Rolling with Sarah

I got an amazing birthday present from my parents this year. My mom and I went on a girls trip to Montreal to see the Harry Potter Visions of Magic exhibition. The journey started with us booking our train tickets. We did this at the Fallowfield station. The clerks were so wonderful organizing our tickets and accepting our paperwork to allow me to travel with a medical escort. Can’t say enough about how well we were treated. Also a tip for wheelchair users, that station has a great accessible bathroom that met all of my needs.

Weeks later, it was time to board the train. We left from the Ottawa station as it had the best times for trains that matched up with our schedule. We were given assistance crossing the tracks and loading onto the train with one of the newer automatic lifts. The rest of the train ride was pretty anticlimactic. To be honest, I may have slept some (most) of the trip. As it was a newer train, although there were more spaces for people to stay in their chairs they still didn’t have anything to tie the chairs down for safety. I mentioned this about my trip to Toronto. They depend solely on your brakes to keep you from moving. I wonder what would happen if your breaks were in need of service? I just couldn’t get totally comfortable and found myself gripping the table every time the train came to a stop or started to go faster. I just couldn’t shake the feeling I was going to fall backwards.

When we arrived downtown Montreal, the train was actually level with the station so I didn’t need a lift down to get off. We were led by a porter to the stairlift to get up to the main station. The porter was extremely kind and talked to me all while I was on the stairlift so I wouldn’t get nervous. I wouldn’t have either way though. It was very secure and well maintained. It was nice and big so most wheelchairs would fit.

Once we arrived to the main floor the porter went out of his way to bring us right to the elevators leading to the hotel ( we stayed in one attached to the train station). He didn’t have to do that so we really appreciated him going the extra mile. We got the lay of the land this way and didn’t get lost lol.

Our hotel was Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth. I was impressed with their accessibility. We requested an accessible room, but it was nice that one with two beds was available, as often this isn’t the case. The room had plenty of space for me to wheel about with a wide turning radius. The bathroom door was wide so my wheelchair could fit through and the toilet was raised to the proper height.

We went out for dinner on the first night at a restaurant that also happened to be attached to the train station. It was kind of raining and we didn’t really feel like getting wet. It was called Deli Planet. The food was delicious and it was quite accessible for the most part. To be honest I didn’t try the bathrooms so I can’t comment on that. Our server did her best to talk to us in English but she was struggling so my mom, who is bilingual, switched to French. The server was very grateful. Before we headed back to the hotel we stopped at a little kiosk and got me a small soufflé as a special treat. It was so good! So and light and airy, but so creamy and tasty! We knew we had a big day the next morning so we had an early night. We went back to the room and just watched TV and kept it a chill evening.

I was so excited when we woke up the next morning. We got ready and packed our bags before doing a final walk though of the room to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. We then checked out, but had the hotel store our bags so we didn’t have to carry them around all day. We stopped and I got a chocolate cream puff for breakfast. My day, my way lol. It was scrumptious! The best cream puff I have ever had! It had chocolate mousse and a touch of chocolate ganache. To die for! What a great way to start the day. Just like that we were off to our Harry Potter adventure!

The experience was right across the street so we had no problem finding the building. When we entered, there was a stairlift leading you to the floor with the event on it. I loved this lift! It was clear glass, so no worry of claustrophobia. You didn’t need to wait for any staff s it was self-operated. All you had to do was wait for the door to close (it gave you plenty of time to get in and out) and then press a button. I wish more spaces had lifts like this.

Finally it was time for Harry Potter Visions of Magic.  Mom and I were each given a wand. It lit up at the tip. Throughout the experience, when you waved it, if it lit up it meant there was “magic” to be unlocked and something would happen. I illuminated so many things, revealed prophecies,  unveiled hidden objects, and so much more! Mom even released an owl!

The experience was a series of rooms from the Harry Potter Universe. You could take your time walking through, unlocking all of the magic you could allow the way. A few of my favourite were the Prophecy Room, the Ministry of Magic, the Knight Bus, the Black Family Tree and the Room of Requirement. There were so many others too that were amazing as well. In total it probably took us about  an hour and a half to complete all of them. It ended with fireworks over Hogwarts castle.

The experience ended with a small giftshop where they had exclusive merchandise. I got two really cool T-shirts that I can’t wait to wear. I also got a cup of  butterbeer. If you know Harry Potter you know that this is a drink the characters have often as a special treat. In the real world it is a very butter-scotchy caramelly ice drink. So sweet but so good! I wasn’t going to get some but then I thought to myself “when will I get another chance?” and went ahead with it. I’m glad I did.

It was almost lunchtime by the time we were finished. We decided to go on a search for Montreal bagels. With it being Montreal, you would think this would be an easy task. Not the case. I thought there would be a shop on every corner but I was wrong. We went up and down the streets on our hunt. Unfortunately, it was quite a bumpy ride. The sidewalks weren’t maintained as well as they could have been so it was a little difficult with the chair. Eventually, we found a place (with the help of Google).

What sucked was it was downstairs and there was no elevator in sight. By that time we were hungry and trying to find me a way down would have been hard. So Mom took my order and went to get us some while I stayed safe in a nearby department store, in eyesight of a security guard. You can’t be too safe. When Mom came back with the bagels we sat on a bench and people watched as we ate. The bagels lived up to their fame, very chewy and yummy. I just had a plain one but Mom had one with rosemary that she said was tasty. It was kind of cool just to watch the people go by and make up stories of who they are and where they were going.

The last thing on my list was shopping. We went into a giant Winners and I found the cutest dress and a nice top. I happened to have a gift card so I treated myself to both. I don’t know where exactly I will wear them but sometimes you’ve got to buy things when you see them or you’ll never see them again. Now I have them for a rainy day.

Sadly, by then our day was coming to a close. We headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags then to the train station to wait for the pre-boarding of our train. Before we got in line, we grabbed some croissants from the same bakery we got my cream puff at to bring home to the rest of our family.

The train ride home was once again anticlimactic. I pretty much just played on my phone and watched the world go by out the window. For some reason I couldn’t sleep, but I think that might have been the adrenaline from such a perfect day. Dad picked us up at the Ottawa station and before I knew it we were on our way home.

This was such a special trip. I will truly never forget it. Not only am I a huge Harry Potter fan, but I got to spend some awesome quality time with my mom. This particular show is only showing in Montreal and Singapore, so I am very lucky it was so close to us. If I had to choose between this experience and the Universal Harry Potter Resort in Florida, I would choose this. It was just so immersive! I really felt like I had rolled into the magical world.