops |
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| entrance to the Magic Lanterns |
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| Marie and William, Montmorency Metro station |
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| breakfast at Amy's favourite restaurant, Eggsfrutti |
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| William doing his homework |
