It’s hard to miss York Minster. Literally. One minute you’re wandering cobbled alleys and timbered lanes of old York, and the next—*bam!*—a colossal Gothic masterpiece rises in front of you like a stone ship frozen in time. York Minster doesn’t whisper its presence. It commands it. And once inside, it completely takes your breath away.

Some cities whisper their stories through quiet alleyways. Montreal doesn’t whisper—it sings, dances, flirts, and occasionally yells across a bustling street in French. This island city in Quebec is where North America meets Paris, where centuries-old stone buildings rub shoulders with experimental art, and where maple syrup meets espresso.