My brother just so happens to work at the Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto, so whenever I visit the city, I usually stick my head, and camera, in.

He works in animal care, so I got to watch him feed some of the sharks (picture), the cuttlefish (pictured above, and here is a video), and a few other fun creatures, as well as check out behind the scenes.

As always the jellyfish area was packed, but I managed to take a few photos of them as well. 

If you’re ever in the city, it’s well worth a visit and if you see Kevin, say hello for me.

Only I could find a pop-up craft beer & small plate pairing event 2 blocks from my AirB&B in Paris…these things must just call to me.

Les Dîners Bon was supposed to just run until the 6th of December (which coincidentally was my first night in Paris) at Cave du Miroir in Montmartre, but they ended up getting extended until the 31st. So after my sightseeing was out of the way each day I came back around to try more French beer paired with some amazing dishes. Or it might have had something to do with these guys.

From what I learned, while France has some of the oldest breweries in the world, the craft beer revolution we know so well and take for granted in Vancouver/Canada/USA, isn’t as prevalent. Pairing beer and food just isn’t a thing there…for now [if the team behind Les Dîner Bons has their way].

I tried SO many different beers while hanging out there, both from France and the rest of Europe. I think my favourite one, or at least the most unique, was from Brasserie La Baleine - a sour beer that had squid ink in it! C'est bon!

I had to do a whole separate post about one of my favourite evenings in London - checking out the 40 FT Brewery in Dalston.

Making friends at the Trans Musicales Festival with other music journalists paid off and one offered to bring me to a brewery that operated out of shipping containers - this I had to see.

The entire area surrounding the brewery was phenomenal! On the weekends they had food vendors set up, a dj, and even a fashion show was going on when we wandered up.

The amazing staff from the brewery gave me a behind the scenes tour, as well as some delicious beer (one can made it all the way back to Vancouver for my friends to sample!). It was a very unique idea and everyone was incredibly friendly. Honestly if I lived in London, I’d be there every weekend, between the beer and the food and the people!

Highly recommended if you’re visiting!

London, England.

Big.
Busy.
Loves Christmas.

That pretty much sums the city up from my perspective. I saw a LOT in a week (sights-wise), but also got to hang out with some wonderful friends, saw a few Vancouver/Canadian bands, and checked out a TON of museums.

To see more of my adventure check out my hashtag on Instagram: #CmacSeesLondonCmacSeesFrance

There’s no way I can sum up Paris with one post and three photos but I took hundreds and I have to post something, right?

I had a VERY short time in Paris, about 48 hours before I went to London, and after that, only 24 hours before my flight back to Canada but I jammed in as much as I could.

I saw most of the main sights on my first full day, walking as far as my bum knee would take me (I was hit by a car in October, but that’s another story).
The city is beautiful and the weather was great for walking, despite the fact that it was December!

Traveling in winter is odd because you only have so much daylight available to you. Word to the wise, ending your day as the sun sets in a GIANT cemetery (Père Lachaise) is slightly eerie, especially when you get turned around.

I think my favourite spot was the Pont Alexandre III (the bridge above). It was gorgeous and had so many intricate things to photograph on it; not to mention the beautiful gold statues standing out in the winter sun.

I will do another post about my favourite accidental discover in Paris, and maybe one on the pastry situation as well. Come back soon!

The entire reason I went to France was for the Trans Musicales Festival that took place in Rennes over several days.

The only band I knew going in when I was invited was Vancouver’s own Dralms, but other than them, I had a lot of digging to do.

I found a ton of great new artists and had a quite a time going from stage to stage to photograph as many as I could.

You can find the full recap of Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 of the festival on 3am Revelations (the music blog I collaborate with), and see the entire set of photos from the festival on the Facebook page by clicking HERE.