Gen-X athletes in bikinis and wetsuits lounge beside the water, their colorful boards lined up behind them. In the shallows, surfers prepare their gear and wait to ride the rushing wave. Maui? Malibu? Guess again. An hour-and-a-half north of Burlington, they're surfing in Montreal.

Hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, and practically in the shadow of the city's skyline, this seems an unlikely site for an active surfing scene. But Quebec has something they can only dream about in California or Hawaii: an endless wave.... Read more

Squeezed into a narrow aisle with row upon row of exotic labels vying for attention, I become transported to another place and time: little hole-in-the-wall shops in Andalusia; small grocery stores in Florence; food vendors crammed into impossibly small spaces in the ancient buildings of Venice's Rialto. Some people travel the world to gaze upon ancient wonders; I shop for food in Montreal.... Read more