Bon nuit from Montreal!

So, here we are in Montreal!  After two weeks on the open road, we have reached our northernmost destination!

We left Boston yesterday after lunch.  We had gone to check out Harvard, whereupon Bailey rekindled an old friendship with a long lost boarding school-er whilst I got incredibly lost roaming the streets of Cambridge in search of them.  I later got us both incredibly lost trying to get out of Boston...we circled the city about three times before we finally made it out.  (I ask you, who names all of the loops in a city basically the same thing?  90? 95? 93? 495?  Seriously?!)  Bails really harnessed her chi and did not kill me, but, needless to say, my navigating privileges have been revoked.  Bailey now reigns as head navigatress and I have been demoted to mere captainette.  Oh how the mighty have fallen.

After Boston we headed up Vermont way, where maple syrup flows like wine.  The drive was ab-so-bloomin-lutely amazing.  The mountains were gorgemoso.  Am I the only fool who has been kept in the dark about the majesties of the green mountain state?!  Mountains and other natural wonders, Ben and Jer, maple syrup, friendly folk...who's been keepin this place a secret for so long?!

We got to Burlington (home of coat factory and also UVM, which apparently means University Verde Monte, not Uni Ver-Mont) at dinnertime.  The city is very cool and full of crunchy granola and college types.  Lots of Patagonia and dreadlocks walking around.  We stayed with some girls who are in school at UVM and very cute and friendly and oh mah gawd were we in heaven staying in a girl's apartment!  Our other hosts were lovely, but it was great to be in an apartment with about fifty million products.  I used about ten different kinds of conditioner in the shower...my hair is now silky and smooth!

Today has been quite the magical one.  We woke up, went to break-y (gingey bread pancakes?  yes please!) with our hostesses with the mostesses and then headed out in the drizzle (yuck but cozy at the same time) to Ben and Jerry's.  MA-GI-CAL.  I don't even know how to describe the joyousness that is the Ben and Jer Factory...hmm...if Willy Wonka had a meetings of the minds with a hippie, this would be the fruit of their labor.  I half expected to see wee orange men with green hair cartwheeling about and singing "oompa loompa doompity do..."

After our trip to see Ben and Jer, we headed up to Stowe, location of the Von Trapp Family Lodge, closest I've been in my Sound of Music stalking mission so far (next stop: Salzburg).  And let me tell you, the hills were alive!  I could just picture Fraulein Maria spinning about in mountain or Leisl yelling "WEEEEEEEE!"

After a car ride of serenading each other to the Sound of Music soundtrack (we both know every word...I was tempted to ask her to be Rolf during "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," but I don't think she would let me boss her around the way I used to MayMay when I would force her to put on plays with me..), we hit the Canadian border.  Things weren't looking so great during our run in with a salty border patrolman (I don't know why I expected it to be more a Frances McDermott in Fargo character, but it most definitely was not).  Fortunately, I think the moving mountain of junk that is the beast on wheels discouraged him, and he sent us through (without stamping our pasaportes, I might add...when did this whimsical tradition fall by the wayside?  Vive la stamping of passports!).

Following the French signs to Montreal was no easy feat for a couple of Texicans, but we made it out of the cornfields in one piece.  We just got here, so I can't make an accurate judgment quite yet, but I think I'm gonna like it here (name that tune!).  I'll keep ya posted!

Bon nuit et bisoux!