Thursday, July 29, 2010
On the road again
Wednesday 28 July
We left Arnprior for the drive to North Easton, Massachusetts just before 10am and travelled through Ontario and into Québec. It was interesting to see all the signposts in French but not so interesting to be caught in the Montréal traffic!
After Montréal the highway stopped and the road was just a two-way road (thankfully traffic-free) to the border. We got out and had a look around the duty free shop and then went across the border. I had no problem as I got my passport stamped when I arrived in Seattle and it's good for 90 days. Robin also has a British passport and we had to get out so he could fill out a visa waiver form. After a bit of waiting around we were on our way again and into Vermont.
The drive through Vermont and New Hampshire was spectacular - miles of forests and hills and mountains.
We got into Massachusetts just in time to hit the Boston rush hour and so were delayed by about half an hour but we eventually got to my cousin Lynn's house at about 7.30pm.
Lynn's husband Dana was there to meet us with their nine-year-old son Danny and about five minutes Lynn came in having picked up their other son Kyle (who's eleven) from karate.
They have done a lot of alterations since I was last here in 2005 and the place is stunning with a wonderful pool and hot tub outside as well as an extended kitchen inside. After dinner we got into the hot tub and sat and chatted until late. What a great way to recover from a long drive!
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| My rental car - a Chevrolet Impala - parked in Arnprior |
After Montréal the highway stopped and the road was just a two-way road (thankfully traffic-free) to the border. We got out and had a look around the duty free shop and then went across the border. I had no problem as I got my passport stamped when I arrived in Seattle and it's good for 90 days. Robin also has a British passport and we had to get out so he could fill out a visa waiver form. After a bit of waiting around we were on our way again and into Vermont.
The drive through Vermont and New Hampshire was spectacular - miles of forests and hills and mountains.
We got into Massachusetts just in time to hit the Boston rush hour and so were delayed by about half an hour but we eventually got to my cousin Lynn's house at about 7.30pm.
Lynn's husband Dana was there to meet us with their nine-year-old son Danny and about five minutes Lynn came in having picked up their other son Kyle (who's eleven) from karate.
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| Robin, Danny, me, Dana and Kyle |
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Ottawa
Tuesday 27 July
We set off for the 45-minute drive to the Canadian capital and had a clear run all the way. We parked up near the Parliament building. We decided to do a river cruise and went down to the locks which link the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River to get on board.
The boat gently sailed up the wide river in gorgeous sunshine and we had great views of the Parliament building and other notable buildings but mainly the riverside was green and it was easy to forget we were in a city.
After a pint in an Irish pub we went for a wander around the outside of the Parliament building. Robin had never been here despite living in Canada for over 40 years! The building is very imposing in a Victorian gothic style and surrounded by statues of the great and the good.
As the temperature was around 30C we decided to get back in the car and head back to Arnprior.
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| Canadian Parliament, Ottawa |
The boat gently sailed up the wide river in gorgeous sunshine and we had great views of the Parliament building and other notable buildings but mainly the riverside was green and it was easy to forget we were in a city.
After a pint in an Irish pub we went for a wander around the outside of the Parliament building. Robin had never been here despite living in Canada for over 40 years! The building is very imposing in a Victorian gothic style and surrounded by statues of the great and the good.
As the temperature was around 30C we decided to get back in the car and head back to Arnprior.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Driving to Arnprior
Monday 26 July
Another breakfast at the greasy spoon ($5. Really. That's £3) and then I hit the road to Arnprior near Ottawa to see my Uncle Robin. The journey took just over five hours and apart from a bit of rush-hour traffic around Toronto, it was a clear run.
It was great to see Robin at last although he was worried that his residence card (which he had applied to renew in April) still hadn't arrived and so he wouldn't be able to come with me to see his daughters in Boston as planned. After a call to the Immigration people it turned out that if he was travelling in a car he wouldn't need the card. So instead of him flying home as planned, I said I would drive him home. This will mean a slight adjustment to the trip and I won't get to see Montréal but it was either that or Robin wouldn't get to see his daughters.
We went to my hotel (the Country Squire Motel - how appropriate...) so I could check in (Robin only has a little flat so no room for guests to stay) and then went down to the Madawaska River - very picturesque!
Spent most of the time just catching up - not much to blog about!
Another breakfast at the greasy spoon ($5. Really. That's £3) and then I hit the road to Arnprior near Ottawa to see my Uncle Robin. The journey took just over five hours and apart from a bit of rush-hour traffic around Toronto, it was a clear run.
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| Arnprior Museum |
We went to my hotel (the Country Squire Motel - how appropriate...) so I could check in (Robin only has a little flat so no room for guests to stay) and then went down to the Madawaska River - very picturesque!
Spent most of the time just catching up - not much to blog about!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Toronto
Sunday 25 July
I went round the corner from the hotel for breakfast at a cross between an English greasy spoon café and an American diner. Cooked breakfast for $5 - no complaints from me!
Then to get to the CN tower. This involved taking a tram (known as streetcars in these parts) and then a subway train and a short walk. The weather started out cloudy but by the time I emerged from the subway the sun had come out and it remained sunny and warm all day. It's amazing the difference the weather makes - when I arrived yesterday in pouring rain the city all looked rather dreary. Today in the sunshine, it was a sparkling metropolis.
I queued up for the lift up the CN Tower - the second tallest structure in the world. Security involved standing in a chamber which blew little gusts of air on you - I've only ever seen that at the Statue of Liberty. The lift whizzes you up to the observation deck at the equivalent of the 114th floor in 58 seconds and has glass on three sides and glass panels in the floor. Once there, there were amazing views for miles - apparently you can see 100 miles on a clear day. In fact, it was pretty clear after yesterday's rain! Then up to the Skypod which is another 100m higher at 447m, or about a quarter of a mile.
Once down I decided to a bus and boat tour. First was the boat which went out to Toronto Island and gave great views of the city's skyline. The bus took in many sights and districts and was a good way to spend the afternoon.
The tour ended back at the lakeside (Lake Ontario, by the way!) and so I sat and had a beer outside looking out to the Lake.
I then wandered up to King Street where there is a good selection of restaurants, and I went for a Thai meal. This was one of the best Thai meals I've had outside Thailand or London. Actually, that doesn't narrow it down very much. And I had a very good Thai meal in Paris a couple of years ago. Anyway, it was very good!
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| Toronto |
Then to get to the CN tower. This involved taking a tram (known as streetcars in these parts) and then a subway train and a short walk. The weather started out cloudy but by the time I emerged from the subway the sun had come out and it remained sunny and warm all day. It's amazing the difference the weather makes - when I arrived yesterday in pouring rain the city all looked rather dreary. Today in the sunshine, it was a sparkling metropolis.
I queued up for the lift up the CN Tower - the second tallest structure in the world. Security involved standing in a chamber which blew little gusts of air on you - I've only ever seen that at the Statue of Liberty. The lift whizzes you up to the observation deck at the equivalent of the 114th floor in 58 seconds and has glass on three sides and glass panels in the floor. Once there, there were amazing views for miles - apparently you can see 100 miles on a clear day. In fact, it was pretty clear after yesterday's rain! Then up to the Skypod which is another 100m higher at 447m, or about a quarter of a mile.
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| Cruising around the islands, Toronto |
The tour ended back at the lakeside (Lake Ontario, by the way!) and so I sat and had a beer outside looking out to the Lake.
I then wandered up to King Street where there is a good selection of restaurants, and I went for a Thai meal. This was one of the best Thai meals I've had outside Thailand or London. Actually, that doesn't narrow it down very much. And I had a very good Thai meal in Paris a couple of years ago. Anyway, it was very good!
Trains, rains and automobiles
Saturday 24 July
Having slept through Indiana and Ohio, as well as into a new time zone, I woke up in Pennsylvania and caught a few glimpses of Lake Erie as the train sped onwards. I went through to have breakfast in the dining car (French toast and bacon - yum!) and not long after that the train arrived in Buffalo. I had read that the Lake Shore Limited is sometimes known as the "Late for Sure Limited" but it didn't live up (or down!) to that this time, pulling in on schedule at 9am.
A quick taxi to the nearby airport and I picked up my rental car which will be my transport for the next ten days or so. It's a sleek black Chevrolet Impala - very smooth and comfortable.
I drove up to Niagara Falls and parked up. From the US side you don't get the best view but you do get to stand very close to the Falls. They are an amazing natural feature but marred by the blatant commercialism of the area. Before I even got to the falls I went into a shop and was offered a four-hour Falls "Experience" for "just" $65. I decided to walk instead, qhich cost precisely $65 less! It was already getting busy at 10.30am and there were souvenir stalls and food vendors all over the place.
After taking some photos I got back in the car (even the parking was $10!) and drove to Rainbow Bridge which crosses the border into Canada the border crossing was very quick and easy and once I had found a cash point I then looked for somewhere to park - the first place I saw wanted $20! (The US and Canadian dollars are currently about equal). I managed to find somewhere a bit cheaper and wandered down to see the Falls from this side. This was certainly a more spectacular view - amazing to see such a volume of water cascading down. However, there were even more people and even more chances to part you from your money. I had thought about a boat trip but the weather was quite dull and I didn't really have enough time as I had told the people at the Toronto guest house I would be arriving around 5pm.
Probably unfairly, I compared Niagara Falls to Victoria Falls which I visited a few times when I lived in Zambia in the late 90's. The Vic Falls are taller and more spectacular and not surrounded by tourist development. Interesting that I felt I got more out of going to the Vic Falls, which are between two of the poorest countries in the world (Zambia and Zimbabwe) than the Niagara Falls which are between two of the richest.
I got back in the car and headed for Toronto. The traffic was quite heavy and the heavens opened and there was torrential rain. I got to the Comfy Guesthouse at about 4.30 and checked in. The weather was still pretty bad so I took a little drive around the downtown area and came back for dinner in a pub near the guesthouse - delicious!
Having slept through Indiana and Ohio, as well as into a new time zone, I woke up in Pennsylvania and caught a few glimpses of Lake Erie as the train sped onwards. I went through to have breakfast in the dining car (French toast and bacon - yum!) and not long after that the train arrived in Buffalo. I had read that the Lake Shore Limited is sometimes known as the "Late for Sure Limited" but it didn't live up (or down!) to that this time, pulling in on schedule at 9am.
A quick taxi to the nearby airport and I picked up my rental car which will be my transport for the next ten days or so. It's a sleek black Chevrolet Impala - very smooth and comfortable.
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| Niagara Falls from the US side... |
After taking some photos I got back in the car (even the parking was $10!) and drove to Rainbow Bridge which crosses the border into Canada the border crossing was very quick and easy and once I had found a cash point I then looked for somewhere to park - the first place I saw wanted $20! (The US and Canadian dollars are currently about equal). I managed to find somewhere a bit cheaper and wandered down to see the Falls from this side. This was certainly a more spectacular view - amazing to see such a volume of water cascading down. However, there were even more people and even more chances to part you from your money. I had thought about a boat trip but the weather was quite dull and I didn't really have enough time as I had told the people at the Toronto guest house I would be arriving around 5pm.
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| ...and from the Canadian side |
I got back in the car and headed for Toronto. The traffic was quite heavy and the heavens opened and there was torrential rain. I got to the Comfy Guesthouse at about 4.30 and checked in. The weather was still pretty bad so I took a little drive around the downtown area and came back for dinner in a pub near the guesthouse - delicious!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Science, a thunderstorm and a train
Friday 23 July
Breakfast was a square bagel called (naturally) a squagel... A few more postcards to write and then I headed off for the final attraction on my Citypass, the Museum of Science and Industry.
This museum was a little outside the city centre in the university district, so it involved a ride on Chicago's commuter rail system, called the Metra. The train was a double-decker and after about fifteen minutes I was there. The weather was hot and humid so a good day to be in air-conditioning.
Like the others I went to yesterday, this museum was first-rate with displays about weather, transportation, anatomy and astronomy. They had an entire German U-Boat that was captured by the US Navy in WWII.
I had a bit of time to kill so I went back into downtown Chicago and had a beer in a bar. Very nice, but I didn't notice that while I was in there a storm had gathered and I had to walk back to the hotel in pouring rain and enormous thunder and lightning strikes. My umbrella was pretty useless and so I was soaked by the time I got there so had to change once I had picked up my case from the bag store.
I got a taxi to Union Station to catch the overnight train, the Lake Shore Limited, to Buffalo. My sleeper ticket enabled me to go into a nice lounge with comfy seats and TVs, etc. and at about 8.30 we were led through to the platform and on to the train. I was shown to my "roomette" which was a little cabin with nice wide seats and a sink and loo. The carriage manager invited me to go through to the dining car for wine and cheese and there I got talking to a nice couple from Buffalo who apparently use the trains to do all their travel. It was certainly a lot more civilised than flying.
By the time I got back to my cabin, the seats had been turned into a bed and the train left the station at exactly 9.30 as scheduled.
Breakfast was a square bagel called (naturally) a squagel... A few more postcards to write and then I headed off for the final attraction on my Citypass, the Museum of Science and Industry.
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| Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago |
Like the others I went to yesterday, this museum was first-rate with displays about weather, transportation, anatomy and astronomy. They had an entire German U-Boat that was captured by the US Navy in WWII.
I had a bit of time to kill so I went back into downtown Chicago and had a beer in a bar. Very nice, but I didn't notice that while I was in there a storm had gathered and I had to walk back to the hotel in pouring rain and enormous thunder and lightning strikes. My umbrella was pretty useless and so I was soaked by the time I got there so had to change once I had picked up my case from the bag store.
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| The Lake Shore Limited |
By the time I got back to my cabin, the seats had been turned into a bed and the train left the station at exactly 9.30 as scheduled.
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