Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018--Cincinnati
Some of you who know I am on a trip and have been reading my travel blog probably have noticed there have been no entries for the past two days. It is because I am upset about something that has happened, and it has caused me to lose interested in writing about my travels.
Before the travel blog, I wrote long, handwritten entries into journals related to my travels. They took a great amount of time to write. I didn't do this just to be doing it. These were the records of my past. I have gone back through entries occasionally and have always been surprised to find details that my mind had forgotten. My plans, my reasons for writing the journals, were twofold: 1) To have them to read and remind me of my travels throughout my life as I age and can no longer travel, and 2) To possibly pick out the best of the entries to write a memoir someday.
Neither of those is going to be possible now, and that is the reason I have lost interest in writing the blog. Someone has removed about half of my handwritten journals--from the beginning of my travels in the 1970s through early 2002--from the bookshelves in my home, and these are years BEFORE my blog, so there were no other records other than those handwritten journals.
I've known all along that people liked to read about my travels, and I didn't mind sharing them via the blog. That's one of the reasons why I started the blog. But since I discovered the disappearance of my early handwritten journals, I cannot keep the loss off my mind. Next to losing Arne as my partner, it is the worse loss I have experienced in my life. Actually, losing those journals is like losing much of my life. Only someone who enjoys reading about my travels would have taken them, and only someone who is enough of a friend to be invited in my home would have known what they were and have had an interest in them.
Losing the journals has caused me to lose interest in writing the blog. I tried on this trip, but while traveling, the loss of the journals has been on my mind every day. Finally, on Friday, I just didn't want to write another blog entry. Yesterday was the same. And last night when I should have been sleeping but was in fact staying away suffering from the loss of the journals I decided it is time to end the blog for now. Maybe it will come back someday, but I am not sure. I do plan to keep traveling with trips next year tentatively planned for Bolivia and Peru and for Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, and Egypt. But at the present time I have no interest in sharing my travels with anyone, since among the readers is likely to be the person who took my journals.
Not everyone knows I am traveling right now. So in addition to writing this last entry in the blog, I plan to email the entry to everyone I know well. That way, more than likely the person who took the journals (out of interest in reading about my travels, I'm sure) will realize that they should be returned to me.
If you have my journals would you PLEASE return them?
I promise I will not try to find out who had them. They can even be sent to my sister's mailing address and I will ask her to remove them from the packaging and to discard the packaging before giving them to me, and I promise to her now and to you that I will not ask if there was any indication of where they were sent from or who might have sent them.
Randell Drum
8000 Donore Pl. #47
San Antonio, TX 78229
My sister:
Scharlotte Bradley
8415 Fredericksburg Rd. #806
San Antonio, TX 78229
PLEASE, and goodbye.
Randy
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Thursday, October 25, 2018
German Village and Granville
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2017--Columbus and Granville
Today was a bit cloudy, but it was still dry. My body was a bit sore from all the walking yesterday. But I had plans and followed through with them.
In the morning, I drove south of downtown to the area of town called the German Village. It is a very quaint area with mostly narrow streets paved with bricks and mostly small houses built close together with the fronts at the sidewalk line and small yards on the sides and in the back and an occasional corner retail spot, each probably a former corner grocery but now a variety of places such as chocolate shops, gift shops, restaurants, etc. It has a European feeling to it and is a very popular neighborhood covering many blocks. I just walked up and down the streets throughout the area and through the local Schiller Park.
From there, I needed to get to Hwy 16 to take me to the small rural town of Granville, but it wasn't easy. So many streets are one-way and so many of those are closed off at various points because of reconstruction of intersections, installation of new under-street infrastructure, etc. At least I knew I needed to go north to Broad Street and turn right. But it took a backtrack or two and some zigzagging to make my way there.
When I did reach Broad Street, I was beside Franklin Park which is surrounded by nice mansions and is the home of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I didn't stop, because I had read they are closed temporarily until tomorrow because of some work happening there. If it doesn't rain, maybe I will go there part of tomorrow which will be my last day in Columbus.
Even though it is only 35 miles away, it was a long drive to Granville via Hwy 16, but it gave me a chance to see that part of Columbus. For blocks after Franklin Park, there were nice neighborhoods. Then I passed through an older area that has gone downhill over time. Next came a suburban area with offices, new shopping areas, etc. Finally, I was in the countryside.
Granville is nice and small New England-style town--one of the Top Towns in Ohio as far as multiple lists of places to visit. It must have been a wealthy town, because there are so many large houses (blocks and blocks of them) from the 1800s and early 1900s. There is a tiny, but beautiful and nice, downtown that is about 1 1/2 blocks long with one more block off to the side. I walked the streets for a couple of blocks in all directions seeing the houses, the shops, etc.
Granville is also a college town with Denison University located on top of the hill above the downtown area. Denison is similar to Trinity in San Antonio. They have the same enrollments, are both highly ranked among small colleges, both have similar size endowments, both have campuses on hills overlooking the town, etc. Denison has a noticeably diverse student body I observed and then read about online. Up on the hilltop, I parked my car and walked through the major (central) part of the campus.
Back at the apartment in the middle of the afternoon, I finished watching the Danish series (the first 3 seasons of it) Dicte on Netflix; the series expires on Oct. 31. Then at 19:30, I walked over to the High Street to explore the part of it nearest to my apartment. There was only a short section of about two blocks with shops and restaurants. Most of the businesses on High Street are the other direction from where I live, but now I know.
Today was a bit cloudy, but it was still dry. My body was a bit sore from all the walking yesterday. But I had plans and followed through with them.
In the morning, I drove south of downtown to the area of town called the German Village. It is a very quaint area with mostly narrow streets paved with bricks and mostly small houses built close together with the fronts at the sidewalk line and small yards on the sides and in the back and an occasional corner retail spot, each probably a former corner grocery but now a variety of places such as chocolate shops, gift shops, restaurants, etc. It has a European feeling to it and is a very popular neighborhood covering many blocks. I just walked up and down the streets throughout the area and through the local Schiller Park.
From there, I needed to get to Hwy 16 to take me to the small rural town of Granville, but it wasn't easy. So many streets are one-way and so many of those are closed off at various points because of reconstruction of intersections, installation of new under-street infrastructure, etc. At least I knew I needed to go north to Broad Street and turn right. But it took a backtrack or two and some zigzagging to make my way there.
When I did reach Broad Street, I was beside Franklin Park which is surrounded by nice mansions and is the home of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I didn't stop, because I had read they are closed temporarily until tomorrow because of some work happening there. If it doesn't rain, maybe I will go there part of tomorrow which will be my last day in Columbus.
Even though it is only 35 miles away, it was a long drive to Granville via Hwy 16, but it gave me a chance to see that part of Columbus. For blocks after Franklin Park, there were nice neighborhoods. Then I passed through an older area that has gone downhill over time. Next came a suburban area with offices, new shopping areas, etc. Finally, I was in the countryside.
Granville is nice and small New England-style town--one of the Top Towns in Ohio as far as multiple lists of places to visit. It must have been a wealthy town, because there are so many large houses (blocks and blocks of them) from the 1800s and early 1900s. There is a tiny, but beautiful and nice, downtown that is about 1 1/2 blocks long with one more block off to the side. I walked the streets for a couple of blocks in all directions seeing the houses, the shops, etc.
Granville is also a college town with Denison University located on top of the hill above the downtown area. Denison is similar to Trinity in San Antonio. They have the same enrollments, are both highly ranked among small colleges, both have similar size endowments, both have campuses on hills overlooking the town, etc. Denison has a noticeably diverse student body I observed and then read about online. Up on the hilltop, I parked my car and walked through the major (central) part of the campus.
Back at the apartment in the middle of the afternoon, I finished watching the Danish series (the first 3 seasons of it) Dicte on Netflix; the series expires on Oct. 31. Then at 19:30, I walked over to the High Street to explore the part of it nearest to my apartment. There was only a short section of about two blocks with shops and restaurants. Most of the businesses on High Street are the other direction from where I live, but now I know.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
A Big Walking Day
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018--Columbus
The goal today was to explore a large portion of Columbus. Starting at my apartment, I walked over to High Street and then down it and off to the sides all the way to the end of downtown--to the Franklin County Municipal Court building.
Observations along the way:
On the corner by apartment there were three Bird scooters lined up. So scooters are this far from downtown here. I encountered a few people on scooters during the day, but not as many as I normally encounter in San Antonio.
I walked through the Ohio State University campus. (Well, to be honest, they are as silly about being uppity here as they are at UT in Austin: with the official name being The Ohio State University. Isn't that a sign of trying to overcome an inferiority complex?) Anyway, the campus is not one to recommend to people as a place to see architecture. Almost all buildings from about the 1930s through the early 2000s are rectangular solids (box-shaped), built of bricks--sturdy, but not very attractive and with no ornamentation. There are a few modern attempts of buildings built of glass or metal, but even they are not ones worth a postcard image. Most of the buildings with character and some architectural flourishes are on the Oval, the campus' version of a great lawn. But there are even a few non-special box-like buildings there. Since my interest was strictly architectural, I was disappointed.
High Street runs for miles north and south in this city and is lined with shops, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It is like a multi-mile local shopping, entertainment, living, and working street. It is very urban looking--long blocks of connected buildings rather than long stretches of separated, individual buildings. It makes a nice urban environment for all those living a few blocks from it.
I stopped at The Angry Bakery in the area known as Short North (a popular district between the university and downtown) and bought two pastries--a chocolate babka and an almond croissant. Then I continued a few more blocks before turning off to Goodale Park to sit on a bench by the lake and eat them. Being on the edge of downtown by then, I rested while reading a couple of articles in TIME magazine which arrived before I left on Saturday.
From there, I set off for the rest of downtown. I explored the North Market, a surprisingly successful old market filled with stalls hosting restaurants, bakeries, chocolates, seafood, spices, etc. All but one stall was occupied on the lower floor. Its success is probably greatly attributable to the fact it is only a block from the local convention center.
There are few buildings downtown that attracted me architecturally even though most are the typical office buildings that most cities have--attractive, but bland. But I did enjoy seeing the Leveque Tower and its adjacent Palace Theater, the Ohio Statehouse (capitol which I would have toured if I could have found an entrance, but the tourist entrance was blocked off for installation of new air conditioners), the Ohio Theatre, the Westin Great Southern Columbus Hotel and the adjacent Southern Theater, etc. I explored as far east as Grant Avenue and as far west as Front St.
After all of that, I walked back to the apartment along High Street and then Indianola Street (where the apartment is located). That carried me through the "Greek District," the blocks lined with fraternity houses and possibly some sorority houses.
I was exhausted when I got home. I had been gone about 5 1/2 hours and had been walking about 5 of those. Whew!
The goal today was to explore a large portion of Columbus. Starting at my apartment, I walked over to High Street and then down it and off to the sides all the way to the end of downtown--to the Franklin County Municipal Court building.
Observations along the way:
On the corner by apartment there were three Bird scooters lined up. So scooters are this far from downtown here. I encountered a few people on scooters during the day, but not as many as I normally encounter in San Antonio.
I walked through the Ohio State University campus. (Well, to be honest, they are as silly about being uppity here as they are at UT in Austin: with the official name being The Ohio State University. Isn't that a sign of trying to overcome an inferiority complex?) Anyway, the campus is not one to recommend to people as a place to see architecture. Almost all buildings from about the 1930s through the early 2000s are rectangular solids (box-shaped), built of bricks--sturdy, but not very attractive and with no ornamentation. There are a few modern attempts of buildings built of glass or metal, but even they are not ones worth a postcard image. Most of the buildings with character and some architectural flourishes are on the Oval, the campus' version of a great lawn. But there are even a few non-special box-like buildings there. Since my interest was strictly architectural, I was disappointed.
High Street runs for miles north and south in this city and is lined with shops, restaurants, apartments, and offices. It is like a multi-mile local shopping, entertainment, living, and working street. It is very urban looking--long blocks of connected buildings rather than long stretches of separated, individual buildings. It makes a nice urban environment for all those living a few blocks from it.
I stopped at The Angry Bakery in the area known as Short North (a popular district between the university and downtown) and bought two pastries--a chocolate babka and an almond croissant. Then I continued a few more blocks before turning off to Goodale Park to sit on a bench by the lake and eat them. Being on the edge of downtown by then, I rested while reading a couple of articles in TIME magazine which arrived before I left on Saturday.
From there, I set off for the rest of downtown. I explored the North Market, a surprisingly successful old market filled with stalls hosting restaurants, bakeries, chocolates, seafood, spices, etc. All but one stall was occupied on the lower floor. Its success is probably greatly attributable to the fact it is only a block from the local convention center.
There are few buildings downtown that attracted me architecturally even though most are the typical office buildings that most cities have--attractive, but bland. But I did enjoy seeing the Leveque Tower and its adjacent Palace Theater, the Ohio Statehouse (capitol which I would have toured if I could have found an entrance, but the tourist entrance was blocked off for installation of new air conditioners), the Ohio Theatre, the Westin Great Southern Columbus Hotel and the adjacent Southern Theater, etc. I explored as far east as Grant Avenue and as far west as Front St.
After all of that, I walked back to the apartment along High Street and then Indianola Street (where the apartment is located). That carried me through the "Greek District," the blocks lined with fraternity houses and possibly some sorority houses.
I was exhausted when I got home. I had been gone about 5 1/2 hours and had been walking about 5 of those. Whew!
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
The Last and Best of the Days in Nature on This Trip
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018--Marietta to Columbus
It was another day wandering through natural areas on back roads--Wayne National Forest, Trimble Wilderness Area, Lake Hope State Park, Zalesky State Forest, Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area, and Hocking Hills State Park. Along the way, I also explored the interesting small town of Nelsonville and the Hocking College campus there. The best was the Hocking Hills State Park where I hiked through the woods on trails going beside a gorge, waterfalls, and a lake. It is truly the most beautiful part of Ohio I have found.
I arrived in Columbus in the afternoon, bought gas and some groceries, and arrived at the apartment I have rented for the next four nights around 16:30. I was tired and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
It was another day wandering through natural areas on back roads--Wayne National Forest, Trimble Wilderness Area, Lake Hope State Park, Zalesky State Forest, Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area, and Hocking Hills State Park. Along the way, I also explored the interesting small town of Nelsonville and the Hocking College campus there. The best was the Hocking Hills State Park where I hiked through the woods on trails going beside a gorge, waterfalls, and a lake. It is truly the most beautiful part of Ohio I have found.
I arrived in Columbus in the afternoon, bought gas and some groceries, and arrived at the apartment I have rented for the next four nights around 16:30. I was tired and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Better Scenery by Taking County Roads
Monday, Oct. 22, 2018--Huntington, WV to Marietta, OH
I altered my itinerary for today. I didn't want to backtrack on the uninteresting highway between Huntington and Portsmouth. In making the changes, I ended up on winding, hilly, narrow roads with lots more trees than the major highways.
Just a few miles back into Ohio, I branched off the main highway onto Rd. 650 through Pine Grove and eventually took Rd. 522 back to the main highway. This route took me through Dean Forest as well as through pure Appalachia with scattered homes (many mobile homes and some with trash piles in the yards) of mostly poor people. Just a few miles up the main road, I branched off again on Rd. 335 and then Bonser Run Rd. which took me to Rd. 139. Just a few miles north from there, I turned onto Rd. 159 (Houston Hollow-Long Run Rd.) which took me to US 23. This whole route was fascinating. There were actually trees slightly more colorful along it than I had seen yesterday, but the routes were nice because of the forests along them and interesting because of the backwoods nature of the communities/residences along the way.
After a while on US 23, I turned east on Hwys. 32 and 124--a detour to the east to see one of the top roads in Ohio. After a few miles, I another rural County Rd. 23 (not the same as US 23 mentioned before) through Elm Grove and Arkoe to reach Hwy 302 White Oak Hill Rd. (also above), an unpaved road twisting and winding up a hill until it reached Hwy 1. It is the best road I have traveled so far on the trip.
Returning through Arkoe to Hwy 32, I turned westward and headed to Athens. This is the Appalachian Trail Highway I said was uninteresting yesterday. But the section of US 32 between US 23 and the town of Jackson is very beautiful. It is a 4-lane highway that has woods up to its edges and that twists and winds through the hills.
Athens was a pleasant surprise. I had originally intended to stay there overnight, but finding few decent hotels there and discovering that Marietta is a Top Town in Ohio, I decided to book in Marietta. But I arrived in Athens just during lunch hour. It is a nice town with Ohio University and the downtown (called Uptown) district abutting each other--just across the street from one another. I parked the car to the opposite edge of the downtown district, walked down the main street, and then wandered through the nice university campus watching a beehive of activity with students and professors leaving classes, going to lunch, etc. I noted a sign where someone had named the town the best small college town in the country. I can see why. I didn't see a single empty storefront downtown, and there were all the special types of places that make a town more livable--a theater showing foreign and independent films, coffee shops, restaurants, etc., with almost all of them being locally owned and operated rather than chains.
Marietta is truly a nice town. On the riverfront where the Muskingum River runs into the Ohio River (which places it across the river from West Virginia with the nearest big town there being Parkerburg), it has a large, old downtown area. Riverboats used to dock here regularly, and there are wonderful old downtown buildings and churches and blocks and blocks of nice, large, old homes. I walked up and down the downtown streets and drove up and down the others. I found a wonderful old Jewish bakery and Middle Eastern restaurant (closed on Monday!). And I explored the Marietta College campus.
It was a battle deciding where to stay in town between two hotels that were among the highest rated in town--the 100+ year-old Lafayette Hotel downtown and the Microtel out on the edge of town. Although the Lafayette said they had free parking, I questioned how simple parking there would be since it is downtown. (I now know they have their own lot.) The Lafayette did not include breakfast, and the Microtel, was a few dollars cheaper WITH breakfast and had a higher rating. However, after seeing inside the Lafayette Hotel today, I can see that staying there would have been a special experience.
I researched local restaurants and decided on The Original Pizza Place, a restaurant that is highly rated and has lots of great reviews from people who always go there when passing through town. They make New York-style pizza by the slice meaning that the pieces are thin with lots of cheese and have a browned crust. They are just like what you get at NYC places where you buy by the slice at a window except here you can eat inside. I got a piece of cheese and a piece of cheese/pepperoni. Both were great.
As noted above, the trees in the areas I traveled today were nicer than the ones I saw yesterday. It still is not a good autumn (nothing like the photo I posted above), but I saw a number of red and orange-turning-brown trees among the others. It really felt like traveling through the forests during the autumn.
I altered my itinerary for today. I didn't want to backtrack on the uninteresting highway between Huntington and Portsmouth. In making the changes, I ended up on winding, hilly, narrow roads with lots more trees than the major highways.
Just a few miles back into Ohio, I branched off the main highway onto Rd. 650 through Pine Grove and eventually took Rd. 522 back to the main highway. This route took me through Dean Forest as well as through pure Appalachia with scattered homes (many mobile homes and some with trash piles in the yards) of mostly poor people. Just a few miles up the main road, I branched off again on Rd. 335 and then Bonser Run Rd. which took me to Rd. 139. Just a few miles north from there, I turned onto Rd. 159 (Houston Hollow-Long Run Rd.) which took me to US 23. This whole route was fascinating. There were actually trees slightly more colorful along it than I had seen yesterday, but the routes were nice because of the forests along them and interesting because of the backwoods nature of the communities/residences along the way.
After a while on US 23, I turned east on Hwys. 32 and 124--a detour to the east to see one of the top roads in Ohio. After a few miles, I another rural County Rd. 23 (not the same as US 23 mentioned before) through Elm Grove and Arkoe to reach Hwy 302 White Oak Hill Rd. (also above), an unpaved road twisting and winding up a hill until it reached Hwy 1. It is the best road I have traveled so far on the trip.
Returning through Arkoe to Hwy 32, I turned westward and headed to Athens. This is the Appalachian Trail Highway I said was uninteresting yesterday. But the section of US 32 between US 23 and the town of Jackson is very beautiful. It is a 4-lane highway that has woods up to its edges and that twists and winds through the hills.
Athens was a pleasant surprise. I had originally intended to stay there overnight, but finding few decent hotels there and discovering that Marietta is a Top Town in Ohio, I decided to book in Marietta. But I arrived in Athens just during lunch hour. It is a nice town with Ohio University and the downtown (called Uptown) district abutting each other--just across the street from one another. I parked the car to the opposite edge of the downtown district, walked down the main street, and then wandered through the nice university campus watching a beehive of activity with students and professors leaving classes, going to lunch, etc. I noted a sign where someone had named the town the best small college town in the country. I can see why. I didn't see a single empty storefront downtown, and there were all the special types of places that make a town more livable--a theater showing foreign and independent films, coffee shops, restaurants, etc., with almost all of them being locally owned and operated rather than chains.
Marietta is truly a nice town. On the riverfront where the Muskingum River runs into the Ohio River (which places it across the river from West Virginia with the nearest big town there being Parkerburg), it has a large, old downtown area. Riverboats used to dock here regularly, and there are wonderful old downtown buildings and churches and blocks and blocks of nice, large, old homes. I walked up and down the downtown streets and drove up and down the others. I found a wonderful old Jewish bakery and Middle Eastern restaurant (closed on Monday!). And I explored the Marietta College campus.
It was a battle deciding where to stay in town between two hotels that were among the highest rated in town--the 100+ year-old Lafayette Hotel downtown and the Microtel out on the edge of town. Although the Lafayette said they had free parking, I questioned how simple parking there would be since it is downtown. (I now know they have their own lot.) The Lafayette did not include breakfast, and the Microtel, was a few dollars cheaper WITH breakfast and had a higher rating. However, after seeing inside the Lafayette Hotel today, I can see that staying there would have been a special experience.
I researched local restaurants and decided on The Original Pizza Place, a restaurant that is highly rated and has lots of great reviews from people who always go there when passing through town. They make New York-style pizza by the slice meaning that the pieces are thin with lots of cheese and have a browned crust. They are just like what you get at NYC places where you buy by the slice at a window except here you can eat inside. I got a piece of cheese and a piece of cheese/pepperoni. Both were great.
As noted above, the trees in the areas I traveled today were nicer than the ones I saw yesterday. It still is not a good autumn (nothing like the photo I posted above), but I saw a number of red and orange-turning-brown trees among the others. It really felt like traveling through the forests during the autumn.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
First Day of Exploration
Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018--Cincinnati to Huntington, WV
It was cold at the apartment in Covington (across the street from Cincinnati). Heat was turned off during the night, but there was a nice comforter which made it better. But even when the heat was on, I'm guessing the thermostat was no warmer than 65 degrees. It was uncomfortably cool. And I have a booking for the same place for 3 more nights. Hope it is a bit warmer next week.
I may have written yesterday that I reserved my car to be picked up in downtown Cincinnati at an office which is a short bus ride from Covington or a walk of 1 mile. I didn't need the car last night, and the price for the same car from the same company was $311 airport pickup vs. $185 for downtown pickup! Yet when I got to the downtown office this morning, the lady said they had just brought the car for me from the airport.
I was right about the leaves. There is nothing much to see. Although there are lots of leaves on the streets and sidewalks, most trees still look full and mostly green. But those that are turning color seem to be going straight from green to brown this year except for a VERY FEW (total less than 10) that I saw today that were red or yellow. However, the scenic drives were very scenic for the most part. The disappointments were US 32, the Appalachian Highway, which was somewhat like going down any 4-lane highway and US 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which was okay but not great. Highway 50 going east from Cincinnati was nice because of the hills and the homes along it, but it had concrete barriers without a shoulder which made it difficult to enjoy the views. The best routes I took were Hwy 222 between US 50 and Batavia (which curved, had lots of trees, and was hilly) and Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) off US 52 between Vanceberg KY and Portsmouth OH which became a series of State Forest roads. This very scenic route was a narrow road twisting and winding up into the mountains with dense forest coming right to the edges of the roadway. One section of it had a beautiful narrow stream flowing beside it. It was remote with few cars after the first few miles. There was a trail I wanted to walk, but it was too muddy from recent rains.
I had a bit of a panic in the late afternoon. I knew I wanted to stay somewhere in the area around Portsmouth or south of it. But the ratings for all the reasonably priced places were BAD! I mean ratings like 1 to 3 out of 5. I kept searching further and further south finding the same range of ratings for each town. But websites list nearby places. I remember looking at a park lodge on the Kentucky side that looked good and was rated higher, but it was priced rather high, did not include breakfast, and also required paying for park entrance. Somewhere along the way, I saw a Red Roof Inn in Huntington with a rating 4 out of 5--so much higher than any of the other places. I booked it. But today as I was driving south of Portsmouth, I seemed to be going further than I though I should. Then I saw a sign indicating that Huntington, WEST VIRGINIA, was another 20 minutes ahead of me. I knew Kentucky had been across the river all day. Suddenly, I started wondering: Is there a Huntington, Ohio, somewhere else in the state where I accidentally made a reservation? I remembered putting "Huntington Ohio" in my search after seeing the highly rated Red Roof Inn. I pulled into a parking lot to check the mapping app on my phone. My reservation was for the Red Roof Inn in West Virginia, so I was okay! Whew. But it is further south than I expected. And though it is fine, so far I don't see why it has a 4/5 rating. How bad must the others be?
After checking in, I drove downtown to see it and the nearby Marshall University campus. Downtown covers a large area that has lots of unused buildings now. It must have been nice at one time. And it still has quite a few shops and offices--more than most downtown areas have today. And the old train station area has been developed with more modern shops, a cinema, etc., as an entertainment district. But the old downtown is just too big for it to be totally occupied under the situation cities face today, and the Marshall University campus is just a bit too far from downtown (12-15 blocks) for it to be an active area for students. The campus seems nice, but it is surrounded by major streets with lots of traffic. There wasn't a place for me to park and walk inside the two-block-wide and multi-block long campus. I did park downtown and walk around it.
I searched for local restaurants on Yelp and picked out about 5 that interested me. I opened each in a separate tab and started going through them one-by-one. Every one of them was closed on Sundays!! My guess is that students leave campus on weekends and return on Monday and that those staying party on Friday and Saturday leaving Sunday as a dead night which then is considered to be the best night for locally-owned restaurants to be closed. I just stopped at a Burger King on the way back from downtown to eat.
Now I will watch Masterpiece Theater before putting links on here and going to bed.
It was cold at the apartment in Covington (across the street from Cincinnati). Heat was turned off during the night, but there was a nice comforter which made it better. But even when the heat was on, I'm guessing the thermostat was no warmer than 65 degrees. It was uncomfortably cool. And I have a booking for the same place for 3 more nights. Hope it is a bit warmer next week.
I may have written yesterday that I reserved my car to be picked up in downtown Cincinnati at an office which is a short bus ride from Covington or a walk of 1 mile. I didn't need the car last night, and the price for the same car from the same company was $311 airport pickup vs. $185 for downtown pickup! Yet when I got to the downtown office this morning, the lady said they had just brought the car for me from the airport.
I was right about the leaves. There is nothing much to see. Although there are lots of leaves on the streets and sidewalks, most trees still look full and mostly green. But those that are turning color seem to be going straight from green to brown this year except for a VERY FEW (total less than 10) that I saw today that were red or yellow. However, the scenic drives were very scenic for the most part. The disappointments were US 32, the Appalachian Highway, which was somewhat like going down any 4-lane highway and US 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which was okay but not great. Highway 50 going east from Cincinnati was nice because of the hills and the homes along it, but it had concrete barriers without a shoulder which made it difficult to enjoy the views. The best routes I took were Hwy 222 between US 50 and Batavia (which curved, had lots of trees, and was hilly) and Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) off US 52 between Vanceberg KY and Portsmouth OH which became a series of State Forest roads. This very scenic route was a narrow road twisting and winding up into the mountains with dense forest coming right to the edges of the roadway. One section of it had a beautiful narrow stream flowing beside it. It was remote with few cars after the first few miles. There was a trail I wanted to walk, but it was too muddy from recent rains.
I had a bit of a panic in the late afternoon. I knew I wanted to stay somewhere in the area around Portsmouth or south of it. But the ratings for all the reasonably priced places were BAD! I mean ratings like 1 to 3 out of 5. I kept searching further and further south finding the same range of ratings for each town. But websites list nearby places. I remember looking at a park lodge on the Kentucky side that looked good and was rated higher, but it was priced rather high, did not include breakfast, and also required paying for park entrance. Somewhere along the way, I saw a Red Roof Inn in Huntington with a rating 4 out of 5--so much higher than any of the other places. I booked it. But today as I was driving south of Portsmouth, I seemed to be going further than I though I should. Then I saw a sign indicating that Huntington, WEST VIRGINIA, was another 20 minutes ahead of me. I knew Kentucky had been across the river all day. Suddenly, I started wondering: Is there a Huntington, Ohio, somewhere else in the state where I accidentally made a reservation? I remembered putting "Huntington Ohio" in my search after seeing the highly rated Red Roof Inn. I pulled into a parking lot to check the mapping app on my phone. My reservation was for the Red Roof Inn in West Virginia, so I was okay! Whew. But it is further south than I expected. And though it is fine, so far I don't see why it has a 4/5 rating. How bad must the others be?
After checking in, I drove downtown to see it and the nearby Marshall University campus. Downtown covers a large area that has lots of unused buildings now. It must have been nice at one time. And it still has quite a few shops and offices--more than most downtown areas have today. And the old train station area has been developed with more modern shops, a cinema, etc., as an entertainment district. But the old downtown is just too big for it to be totally occupied under the situation cities face today, and the Marshall University campus is just a bit too far from downtown (12-15 blocks) for it to be an active area for students. The campus seems nice, but it is surrounded by major streets with lots of traffic. There wasn't a place for me to park and walk inside the two-block-wide and multi-block long campus. I did park downtown and walk around it.
I searched for local restaurants on Yelp and picked out about 5 that interested me. I opened each in a separate tab and started going through them one-by-one. Every one of them was closed on Sundays!! My guess is that students leave campus on weekends and return on Monday and that those staying party on Friday and Saturday leaving Sunday as a dead night which then is considered to be the best night for locally-owned restaurants to be closed. I just stopped at a Burger King on the way back from downtown to eat.
Now I will watch Masterpiece Theater before putting links on here and going to bed.
Saturday, October 20, 2018
A Travel Experiment
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018--San Antonio to Cincinnati
Today I leave on a trip that is a travel experiment. I have always traveled lightly. Even when taking a 10 week trip, I have taken only the smaller carry-on size suitcase and a student-type backpack. And with just that amount of storage, I have always taken too much with me.
The experiment is about taking a shorter trip with even less baggage packed with nothing unneeded on a short trip for a cheap price. Frontier Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline now flies from San Antonio to about 27 cities. Some of those are cities I have never visited before. Frontier, however, is only really cheap if you travel lightly and are flexible to avoid fees. I bought my round-trip ticket to Cincinnati for $99 roundtrip, including taxes. But that only allows me to take one bag for free, and it MUST fit UNDER the seat in front of me. If I want to put a bag overhead, there is an extra charge. For a checked bag, there is another charge. For a seat assignment, there is an extra charge. For doing anything at the check-in counter, there is an extra charge. For planning incorrectly and having to do any of the above, the charges get more expensive at the check-in desk and even more expensive at the boarding gate.
I bought a special under-the-seat bag for making this and future trips at Costco for only $39--much cheaper than the linked website price. It fits the maximum dimensions that Frontier allows. In it, I have packed an extra pair of pants, 4 shirts, underwear, socks, minimum toiletries, camera, computer, and cords. I will wear a pullover and jacket as clothing and have stuffed the jacket pockets with a thin book, two magazines, and a small umbrella. I will only take the shoes I wear. The bag does not bulge, and, therefore, should be within the Frontier guidelines. If they say otherwise, then this will be the only trip I take with the airline. Otherwise, there might be future trips to Charlotte, Jacksonville, Raleigh/Durham, and other cities I have not visited for years.
This particular trip is for 1 1/2 weeks because I planned it to drive scenic roads in southern Ohio and to visit Columbus as well as Cincinnati. I got my rental car from downtown Cincinnati instead of from the airport and saved approximately $140 for the week of rental. (Airports now have extremely high fees for rental cars, taxis leaving the airport, restaurants operating within the airport, etc.) So I will stay one night in an AIRBNB, then leave Cincinnati for my drive. After I return my car, I will have 3 more nights in Cincinnati.
I don't know how often I will update the blog. It will depend on how tired I am each evening and whether there is anything worth telling. I had hoped to see fall foliage on this trip, since the last two weeks of October is usually the best time for it in southern Ohio, but maps and reports I have seen online indicate that hardly anywhere in the US is having nice fall foliage this year due to rainfall and cold fronts coming at the wrong times. But the scenic roads should still be scenic, and I will visit a number of quaint towns that are reported as being top places to visit. Below is my itinerary:
Oct. 20--Fly to Cincinnati. AIRBNB reserved in Covington across the river from Cincinnati
Oct. 21--Pick up rental car at 11:00 a.m. in downtown Cincinnati and start driving trip
Day 1 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Huntington--Red Roof Inn
Oct. 22--Day 2 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Top Town: Marietta-- Microtel
Oct. 23--Day 3 of Driving Trip ending in Columbus
Spend the night in Columbus. AIRBNB reserved
Oct. 24--Columbus
Oct. 25--Columbus
Drive out to Top Town: Granville--New England charm, nice downtown & Denison University
Oct. 26--Columbus
Oct. 27--Day 4 of Driving Trip ending in Cincinnati
Top Town: Tip City just north of Dayton between Columbus and Cincinatti
Top Town: Yellow Springs (Antioch College) just east of Dayton
Hotel in Cincinnati: Days Inn Cincinnati North
Oct. 28--Return car in downtown Cincinnati-- Move into AIRBNB reserved in Covington
Oct. 29--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 30--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 31--Go to airport for return flight (9:01 bus at 5th and Philadelphia)
And here is the itinerary for my driving trip if anyone wants to search the roads on a map:
Leaving Cincinnati for Driving Trip
Take US 50 east.
Just before Stonelick--Turn right onto Hwy 222 toward Batavia
Just before Batavia--Turn left onto 32 (Appalachian Hwy)
At People, detour south (right turn) on Hwy 41 to Bentonville
At Bentonville, turn left onto Hwy 136 to Manchester.
At Manchester, turn left onto Hwy 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, to Hwy 100 (between Vanceberg and Portsmouth)
At Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) , turn left for the Shawnee Driving Tour Path
At Y, take State Forest Service Rd. 1 to the left through Pheasant Hollow and Gabe Run to Brushy Fork
At Brushy Fork, continue straight (to left) onto State Forest Service Rd. 7
At intersection with State Forest Service Rd. 5, turn left onto 5!
Follow State Forest Service Rd. 5 all the way back to SFSR 1 and turn right
At McBride Run, turn left on State Forest Service Rd. 13
Stay on SFSR 13 past SFSR 12 until you get to SFSR 2 and turn right
Turn left onto SFSR 8
Turn left on SFSR 9
Turn right onto SFSR 1
At Hwy 125 EITHER 1)Continue tour of area by going left and then immediately right onto Bridal Trail Rd (going until end of trees and then returning back to Hwy 125 to continue right, OR 2) turn right onto Hwy 125 and go to Friendship.
At Friendship turn left on Hwy 52 to Portsmouth (Shawnee State University)
Spend the night at Huntington
_____
Return to Portsmouth and turn right onto Hwy 23
Just before Piketon, turn left onto Hwys 124/32 (continuing on 32 when the highways separate) to Hwy 23 (Chenoweth Fork Rd.)
Turn Right on Hwy 23 and Hwy 302 (White Oak Hill Rd.) after Arkoe
Turn Right on Hwy 302
Drive Scenic Hwy 302 to Hwy 1 and then return back to Arkoe
At Arkoe, turn right on Golf Rd. , then turn left on Hwy 32 following it and then Hwy 50 to Athens (Ohio University)
Continue on Hwy 50 to Top Town: Marietta, OH --River town on West Virginia border
Spend the Night at Marietta
_____
Take Hwy 550 (upper route toward Athens)
Just before reaching Athens, turn right on Hwy 33 north to Nelsonville (Hocking College)
At Nelsonville, turn left onto Hwy 278 (Lake Hope Drive) to Zeleski
At Zeleski, get on Hwy 677 (Powder Plant Rd.), then just after Raccoon Creek, turn right onto Hwy 14 (Infirmery Rd.)
Continue on Hwy 14 to Hwy 93 and turn RIGHT
Turn left on Hwy 272 (A top scenic road in Ohio)
Turn right onto Hwy 374
Turn right onto Hwy 664 (but first make a short detour to the left to see **Hocking Hills State Park**: Corkscrew Falls a top sight in Ohio)
Turn left onto Hwy 33 to Columbus
Spend 4 nights in Columbus
_____
Take IH 70 W.
Exit 52 A. (US 68) Turn left to to Top Town: Yellow Springs
Go west on Dayton Rd. until intersection with OH 235 (North Xenia). Turn Right
Turn left onto IH 675
Continue straight as it becomes Spangler Rd. and later Medlay/Carlisle Rd. (OH 571)
Turn right to continue on OH 571 at intersection with OH 328 to Top Town: Tip City
Leaving Tip City, take IH 75 S to Cincinatti
Exit onto IH 275 W
Take Exit 41 Springfield Pike (OH 4)
Turn left onto Springfield Pike
On other side of interchange, turn right onto Greensprings Dr. for Days Inn and Suites North Cincinnati
Today I leave on a trip that is a travel experiment. I have always traveled lightly. Even when taking a 10 week trip, I have taken only the smaller carry-on size suitcase and a student-type backpack. And with just that amount of storage, I have always taken too much with me.
The experiment is about taking a shorter trip with even less baggage packed with nothing unneeded on a short trip for a cheap price. Frontier Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline now flies from San Antonio to about 27 cities. Some of those are cities I have never visited before. Frontier, however, is only really cheap if you travel lightly and are flexible to avoid fees. I bought my round-trip ticket to Cincinnati for $99 roundtrip, including taxes. But that only allows me to take one bag for free, and it MUST fit UNDER the seat in front of me. If I want to put a bag overhead, there is an extra charge. For a checked bag, there is another charge. For a seat assignment, there is an extra charge. For doing anything at the check-in counter, there is an extra charge. For planning incorrectly and having to do any of the above, the charges get more expensive at the check-in desk and even more expensive at the boarding gate.
I bought a special under-the-seat bag for making this and future trips at Costco for only $39--much cheaper than the linked website price. It fits the maximum dimensions that Frontier allows. In it, I have packed an extra pair of pants, 4 shirts, underwear, socks, minimum toiletries, camera, computer, and cords. I will wear a pullover and jacket as clothing and have stuffed the jacket pockets with a thin book, two magazines, and a small umbrella. I will only take the shoes I wear. The bag does not bulge, and, therefore, should be within the Frontier guidelines. If they say otherwise, then this will be the only trip I take with the airline. Otherwise, there might be future trips to Charlotte, Jacksonville, Raleigh/Durham, and other cities I have not visited for years.
This particular trip is for 1 1/2 weeks because I planned it to drive scenic roads in southern Ohio and to visit Columbus as well as Cincinnati. I got my rental car from downtown Cincinnati instead of from the airport and saved approximately $140 for the week of rental. (Airports now have extremely high fees for rental cars, taxis leaving the airport, restaurants operating within the airport, etc.) So I will stay one night in an AIRBNB, then leave Cincinnati for my drive. After I return my car, I will have 3 more nights in Cincinnati.
I don't know how often I will update the blog. It will depend on how tired I am each evening and whether there is anything worth telling. I had hoped to see fall foliage on this trip, since the last two weeks of October is usually the best time for it in southern Ohio, but maps and reports I have seen online indicate that hardly anywhere in the US is having nice fall foliage this year due to rainfall and cold fronts coming at the wrong times. But the scenic roads should still be scenic, and I will visit a number of quaint towns that are reported as being top places to visit. Below is my itinerary:
Oct. 20--Fly to Cincinnati. AIRBNB reserved in Covington across the river from Cincinnati
Oct. 21--Pick up rental car at 11:00 a.m. in downtown Cincinnati and start driving trip
Day 1 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Huntington--Red Roof Inn
Oct. 22--Day 2 of Driving Trip
Spend the night in Top Town: Marietta-- Microtel
Oct. 23--Day 3 of Driving Trip ending in Columbus
Spend the night in Columbus. AIRBNB reserved
Oct. 24--Columbus
Oct. 25--Columbus
Drive out to Top Town: Granville--New England charm, nice downtown & Denison University
Oct. 26--Columbus
Oct. 27--Day 4 of Driving Trip ending in Cincinnati
Top Town: Tip City just north of Dayton between Columbus and Cincinatti
Top Town: Yellow Springs (Antioch College) just east of Dayton
Hotel in Cincinnati: Days Inn Cincinnati North
Oct. 28--Return car in downtown Cincinnati-- Move into AIRBNB reserved in Covington
Oct. 29--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 30--Cincinnati--AIRBNB in Covington
Oct. 31--Go to airport for return flight (9:01 bus at 5th and Philadelphia)
And here is the itinerary for my driving trip if anyone wants to search the roads on a map:
Leaving Cincinnati for Driving Trip
Take US 50 east.
Just before Stonelick--Turn right onto Hwy 222 toward Batavia
Just before Batavia--Turn left onto 32 (Appalachian Hwy)
At People, detour south (right turn) on Hwy 41 to Bentonville
At Bentonville, turn left onto Hwy 136 to Manchester.
At Manchester, turn left onto Hwy 52, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, to Hwy 100 (between Vanceberg and Portsmouth)
At Hwy 100 (Pond Run Rd) , turn left for the Shawnee Driving Tour Path
At Y, take State Forest Service Rd. 1 to the left through Pheasant Hollow and Gabe Run to Brushy Fork
At Brushy Fork, continue straight (to left) onto State Forest Service Rd. 7
At intersection with State Forest Service Rd. 5, turn left onto 5!
Follow State Forest Service Rd. 5 all the way back to SFSR 1 and turn right
At McBride Run, turn left on State Forest Service Rd. 13
Stay on SFSR 13 past SFSR 12 until you get to SFSR 2 and turn right
Turn left onto SFSR 8
Turn left on SFSR 9
Turn right onto SFSR 1
At Hwy 125 EITHER 1)Continue tour of area by going left and then immediately right onto Bridal Trail Rd (going until end of trees and then returning back to Hwy 125 to continue right, OR 2) turn right onto Hwy 125 and go to Friendship.
At Friendship turn left on Hwy 52 to Portsmouth (Shawnee State University)
Spend the night at Huntington
_____
Return to Portsmouth and turn right onto Hwy 23
Just before Piketon, turn left onto Hwys 124/32 (continuing on 32 when the highways separate) to Hwy 23 (Chenoweth Fork Rd.)
Turn Right on Hwy 23 and Hwy 302 (White Oak Hill Rd.) after Arkoe
Turn Right on Hwy 302
Drive Scenic Hwy 302 to Hwy 1 and then return back to Arkoe
At Arkoe, turn right on Golf Rd. , then turn left on Hwy 32 following it and then Hwy 50 to Athens (Ohio University)
Continue on Hwy 50 to Top Town: Marietta, OH --River town on West Virginia border
Spend the Night at Marietta
_____
Take Hwy 550 (upper route toward Athens)
Just before reaching Athens, turn right on Hwy 33 north to Nelsonville (Hocking College)
At Nelsonville, turn left onto Hwy 278 (Lake Hope Drive) to Zeleski
At Zeleski, get on Hwy 677 (Powder Plant Rd.), then just after Raccoon Creek, turn right onto Hwy 14 (Infirmery Rd.)
Continue on Hwy 14 to Hwy 93 and turn RIGHT
Turn left on Hwy 272 (A top scenic road in Ohio)
Turn right onto Hwy 374
Turn right onto Hwy 664 (but first make a short detour to the left to see **Hocking Hills State Park**: Corkscrew Falls a top sight in Ohio)
Turn left onto Hwy 33 to Columbus
Spend 4 nights in Columbus
_____
Take IH 70 W.
Exit 52 A. (US 68) Turn left to to Top Town: Yellow Springs
Go west on Dayton Rd. until intersection with OH 235 (North Xenia). Turn Right
Turn left onto IH 675
Continue straight as it becomes Spangler Rd. and later Medlay/Carlisle Rd. (OH 571)
Turn right to continue on OH 571 at intersection with OH 328 to Top Town: Tip City
Leaving Tip City, take IH 75 S to Cincinatti
Exit onto IH 275 W
Take Exit 41 Springfield Pike (OH 4)
Turn left onto Springfield Pike
On other side of interchange, turn right onto Greensprings Dr. for Days Inn and Suites North Cincinnati
Monday, June 04, 2018
Final Day in Montreal, Return Home, and Spending Report
Monday, June 1-2, 2018--Montreal to San Antonio
Friday was another hot day in Montreal, but with raised humidity. I brought too many winter shirts thinking it would remain in the 50s and 60s, but now it has been in the 80s for several days. When I was here in mid-September in the 1970s, it was COLD, so I assumed the cold-to-cool weather they were having in late April/early May would likely continue all the way through May.
There was nothing of importance left that I wanted to see or do, so I went downtown and exchanged my final few Canadian dollars for US dollars at a money exchange office (Universal) that gave a great deal--just a few cents difference between their rate and the rate on xe.com and with no service charge. Then I explored two more areas I had missed previously.
I wandered the Square St-Louis area and a part I missed previously of Rue Prince-Arthur, a pedestrian district of restaurants and clubs extending westward from it. This is an area of immigrants, but it didn't seem to be as vital as it had been described. There were a number of empty storefronts on the pedestrian street.
So I headed to Avenue du Mont-Royal, and this is where I found the immigrants. I don't know if it was the beginning of something special happening only for the weekend or something that happens on this street every weekend. But in addition to the many immigrant shops, there were stalls set up on the street for many blocks selling all kinds of things. Among them were food stalls selling wonderful looking items at very good prices. How I wished I had known about this before exchanging my money! But I enjoyed seeing it all and thinking about how I would appreciate this event on the street if I lived in Montreal.
Back at the apartment, I texted my landlady to tell her I would be leaving at 5:10 in the morning. She rushed up to say good-bye and asked if everything had gone well. I reported to her that her knives were dull. It's a common problem with Airbnb apartments; owners never think to check nor to sharpen them regularly. I asked if she had a sharpening rod, and she brought up an old handheld stone sharpening item that her father, a carpenter, had used. I sharpened the knives for her showing her how to do it, since she was going to pay to have someone do it.
My new travel computer allows me to use Android apps. And the Netflix app now allows people to download films for viewing offline. So I downloaded 3 videos for watching during my travels home. I finished eating the food I had in the kitchen except for some boiled eggs, salami, and cookies I planned to take to the airport and eat as a breakfast before going through security. I bathed and shaved and then went to bed at 10:30 still feeling hot and muggy.
_________
The alarm went off at 4:40. I left the apartment at 5:10. I walked to the metro station arriving at 5:35. The first metro train of the day arrived at 5:40. I got to the station where I would transfer to the airport bus at 5:53. I was second in line waiting for the airport bus expected at 6:07. By the time the bus arrived, the line was very long. The driver announced there was no room for luggages. I asked if I could stand with my bag between my legs. He looked at my bag and let me take it on the bus because it was small (a true carry-on size). I was so lucky. He let one other man in line with a bag the size of mine bring it on, but as the bus pulled away, everyone with a large bag was left standing there waiting for the next bus 20 minutes later. I had to stand for the trip. A young woman wanted to offer me her seat (which I refused), so I guess I truly look like an old man now!!
My flights went well. In Houston, I ate at Subway between flights. We got to San Antonio early. Sue was waiting for me in the employee parking lot.
This is the first trip I have ever carried my luggage as carry-on. I'm surprised that it went so well. I've always had free checking for my luggage, and I've always thought how lucky I was not to have to fight for space above. But I was lucky both going and coming back on this trip and could store my bag just above my seat. It makes me feel better about using carry-on luggage for future trips where I do not get a free baggage allowance.
__________
Spending Update
Much of the spending for this trip (accommodations, car rental, and gasoline) was shared with Wes. As I reported earlier, we traveled about 3,600 miles, so gasoline was a BIG expense. We were putting about 35 Canadian dollars ($27 US) worth of gas in the tank every day, so that raised the daily average for spending quite a bit.
My spending (separated from Wes' and also including those that were only mine after he returned) came to a total of $1860.14 (not including airfare) for an average of $71.54 per day over the 26 days.
Friday was another hot day in Montreal, but with raised humidity. I brought too many winter shirts thinking it would remain in the 50s and 60s, but now it has been in the 80s for several days. When I was here in mid-September in the 1970s, it was COLD, so I assumed the cold-to-cool weather they were having in late April/early May would likely continue all the way through May.
There was nothing of importance left that I wanted to see or do, so I went downtown and exchanged my final few Canadian dollars for US dollars at a money exchange office (Universal) that gave a great deal--just a few cents difference between their rate and the rate on xe.com and with no service charge. Then I explored two more areas I had missed previously.
I wandered the Square St-Louis area and a part I missed previously of Rue Prince-Arthur, a pedestrian district of restaurants and clubs extending westward from it. This is an area of immigrants, but it didn't seem to be as vital as it had been described. There were a number of empty storefronts on the pedestrian street.
So I headed to Avenue du Mont-Royal, and this is where I found the immigrants. I don't know if it was the beginning of something special happening only for the weekend or something that happens on this street every weekend. But in addition to the many immigrant shops, there were stalls set up on the street for many blocks selling all kinds of things. Among them were food stalls selling wonderful looking items at very good prices. How I wished I had known about this before exchanging my money! But I enjoyed seeing it all and thinking about how I would appreciate this event on the street if I lived in Montreal.
Back at the apartment, I texted my landlady to tell her I would be leaving at 5:10 in the morning. She rushed up to say good-bye and asked if everything had gone well. I reported to her that her knives were dull. It's a common problem with Airbnb apartments; owners never think to check nor to sharpen them regularly. I asked if she had a sharpening rod, and she brought up an old handheld stone sharpening item that her father, a carpenter, had used. I sharpened the knives for her showing her how to do it, since she was going to pay to have someone do it.
My new travel computer allows me to use Android apps. And the Netflix app now allows people to download films for viewing offline. So I downloaded 3 videos for watching during my travels home. I finished eating the food I had in the kitchen except for some boiled eggs, salami, and cookies I planned to take to the airport and eat as a breakfast before going through security. I bathed and shaved and then went to bed at 10:30 still feeling hot and muggy.
_________
The alarm went off at 4:40. I left the apartment at 5:10. I walked to the metro station arriving at 5:35. The first metro train of the day arrived at 5:40. I got to the station where I would transfer to the airport bus at 5:53. I was second in line waiting for the airport bus expected at 6:07. By the time the bus arrived, the line was very long. The driver announced there was no room for luggages. I asked if I could stand with my bag between my legs. He looked at my bag and let me take it on the bus because it was small (a true carry-on size). I was so lucky. He let one other man in line with a bag the size of mine bring it on, but as the bus pulled away, everyone with a large bag was left standing there waiting for the next bus 20 minutes later. I had to stand for the trip. A young woman wanted to offer me her seat (which I refused), so I guess I truly look like an old man now!!
My flights went well. In Houston, I ate at Subway between flights. We got to San Antonio early. Sue was waiting for me in the employee parking lot.
This is the first trip I have ever carried my luggage as carry-on. I'm surprised that it went so well. I've always had free checking for my luggage, and I've always thought how lucky I was not to have to fight for space above. But I was lucky both going and coming back on this trip and could store my bag just above my seat. It makes me feel better about using carry-on luggage for future trips where I do not get a free baggage allowance.
__________
Spending Update
Much of the spending for this trip (accommodations, car rental, and gasoline) was shared with Wes. As I reported earlier, we traveled about 3,600 miles, so gasoline was a BIG expense. We were putting about 35 Canadian dollars ($27 US) worth of gas in the tank every day, so that raised the daily average for spending quite a bit.
My spending (separated from Wes' and also including those that were only mine after he returned) came to a total of $1860.14 (not including airfare) for an average of $71.54 per day over the 26 days.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Another Day Out in Montreal
Thursday, May 31, 2018--Montreal
After getting to the Metro via the local bus, I went 9 stops by train to the center of town where I started my sightseeing for the day. Coming up from the train, I allowed myself to just wander (get lost) in the tunnels under downtown Montreal for a while. They were rather new and not very long when I first came to Montreal over 30 years ago, but now they run for 33 km (about 20 miles) connecting buildings that are above them. It's the same concept as the tunnels in Houston, but for the opposite reason--in Houston they are for staying out of the heat as one moves around downtown, whereas in Montreal they are for staying out of the cold and the snow. They represent a version of a shopping mall in grid format with shops along the whole route. Finally, I saw a sign pointing out the Fairmont Hotel, so I exited through its lobby.
The first stop was the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral which is a scaled down version of St. Peter's Church in Rome. As with the Roman church, the alter was very impressive. Otherwise, this version lakes all the special artwork such as the Pieta by Michelangelo.
The next place was a church across a grassy plaza which was much smaller but was far more interesting--St. George's Anglican Church. It is a pretty building, but what made it more interesting than any church I have visited in ages is that they have signs throughout the church telling what that section is called, what its purpose is, and what is historical within that section of the church. I wandered around the 11 stations reading those signs and learning so much. For instance, on the pews, there was a sign that explained that family names are on them because when it was originally built, there was a pew charge to help support the costs of the church. Richer families were willing to pay higher pew charges to be in a better, more prominent location, and even those with pews at the back were proving they were rich enough to afford one. On the sign for the choir loft, it further explained that during the days of the pew charges, that balcony of the church was for everyone else who couldn't afford a family pew to sit for church services. A lady who helped me find the entrance to the church explained to me also that they were preparing lunch today for homeless people (as they do each Thursday) and that they also have a day in which they provide a meal for Muslims so that Christians and Muslims and mix and get to know each other. I was very impressed with the place.
The part of Rue St. Catherine near these churches is the main shopping district in the downtown. For blocks, there are all the major stores--H&M, Esprit, Louis Vuitton, MAC, etc. An old department store along the street is Ogilvy which has been known for its grand interior, its Tudor Hall music room with a grand organ, and its mechanical Christmas window displays (which they discontinued just recently when Louis Vuitton moved into the corner section of the store where they were always displayed). Ogilvy has been bought by the owners of the luxury store chain Holt-Renfrew and is going through an extensive enlargement and remodeling plan that will turn it into a 250,000 sq. ft. Holt-Renfrew Ogilvy and add a Four Seasons Hotel (163 rooms at $600 and up a night) and 16 private residences ($4-20 million each) above it.
From there, I headed to McGill University, the preeminent university in Canada. It is an old campus that is being upgraded with modern buildings. And today was commencement day. Students were wearing caps and gowns and taking photos as the ceremony continued inside large tents on the campus lawn. It was amazing to see how many of the graduates were Middle Easterners, Chinese, and Indians. It was also interesting to see a very young man wearing a doctoral gown; he couldn't have been more than 24 or 25. But I was only 27 when I got my doctorate. Young people today just look so YOUNG!!
Leaving the campus, I went down Rue Prince Arthur which is an area where many students live and then becomes an area with very expensive looking townhouses and townhouse mansions. I turned up Blvd. St. Laurent which is the major north/south street in Montreal. It goes for miles with stores, restaurants, bars, etc. I headed up it because I was going to St. Viateur Bagel Shop which operates 24 hours a day. They make Montreal-style bagels which means they are boiled in honey water and then baked in a wood-fired oven. A couple recently opened a Montreal-style bagel shop in San Antonio. I wanted to see what they were like. The baker recommended the sesame seed bagel which had just come out of the oven and cost 90 cents Canadian (70 cents US) while still warm. It was good. It is more like a pretzel in the US than the typical New York bagel, because it is dry and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside instead of being chewy and soft all the way through. (The same bagel costs $1.95 US at Boss Bagels in the San Antonio, so the owners are making a killing compared to what they would have made in Montreal.)
I was tired by then and only a short distance from my home metro stop. I walked there and got on the 197 bus which was leaving in 8 minutes. That brought me back to the corner with my apartment only 1/4 of a block away.
After watching TV for a while, I made dinner--spiral pasta with Italian sausage sauce and sliced olives. I had it with a glass of Smoky Bay Australian Cabernet-Merlot while sitting on the patio enjoying the warm weather and watching the neighbors. Now I will watch a film on Netflix.
After getting to the Metro via the local bus, I went 9 stops by train to the center of town where I started my sightseeing for the day. Coming up from the train, I allowed myself to just wander (get lost) in the tunnels under downtown Montreal for a while. They were rather new and not very long when I first came to Montreal over 30 years ago, but now they run for 33 km (about 20 miles) connecting buildings that are above them. It's the same concept as the tunnels in Houston, but for the opposite reason--in Houston they are for staying out of the heat as one moves around downtown, whereas in Montreal they are for staying out of the cold and the snow. They represent a version of a shopping mall in grid format with shops along the whole route. Finally, I saw a sign pointing out the Fairmont Hotel, so I exited through its lobby.
The first stop was the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral which is a scaled down version of St. Peter's Church in Rome. As with the Roman church, the alter was very impressive. Otherwise, this version lakes all the special artwork such as the Pieta by Michelangelo.
The next place was a church across a grassy plaza which was much smaller but was far more interesting--St. George's Anglican Church. It is a pretty building, but what made it more interesting than any church I have visited in ages is that they have signs throughout the church telling what that section is called, what its purpose is, and what is historical within that section of the church. I wandered around the 11 stations reading those signs and learning so much. For instance, on the pews, there was a sign that explained that family names are on them because when it was originally built, there was a pew charge to help support the costs of the church. Richer families were willing to pay higher pew charges to be in a better, more prominent location, and even those with pews at the back were proving they were rich enough to afford one. On the sign for the choir loft, it further explained that during the days of the pew charges, that balcony of the church was for everyone else who couldn't afford a family pew to sit for church services. A lady who helped me find the entrance to the church explained to me also that they were preparing lunch today for homeless people (as they do each Thursday) and that they also have a day in which they provide a meal for Muslims so that Christians and Muslims and mix and get to know each other. I was very impressed with the place.
The part of Rue St. Catherine near these churches is the main shopping district in the downtown. For blocks, there are all the major stores--H&M, Esprit, Louis Vuitton, MAC, etc. An old department store along the street is Ogilvy which has been known for its grand interior, its Tudor Hall music room with a grand organ, and its mechanical Christmas window displays (which they discontinued just recently when Louis Vuitton moved into the corner section of the store where they were always displayed). Ogilvy has been bought by the owners of the luxury store chain Holt-Renfrew and is going through an extensive enlargement and remodeling plan that will turn it into a 250,000 sq. ft. Holt-Renfrew Ogilvy and add a Four Seasons Hotel (163 rooms at $600 and up a night) and 16 private residences ($4-20 million each) above it.
From there, I headed to McGill University, the preeminent university in Canada. It is an old campus that is being upgraded with modern buildings. And today was commencement day. Students were wearing caps and gowns and taking photos as the ceremony continued inside large tents on the campus lawn. It was amazing to see how many of the graduates were Middle Easterners, Chinese, and Indians. It was also interesting to see a very young man wearing a doctoral gown; he couldn't have been more than 24 or 25. But I was only 27 when I got my doctorate. Young people today just look so YOUNG!!
Leaving the campus, I went down Rue Prince Arthur which is an area where many students live and then becomes an area with very expensive looking townhouses and townhouse mansions. I turned up Blvd. St. Laurent which is the major north/south street in Montreal. It goes for miles with stores, restaurants, bars, etc. I headed up it because I was going to St. Viateur Bagel Shop which operates 24 hours a day. They make Montreal-style bagels which means they are boiled in honey water and then baked in a wood-fired oven. A couple recently opened a Montreal-style bagel shop in San Antonio. I wanted to see what they were like. The baker recommended the sesame seed bagel which had just come out of the oven and cost 90 cents Canadian (70 cents US) while still warm. It was good. It is more like a pretzel in the US than the typical New York bagel, because it is dry and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside instead of being chewy and soft all the way through. (The same bagel costs $1.95 US at Boss Bagels in the San Antonio, so the owners are making a killing compared to what they would have made in Montreal.)
I was tired by then and only a short distance from my home metro stop. I walked there and got on the 197 bus which was leaving in 8 minutes. That brought me back to the corner with my apartment only 1/4 of a block away.
After watching TV for a while, I made dinner--spiral pasta with Italian sausage sauce and sliced olives. I had it with a glass of Smoky Bay Australian Cabernet-Merlot while sitting on the patio enjoying the warm weather and watching the neighbors. Now I will watch a film on Netflix.
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
A Quiet Day in the Neighborhood after a Worrisome Evening
Wednesday, May 30, 2018--Montreal
Last night after I returned to the apartment, I got word that a raccoon was in my condo in San Antonio. My sister had discovered it and was trying to handle the problem. She had spent all day after a first call to my management company trying to contact them again with 5 phone calls and an email and no response. That's typical for property management companies. If you look up their ratings online, the best tend to be about 2 out of 5!! I contacted the president and the treasurer of my homeowner's association, and they dealt with it immediately during the evening--calling a company which caught the critter and removed it. But now I have to deal with the damage and the mess when I return home this weekend.
I had trouble sleeping during the evening because of worries about how bad the situation will be when I get back. Therefore, I was tired all day today. Instead of going out, I stayed inside most of the day. I did go to the grocery store to buy a few items around 14:00. But I watched two films on Netflix, I read news on the Internet, etc., to pass the time. Tomorrow, although there is a chance of rain in the early afternoon, I will go back out again to see more sights.
Last night after I returned to the apartment, I got word that a raccoon was in my condo in San Antonio. My sister had discovered it and was trying to handle the problem. She had spent all day after a first call to my management company trying to contact them again with 5 phone calls and an email and no response. That's typical for property management companies. If you look up their ratings online, the best tend to be about 2 out of 5!! I contacted the president and the treasurer of my homeowner's association, and they dealt with it immediately during the evening--calling a company which caught the critter and removed it. But now I have to deal with the damage and the mess when I return home this weekend.
I had trouble sleeping during the evening because of worries about how bad the situation will be when I get back. Therefore, I was tired all day today. Instead of going out, I stayed inside most of the day. I did go to the grocery store to buy a few items around 14:00. But I watched two films on Netflix, I read news on the Internet, etc., to pass the time. Tomorrow, although there is a chance of rain in the early afternoon, I will go back out again to see more sights.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Out in Montreal Twice Today
Tuesday, May 29, 2018--Montreal
The sun comes out early here this time of the year. I was awakened by it around 5:00. I went back to sleep, but I was awake again at 6:00. I just decided to get up and make my breakfast.
I had slow-boiled two large white potatoes last night until they were barely cooked through. I sliced one of them and put the pieces in a skillet with butter to fry. Then I sliced half of a large onion and put it in the same skillet with the potatoes after they had cooked a while. Adding the onions later assures that the potatoes will be toasty/crusty on the outside and the onions will be soft and sweet tasting. I put that mixture on a plate while I fried two eggs. Then I ate it all after salting and peppering it. That's a common breakfast I make when traveling because it is easy and uses only limited ingredients. Afterward, I had a mug of hot chocolate and a banana.
I had a day of sightseeing planned. But when I arrived at the metro station and got on the train, I realized I had forgotten to bring my camera. (Normally, I bring a small shoulder bag on trips to keep my camera, my guidebook info, etc., as I wander. But since most of this trip was going to be by car I didn't pack it. Now I wish I had. My pockets were loaded to day with the camera, my wallet, my cell phone and folded guidebook pages!) Rather than make the trip back to the apartment (45 min. to an hour round-trip), I just decided to go to my first stop which wasn't for sightseeing. It was to the station where I will catch the bus to the airport early Saturday morning. I wanted to know the station and to find the bus stop in advance.
Because several metro lines form a "circle" around the central area of Montreal, I decided I would just follow the circle getting off at each transfer stop to see what was in the neighborhood, and return to the apartment when I got back to the local stop. Only the last transfer stop, Jean-Talon, proved interesting. It is a busy commercial area and has a huge market named after the area. The market was very busy at 12:00 with people sitting at tables eating prepared foods, others shopping for plants and herbs for their gardens, etc.
When I got back to my station, the sign showed it would be 23 minutes until a bus would depart (although they are supposed to leave about every 12-13 minutes). I decided to walk. I reached my street in 27 minutes, and there was still no sign of a bus coming from the metro station. I did, however, meet 3 buses during that time headed toward the metro station. So the schedule was way off and creating a problem.
After resting and writing some emails, I headed back out to see some of the spots I had intended to visit this morning. I took the metro to Place D'Armes which is the center of the old historical district of the city. I didn't visit the Cathedral there, because there were lines and I can go back another day, but I wandered the streets and looked at specific buildings I had identified as being of interest to me:
The Bank of Montreal Lobby
The mock-medieval Seminaire de St-Sulpice with the oldest public clock in North America which has been chiming regularly since 1701
The Aldred building which is Art Deco style
The old Montreal Stock Exchange which is now a theater
Rue St-Paul which is an old cobble stoned street
Place Jacque Cartier
Chateau Ramezay which houses a museum
Maison Pierre du Calvet which is being restored
Then, I walked southwestward along the Old Port (Vieux-Port) and then along the Lachine Canal which used to be very busy transporting goods to the port from the factories and the grain elevators which line one side of it and currently lie in ruins waiting for redevelopment as residential structures. That took me to the edge of Griffintown which is an old Irish section of the city that is now trendy and a focal point for gentrification by young, style-conscious residents.
I was exhausted by that point, so I headed back to the apartment. I just repeated what I had for dinner last night. I still had some leftover baguette (a little tougher, but okay tonight), salami, and wine. I had that for dinner on the back balcony. Then I pulled out the computer to type this entry. It's another beautiful day here in Montreal, and I am sitting here only in shorts--no shirt, no shoes--and comfortable!
The sun comes out early here this time of the year. I was awakened by it around 5:00. I went back to sleep, but I was awake again at 6:00. I just decided to get up and make my breakfast.
I had slow-boiled two large white potatoes last night until they were barely cooked through. I sliced one of them and put the pieces in a skillet with butter to fry. Then I sliced half of a large onion and put it in the same skillet with the potatoes after they had cooked a while. Adding the onions later assures that the potatoes will be toasty/crusty on the outside and the onions will be soft and sweet tasting. I put that mixture on a plate while I fried two eggs. Then I ate it all after salting and peppering it. That's a common breakfast I make when traveling because it is easy and uses only limited ingredients. Afterward, I had a mug of hot chocolate and a banana.
I had a day of sightseeing planned. But when I arrived at the metro station and got on the train, I realized I had forgotten to bring my camera. (Normally, I bring a small shoulder bag on trips to keep my camera, my guidebook info, etc., as I wander. But since most of this trip was going to be by car I didn't pack it. Now I wish I had. My pockets were loaded to day with the camera, my wallet, my cell phone and folded guidebook pages!) Rather than make the trip back to the apartment (45 min. to an hour round-trip), I just decided to go to my first stop which wasn't for sightseeing. It was to the station where I will catch the bus to the airport early Saturday morning. I wanted to know the station and to find the bus stop in advance.
Because several metro lines form a "circle" around the central area of Montreal, I decided I would just follow the circle getting off at each transfer stop to see what was in the neighborhood, and return to the apartment when I got back to the local stop. Only the last transfer stop, Jean-Talon, proved interesting. It is a busy commercial area and has a huge market named after the area. The market was very busy at 12:00 with people sitting at tables eating prepared foods, others shopping for plants and herbs for their gardens, etc.
When I got back to my station, the sign showed it would be 23 minutes until a bus would depart (although they are supposed to leave about every 12-13 minutes). I decided to walk. I reached my street in 27 minutes, and there was still no sign of a bus coming from the metro station. I did, however, meet 3 buses during that time headed toward the metro station. So the schedule was way off and creating a problem.
After resting and writing some emails, I headed back out to see some of the spots I had intended to visit this morning. I took the metro to Place D'Armes which is the center of the old historical district of the city. I didn't visit the Cathedral there, because there were lines and I can go back another day, but I wandered the streets and looked at specific buildings I had identified as being of interest to me:
The Bank of Montreal Lobby
The mock-medieval Seminaire de St-Sulpice with the oldest public clock in North America which has been chiming regularly since 1701
The Aldred building which is Art Deco style
The old Montreal Stock Exchange which is now a theater
Rue St-Paul which is an old cobble stoned street
Place Jacque Cartier
Chateau Ramezay which houses a museum
Maison Pierre du Calvet which is being restored
Then, I walked southwestward along the Old Port (Vieux-Port) and then along the Lachine Canal which used to be very busy transporting goods to the port from the factories and the grain elevators which line one side of it and currently lie in ruins waiting for redevelopment as residential structures. That took me to the edge of Griffintown which is an old Irish section of the city that is now trendy and a focal point for gentrification by young, style-conscious residents.
I was exhausted by that point, so I headed back to the apartment. I just repeated what I had for dinner last night. I still had some leftover baguette (a little tougher, but okay tonight), salami, and wine. I had that for dinner on the back balcony. Then I pulled out the computer to type this entry. It's another beautiful day here in Montreal, and I am sitting here only in shorts--no shirt, no shoes--and comfortable!
Monday, May 28, 2018
Settled Into My Own Apartment
Monday, May 28, 2018--Montreal
Wes left the hotel about 7:50 this morning to catch a bus to the airport. The first of his 3 flights was scheduled at 11:00. He should have plenty of time here, since the bus only takes a little over an hour to get to the airport. Hope he makes his two connections--in Toronto and in Houston. When I leave, I will only have one connection in Houston, but I will have to be at the airport EARLY since my first flight is scheduled at 9:05!
When I left the hotel at 8:50, I expected to have plenty of time to reach the apartment by 10:00 even if I had an unexpected delay or difficult time finding the place. But one of the two delays I encountered was a truly unexpected one that meant having to perform something technically illegal to get to where I needed to be.
First, I had bought an OPUS transportation card Saturday. That's the chip card where you load fares to be able to ride the buses and metro by slapping the card against a panel. I needed to renew it to become a weekly card today, since their weekly cards only run from Monday through Sunday. (Too bad, because a 7-day weekly card from Saturday afternoon would have met all my needs for the trip if they could start any day of the week.) I thought it would go as smoothly today to add the weekly pass as when I bought the card with a 1-day pass recorded on it Saturday. But I couldn't figure out where to place the card in a slot for it to be refreshed. Fortunately, some Hispanic women who speak English walked up behind me and showed me how to do it. So it took about 5 minutes longer to get the card refreshed than it should have.
But then, the big problem occurred. When I slapped the card at the turnstile, it kept giving me a red light. And no one was working at the manned booth there. I tried and tried with time passing. Finally, knowing I was too far from my destination to walk, I just pushed my bag under the turnstile and them crawled under it myself!! ( Although this was technically illegal to do, I wasn't too worried. I had my receipt that showed I had just bought a weekly pass, since the rules say you must get your receipt and show it to the people who do random checks to make sure passengers have made a valid payment for the trip. But I was worried that they might speak only French if anyone caught me.) All went well, though, and when I got to my end station there was a man in the booth. I realized I still had time to reach the apartment, so I asked if he spoke English and explained what had happened. He checked my card and said that I had a valid weekly pass. Then he asked me to put it on one of the turnstiles there to test it, and the light turned green. I don't know if there was a timed delay after purchase before the computer connected to the turnstiles would recognize the card or if something just went wrong the first time I tried to use it and then it wouldn't accept my card afterward at that same station (as if I were trying to let someone piggyback on my card). Anyway, that problem was out of the way now so I can use my card the rest of the week.
I could have caught a bus from the metro station to the apartment, but I wanted to walk to determine the time it would take. As I wrote above, I have to leave on Saturday at a very early hour to catch a bus to the airport. The first metro run is at 5:48 from my station, and the buses start at 5:30 and aren't reliable enough for me to want to take one to the metro station; I would rather walk and be there on time for sure. It took me 30 minutes at a medium pace with my luggage this morning. So Saturday, going fast, I should be able to get there in plenty of time if I leave the apartment at 5:15. And that metro will get me to a stop half-way to the airport where I can transfer to the next departing airport bus. I should arrive at the terminal with 1 1/2 to 2 hours remaining before my flight.
After my two delays and the stop to check my card at my final metro stop, I actually still arrived early at the apartment--at 9:40 instead of 10:00. Just after I got here, the woman who owns the apartment was coming out of her apartment below to bring up towels and a bath mat, so she greeted me and told me to come on up. She already had the place clean with the bed made. I am staying at the "Hey, I'm Berangere!" apartment on Airbnb. It is exactly as it looks in the online photos. It's very clean and comfortable. And the owner lives in the apartment below me in case I need to contact her about anything.
Today, I am relaxing. Mondays are slow days for things to do anyway. I will go to the supermarket to buy some milk, eggs, meat, bread, etc., for having breakfast and dinner here at the apartment. I will check out the places in the neighborhood just to see what it is like. I'm looking forward to feeling like a local resident for a few days.
____________
In the middle of the afternoon, I went to a grocery store to buy some things. Then I read through my Montreal literature to decide what to see in the next few days.
This neighborhood consists of townhouses with 2-3 apartments per townhouse. There is a small yard in front of each which is generally not maintained well; some are even bricked over and most others have weeds. Most people seem to live in their back yards which are larger and often having lawn furniture. My apartment has two balconies--one looking out over the front street which seems to be unused and another with a small table and chairs off the kitchen overlooking the back yards and the alley.
About 6:30, I opened a bottle of wine, sliced part of a French baguette, spread the slices with butter, and put some salami on them. I sat at the table on the back balcony planning for the food to be an appetizer before making dinner. But it was so good that I decided to make that my dinner and made some more.
It was sunny and warm out there. And the back alley is really the active area for locals to move about. I've seen people going up and down it all day. While I was eating and relaxing there, some children were playing in the alley, a couple was relaxing on their patio across the way, and other people were coming and going from their homes. It was pleasant just to watch what everyone was doing and made me feel like a part of the neighborhood.
In the evening, I connected my computer to the TV and watched a Netflix film. Now it is about 22:15, and I am going to bed for the night.
Wes left the hotel about 7:50 this morning to catch a bus to the airport. The first of his 3 flights was scheduled at 11:00. He should have plenty of time here, since the bus only takes a little over an hour to get to the airport. Hope he makes his two connections--in Toronto and in Houston. When I leave, I will only have one connection in Houston, but I will have to be at the airport EARLY since my first flight is scheduled at 9:05!
When I left the hotel at 8:50, I expected to have plenty of time to reach the apartment by 10:00 even if I had an unexpected delay or difficult time finding the place. But one of the two delays I encountered was a truly unexpected one that meant having to perform something technically illegal to get to where I needed to be.
First, I had bought an OPUS transportation card Saturday. That's the chip card where you load fares to be able to ride the buses and metro by slapping the card against a panel. I needed to renew it to become a weekly card today, since their weekly cards only run from Monday through Sunday. (Too bad, because a 7-day weekly card from Saturday afternoon would have met all my needs for the trip if they could start any day of the week.) I thought it would go as smoothly today to add the weekly pass as when I bought the card with a 1-day pass recorded on it Saturday. But I couldn't figure out where to place the card in a slot for it to be refreshed. Fortunately, some Hispanic women who speak English walked up behind me and showed me how to do it. So it took about 5 minutes longer to get the card refreshed than it should have.
But then, the big problem occurred. When I slapped the card at the turnstile, it kept giving me a red light. And no one was working at the manned booth there. I tried and tried with time passing. Finally, knowing I was too far from my destination to walk, I just pushed my bag under the turnstile and them crawled under it myself!! ( Although this was technically illegal to do, I wasn't too worried. I had my receipt that showed I had just bought a weekly pass, since the rules say you must get your receipt and show it to the people who do random checks to make sure passengers have made a valid payment for the trip. But I was worried that they might speak only French if anyone caught me.) All went well, though, and when I got to my end station there was a man in the booth. I realized I still had time to reach the apartment, so I asked if he spoke English and explained what had happened. He checked my card and said that I had a valid weekly pass. Then he asked me to put it on one of the turnstiles there to test it, and the light turned green. I don't know if there was a timed delay after purchase before the computer connected to the turnstiles would recognize the card or if something just went wrong the first time I tried to use it and then it wouldn't accept my card afterward at that same station (as if I were trying to let someone piggyback on my card). Anyway, that problem was out of the way now so I can use my card the rest of the week.
I could have caught a bus from the metro station to the apartment, but I wanted to walk to determine the time it would take. As I wrote above, I have to leave on Saturday at a very early hour to catch a bus to the airport. The first metro run is at 5:48 from my station, and the buses start at 5:30 and aren't reliable enough for me to want to take one to the metro station; I would rather walk and be there on time for sure. It took me 30 minutes at a medium pace with my luggage this morning. So Saturday, going fast, I should be able to get there in plenty of time if I leave the apartment at 5:15. And that metro will get me to a stop half-way to the airport where I can transfer to the next departing airport bus. I should arrive at the terminal with 1 1/2 to 2 hours remaining before my flight.
After my two delays and the stop to check my card at my final metro stop, I actually still arrived early at the apartment--at 9:40 instead of 10:00. Just after I got here, the woman who owns the apartment was coming out of her apartment below to bring up towels and a bath mat, so she greeted me and told me to come on up. She already had the place clean with the bed made. I am staying at the "Hey, I'm Berangere!" apartment on Airbnb. It is exactly as it looks in the online photos. It's very clean and comfortable. And the owner lives in the apartment below me in case I need to contact her about anything.
Today, I am relaxing. Mondays are slow days for things to do anyway. I will go to the supermarket to buy some milk, eggs, meat, bread, etc., for having breakfast and dinner here at the apartment. I will check out the places in the neighborhood just to see what it is like. I'm looking forward to feeling like a local resident for a few days.
____________
In the middle of the afternoon, I went to a grocery store to buy some things. Then I read through my Montreal literature to decide what to see in the next few days.
This neighborhood consists of townhouses with 2-3 apartments per townhouse. There is a small yard in front of each which is generally not maintained well; some are even bricked over and most others have weeds. Most people seem to live in their back yards which are larger and often having lawn furniture. My apartment has two balconies--one looking out over the front street which seems to be unused and another with a small table and chairs off the kitchen overlooking the back yards and the alley.
About 6:30, I opened a bottle of wine, sliced part of a French baguette, spread the slices with butter, and put some salami on them. I sat at the table on the back balcony planning for the food to be an appetizer before making dinner. But it was so good that I decided to make that my dinner and made some more.
It was sunny and warm out there. And the back alley is really the active area for locals to move about. I've seen people going up and down it all day. While I was eating and relaxing there, some children were playing in the alley, a couple was relaxing on their patio across the way, and other people were coming and going from their homes. It was pleasant just to watch what everyone was doing and made me feel like a part of the neighborhood.
In the evening, I connected my computer to the TV and watched a Netflix film. Now it is about 22:15, and I am going to bed for the night.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Sunday in Montreal
Sunday, May 27, 2018--Montreal
Today just happened to be Free Museum Day in Montreal with most museums having free admission. I had told Wes that since I would be here for 5 more days we would do whatever he wanted to do today, and he chose to try to see some museums while they where free. Therefore, we made a plan to go to three museums.
We headed to a nearby bus stop to catch a bus that would take us to the first museum, the Montreal Science Center. That experience of getting there taught me that while here I need to try to use the Metro vs. buses. It was a slow Sunday morning, but the bus arrived empty and 15 minutes late. Then the driver left to go to a toilet or somewhere and came back about 20 minutes later. So we lost some time due to the bus being far off schedule. When we left, it was only about 10 minutes until the next bus was due to arrive at that stop!
What we didn't know about Free Museum Day was how this system works at most of the museums. It's common to let lines form and to admit only a few people at a time. At the science museum, there were maybe 200 people in line ahead of us. And after waiting 10 minutes or so, no one from the line had been admitted. We had already seen a long line outside a museum on our way to there on the bus. So we quickly abandoned the plan to visit museums and headed out to explore town.
We wandered down a section of Rue Notre-Dame which is a brick street with small shops--a very quaint and old area of the center of town. Then we went to the nearby Town Hall to see it from the outside. At that point, we decided to take the Metro line from there to the stop nearest the last museum we had planned to visit. We thought it would be a way to explore another part of town and just check on the possibility of getting into the Museum of Fine Arts.
The area where we got off the Metro is a very fine one with Rue Sherbrooke being lined with exclusive stores, many fine old mansions still in existence, new office buildings, very exclusive apartment buildings, and new and old hotels including the Ritz Carlton. Fortunately, when we got to the museum, people were walking right in. That is probably because this is a HUGE museum, because families with small children were choosing other museums, and because some persons interested in art were choosing smaller museums that they normally miss due to high admission prices.
Anyway, we spent about 2 1/2 hours in the museum. It has a very nice collection that mainly consists of art from impressionism to the present (with a big section related to more recent art) plus special halls related to art produced by Inuits, Montreal artists, etc.
When we came out, it was about 13:45, so we went into a Subway sandwich shop to eat before checking on another museum. However, it started raining about the time we were leaving there. We decided to abandon plans to go to another museum and to take the metro back to our hotel until the rain passed. Both of us used that time to do some research related to our travel plans for tomorrow--Wes' trip back to Texas and my move the the Airbnb apartment I have rented. I also did some research related to getting to the airport early next Saturday morning, since my plane leaves at 9:05.
By late afternoon, there was no more rain and the sun was peaking out some. Wes announced that he was going out for about 2 hours. After he left, I decided to go out, too, rather than just sit in the room. I explored the area near our hotel beyond what we had already seen. Tomorrow, I will move about 4 miles away to another neighborhood, so I figured it was best to explore this area more thoroughly before leaving it. It's a nice district mostly filled with lots of people. But one thing that stands out and is true about inner city areas of most major metro areas like this is the number of beggars, number of people who seem to have some mental illness problems, and number of people who may be drug users. Both of us got back to the hotel around 7:15 or so, and we just stayed inside for the rest of the night.
Today just happened to be Free Museum Day in Montreal with most museums having free admission. I had told Wes that since I would be here for 5 more days we would do whatever he wanted to do today, and he chose to try to see some museums while they where free. Therefore, we made a plan to go to three museums.
We headed to a nearby bus stop to catch a bus that would take us to the first museum, the Montreal Science Center. That experience of getting there taught me that while here I need to try to use the Metro vs. buses. It was a slow Sunday morning, but the bus arrived empty and 15 minutes late. Then the driver left to go to a toilet or somewhere and came back about 20 minutes later. So we lost some time due to the bus being far off schedule. When we left, it was only about 10 minutes until the next bus was due to arrive at that stop!
What we didn't know about Free Museum Day was how this system works at most of the museums. It's common to let lines form and to admit only a few people at a time. At the science museum, there were maybe 200 people in line ahead of us. And after waiting 10 minutes or so, no one from the line had been admitted. We had already seen a long line outside a museum on our way to there on the bus. So we quickly abandoned the plan to visit museums and headed out to explore town.
We wandered down a section of Rue Notre-Dame which is a brick street with small shops--a very quaint and old area of the center of town. Then we went to the nearby Town Hall to see it from the outside. At that point, we decided to take the Metro line from there to the stop nearest the last museum we had planned to visit. We thought it would be a way to explore another part of town and just check on the possibility of getting into the Museum of Fine Arts.
The area where we got off the Metro is a very fine one with Rue Sherbrooke being lined with exclusive stores, many fine old mansions still in existence, new office buildings, very exclusive apartment buildings, and new and old hotels including the Ritz Carlton. Fortunately, when we got to the museum, people were walking right in. That is probably because this is a HUGE museum, because families with small children were choosing other museums, and because some persons interested in art were choosing smaller museums that they normally miss due to high admission prices.
Anyway, we spent about 2 1/2 hours in the museum. It has a very nice collection that mainly consists of art from impressionism to the present (with a big section related to more recent art) plus special halls related to art produced by Inuits, Montreal artists, etc.
When we came out, it was about 13:45, so we went into a Subway sandwich shop to eat before checking on another museum. However, it started raining about the time we were leaving there. We decided to abandon plans to go to another museum and to take the metro back to our hotel until the rain passed. Both of us used that time to do some research related to our travel plans for tomorrow--Wes' trip back to Texas and my move the the Airbnb apartment I have rented. I also did some research related to getting to the airport early next Saturday morning, since my plane leaves at 9:05.
By late afternoon, there was no more rain and the sun was peaking out some. Wes announced that he was going out for about 2 hours. After he left, I decided to go out, too, rather than just sit in the room. I explored the area near our hotel beyond what we had already seen. Tomorrow, I will move about 4 miles away to another neighborhood, so I figured it was best to explore this area more thoroughly before leaving it. It's a nice district mostly filled with lots of people. But one thing that stands out and is true about inner city areas of most major metro areas like this is the number of beggars, number of people who seem to have some mental illness problems, and number of people who may be drug users. Both of us got back to the hotel around 7:15 or so, and we just stayed inside for the rest of the night.
Traveling Back to Montreal--Our Last Stop
Saturday, May 26, 2018--Quebec City to Montreal via Trois Riveres
It was another sunny and warm day as we slowly made our way from Quebec City to Montreal. We left the hotel around 10:00. About 11:30, we arrived in Trois Riveres, a very nice town on the St. Lawrence River. It's an old town with some really nice older churches, schools, homes, etc. from the 1700s and 1800s. And it has a large downtown area indicating that it has been a large town for some time--a downtown that is much larger than one might expect for a metro area of 126,000 people. We pulled off to see the campus of the University of Quebec at Trois Riveres. It's a rather simple and fairly new campus. Then we walked the downtown area and its nearby historical areas. Finally, on the way out of town, we stopped at Costco to buy gasoline and to eat a quick hot dog.
We arrived in Montreal about 15:00. It is a big city with lots of road construction. We were quite tired when we arrived at the hotel--Wes from driving and me from navigating the whole way. Wes drove our car down the VERY NARROW driveway to the back of the hotel and maneuvered it into a parking space, and we got our room at the Hotel St. Andre. It's an unusual room called a double-double. What they have done is to create larger rooms by removing the wall between two rooms. So our room has two beds, two bathrooms, and two doors (although one is closed permanently) to the hallway. It's really rather nice.
The location of the hotel couldn't be better. Just half a block from it is the "hot" street in town--the section of St. Catherine Street called the Gay Village which actually serves as the entertainment area for all of Montreal with bars, clubs, theaters, restaurants, etc. The street has hanging strings of balls in various colors to create a long distance color pattern of a rainbow flag. And further up St. Catherine is the opera house, the CAM, and other major destinations.
After settling into the room, we went walking along both stretches of St. Catherine Street. Because it was warm and sunny and Saturday, crowds were out and the sidewalk tables were full. There were bachelorette and bachelor parties wandering up and down the street along with a mix of all kinds of people. It was just a day for people to be out among and watching other people while enjoying the great weather.
We needed to return our rental car to the airport, so we returned to the hotel to leave. First, it was difficult to get the car out of the back parking lot. I had to stand in front and give Wes directions to become aligned with the extra narrow lane between our building and the one next door. Then someone started to try to drive in off the street and I had to stop them (since we couldn't back up through that area). Eventually, we got out and on our way with cars backing up on the street behind the lady we asked to wait to enter until we were out.
It took about 40 minutes to get to the airport because of heavy traffic and detours caused by the rebuilding of the expressway (Hwy 20) that goes out there. When we finally arrived, we went to a nearby gas station to fill up only to find that it was closed. I used my phone to locate another gas station about a mile away, and we went there. Fortunately, it was open. But when we arrived at the rental car lot, the entrance was blocked by a large truck and it looked closed. Wes went to the office and found they were in the process of closing for the day. The car wasn't due for another hour, but rather than stay later and check us in, they asked us to take the car to the Park and Pay lot and leave it there. So we had to find that location and leave the car there. Fortunately, they were familiar with the process, and it went smoothly. Also, their van gave us a ride to the terminal where we bought bus tickets to return to town. But the bus had to deal with the same detours and expressway reconstruction that we had faced going out there. So about 2 1/2 hours after leaving the hotel to go to the airport, we made it back to the hotel. What an exhausting experience it had been!!
We still walked the nearby section of St. Catherine again before coming to the room. It was still active. Only the shops were closed. The bars, clubs, theaters, etc., were very alive with people enjoying the slightly cool, but still shirtsleeve, weather of the evening.
We were back in the hotel by 21:00 and ready by bed an hour later. It had been a long day.
Note: We had traveled slightly over 6000 km in the car. That's about 3750 miles!! It was way too much driving. I would recommend that anyone coming up this way make it into two trips--one for Montreal and Quebec City and another, flying into Halifax, for Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick with the New Brunswick portion restricted only to the coastal area near Nova Scotia.
It was another sunny and warm day as we slowly made our way from Quebec City to Montreal. We left the hotel around 10:00. About 11:30, we arrived in Trois Riveres, a very nice town on the St. Lawrence River. It's an old town with some really nice older churches, schools, homes, etc. from the 1700s and 1800s. And it has a large downtown area indicating that it has been a large town for some time--a downtown that is much larger than one might expect for a metro area of 126,000 people. We pulled off to see the campus of the University of Quebec at Trois Riveres. It's a rather simple and fairly new campus. Then we walked the downtown area and its nearby historical areas. Finally, on the way out of town, we stopped at Costco to buy gasoline and to eat a quick hot dog.
We arrived in Montreal about 15:00. It is a big city with lots of road construction. We were quite tired when we arrived at the hotel--Wes from driving and me from navigating the whole way. Wes drove our car down the VERY NARROW driveway to the back of the hotel and maneuvered it into a parking space, and we got our room at the Hotel St. Andre. It's an unusual room called a double-double. What they have done is to create larger rooms by removing the wall between two rooms. So our room has two beds, two bathrooms, and two doors (although one is closed permanently) to the hallway. It's really rather nice.
The location of the hotel couldn't be better. Just half a block from it is the "hot" street in town--the section of St. Catherine Street called the Gay Village which actually serves as the entertainment area for all of Montreal with bars, clubs, theaters, restaurants, etc. The street has hanging strings of balls in various colors to create a long distance color pattern of a rainbow flag. And further up St. Catherine is the opera house, the CAM, and other major destinations.
After settling into the room, we went walking along both stretches of St. Catherine Street. Because it was warm and sunny and Saturday, crowds were out and the sidewalk tables were full. There were bachelorette and bachelor parties wandering up and down the street along with a mix of all kinds of people. It was just a day for people to be out among and watching other people while enjoying the great weather.
We needed to return our rental car to the airport, so we returned to the hotel to leave. First, it was difficult to get the car out of the back parking lot. I had to stand in front and give Wes directions to become aligned with the extra narrow lane between our building and the one next door. Then someone started to try to drive in off the street and I had to stop them (since we couldn't back up through that area). Eventually, we got out and on our way with cars backing up on the street behind the lady we asked to wait to enter until we were out.
It took about 40 minutes to get to the airport because of heavy traffic and detours caused by the rebuilding of the expressway (Hwy 20) that goes out there. When we finally arrived, we went to a nearby gas station to fill up only to find that it was closed. I used my phone to locate another gas station about a mile away, and we went there. Fortunately, it was open. But when we arrived at the rental car lot, the entrance was blocked by a large truck and it looked closed. Wes went to the office and found they were in the process of closing for the day. The car wasn't due for another hour, but rather than stay later and check us in, they asked us to take the car to the Park and Pay lot and leave it there. So we had to find that location and leave the car there. Fortunately, they were familiar with the process, and it went smoothly. Also, their van gave us a ride to the terminal where we bought bus tickets to return to town. But the bus had to deal with the same detours and expressway reconstruction that we had faced going out there. So about 2 1/2 hours after leaving the hotel to go to the airport, we made it back to the hotel. What an exhausting experience it had been!!
We still walked the nearby section of St. Catherine again before coming to the room. It was still active. Only the shops were closed. The bars, clubs, theaters, etc., were very alive with people enjoying the slightly cool, but still shirtsleeve, weather of the evening.
We were back in the hotel by 21:00 and ready by bed an hour later. It had been a long day.
Note: We had traveled slightly over 6000 km in the car. That's about 3750 miles!! It was way too much driving. I would recommend that anyone coming up this way make it into two trips--one for Montreal and Quebec City and another, flying into Halifax, for Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick with the New Brunswick portion restricted only to the coastal area near Nova Scotia.
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Exploring Quebec City
Friday, May 25, 2018--Quebec City
The center of Quebec City is very congested. Last night, we managed to explore most of it and made plans to return again tonight rather than during the daytime when it would be even more congested with traffic. Instead, we spent the daytime today at several parks strung along the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Our first stop was Montmorency Falls just north of the city. It is another water falls--not as wide as the one at Grand Falls yesterday, but with a longer drop. Water was rushing over the falls. There is a suspension bridge for walking just over the top of the falls which reminded me of the walkways over the Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side except they use metal grates for the walkway in Argentina, and the suspension bridge here was wooden allowing only slight views through the cracks between the boards.
From there, we drove to the first of two sections of the new Park Promenade Samuel-de Champlain. This section, near the bridges crossing the St. Lawrence Seaway is a small one with a tower to climb with views of the seaway.
Next, we moved to another section of the Park Promenade Samuel-de Champlain. It is also fairly new and is filled with lots of sculptures. Several of them moved with the winds. Some were rather plain, while others were quite interesting. They have a copy of the Angel's Wings sculpture which Mexico has given to several cities, including San Antonio (in HemisFair Park) for people to take selfies while standing in front of the wings.
Our final park was probably the best park in the city--Park Plaines d'Abraham. It is a major park with museums, sculptures, statues, old military fortifications, etc. We parked for about an hour and walked by some of the prominent features--several museum buildings and a statue/garden honoring Joan d'Arc.
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at a nearby Costco to get gas because it was priced about 7 cents a gallon less than at stations in town. We had tried to stop there last night, but the lines to get gas were impossible. They were still long today. They had at least 8 lines of cars with at least 7-8 cars waiting in each line behind those who were pumping gas. I took photos!! But we decided to wait while we were there. It took at least 10 minutes to get up to the pump.
Not long after we got back to the hotel, there were rain showers. But they passed, and we went back downtown in the evening. We parked in the same place and we explored the same general region of the Old Town as last night. It was fun this time just watching people, looking into the shops and bars, and seeing what we could find down small streets. About 1 1/2 hours after we got there, it started to rain slightly again. Since we had already seen everything and had a day of travel ahead of us, we just returned to the car and drove back to the hotel.
Quebec is a nice city. It is much bigger than one might expect. The downtown area (combination of the lower town, the old town, and the modern downtown is HUGE!! Besides the beautiful old buildings to see, there are quaint squares, lots of statues, etc. It's a very good place to visit.
The center of Quebec City is very congested. Last night, we managed to explore most of it and made plans to return again tonight rather than during the daytime when it would be even more congested with traffic. Instead, we spent the daytime today at several parks strung along the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Our first stop was Montmorency Falls just north of the city. It is another water falls--not as wide as the one at Grand Falls yesterday, but with a longer drop. Water was rushing over the falls. There is a suspension bridge for walking just over the top of the falls which reminded me of the walkways over the Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side except they use metal grates for the walkway in Argentina, and the suspension bridge here was wooden allowing only slight views through the cracks between the boards.
From there, we drove to the first of two sections of the new Park Promenade Samuel-de Champlain. This section, near the bridges crossing the St. Lawrence Seaway is a small one with a tower to climb with views of the seaway.
Next, we moved to another section of the Park Promenade Samuel-de Champlain. It is also fairly new and is filled with lots of sculptures. Several of them moved with the winds. Some were rather plain, while others were quite interesting. They have a copy of the Angel's Wings sculpture which Mexico has given to several cities, including San Antonio (in HemisFair Park) for people to take selfies while standing in front of the wings.
Our final park was probably the best park in the city--Park Plaines d'Abraham. It is a major park with museums, sculptures, statues, old military fortifications, etc. We parked for about an hour and walked by some of the prominent features--several museum buildings and a statue/garden honoring Joan d'Arc.
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at a nearby Costco to get gas because it was priced about 7 cents a gallon less than at stations in town. We had tried to stop there last night, but the lines to get gas were impossible. They were still long today. They had at least 8 lines of cars with at least 7-8 cars waiting in each line behind those who were pumping gas. I took photos!! But we decided to wait while we were there. It took at least 10 minutes to get up to the pump.
Not long after we got back to the hotel, there were rain showers. But they passed, and we went back downtown in the evening. We parked in the same place and we explored the same general region of the Old Town as last night. It was fun this time just watching people, looking into the shops and bars, and seeing what we could find down small streets. About 1 1/2 hours after we got there, it started to rain slightly again. Since we had already seen everything and had a day of travel ahead of us, we just returned to the car and drove back to the hotel.
Quebec is a nice city. It is much bigger than one might expect. The downtown area (combination of the lower town, the old town, and the modern downtown is HUGE!! Besides the beautiful old buildings to see, there are quaint squares, lots of statues, etc. It's a very good place to visit.
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