Our Vacation to Canada and Eastern USA - The fun, the memories, the disasters!

A Vaccation to Remember!

Our late May, early June, 3 week tour through eastern Canada, Newfoundland, on to New York, through the Amish country of Pennsylvania, and then back to Buffalo and home, gave my husband any myself many spectacular and moving moments. We flew from Portland Oregon to Buffalo, hired a car, and did the Niagara Falls thing: still have our souvenir Maid of the Mist raincoats. Really awesome when you get up close to those roaring falls.

I founded the OPUS critique group almost ten years ago. None of us have met in person. One member lives in Toronto, so we made that our first port of call after the falls. He and his wife gave us a delightful lunch, and we chatted about writing, the world as we know it, and how great it was to finally put a face with the name. He lives in a charming European flavored street, among leafy trees and flower filled window boxes.

Then it was on to Montreal and Quebec. I fell in love with Montreal. We had a lovely room with a balcony, on the 9th floor of a hotel overlooking the night life of the city. Sidewalk cafes and music tempted us down into the streets at 10pm to enjoy a drink and people-watch. If you can't afford to go to Paris or Brussels, or other parts of Western Europe, these three cities, redolant with the French language, flavor, and architecture, are a great way to "feel" as if you are actually there. Twisty, narrow cobbled streets, wonderful buildings and architecture, intriguing boutiques, and cafes of all descriptions add to the cosmopolitan flavor. Quebec's walled city is set on rolling slopes that tax the legs and knees. Le Chateau Fontenac, and a quiet 16th century church were standouts. Window boxes, dripping flowers, were on every building - old and new, rich or poor. Aha-a-a-a. . . ! The views were stupendous.

Unfortunately for us, the dollar was not strong in Canada, and prices were generally much higher than here in the US. Every time my husband pumped gas, the cost gave him heartburn! Until we left Canada, translating all the signs and mileage into English kept us busy. Not even the staff at McDonalds in Quebec spoke English! Where did those few phrases I learned in school go?

After that, we headed for Newfoundland, the Bay of Fundy, and a great lobster dinner. The traveling tourist bit soon wore thin. With many miles ahead of us, the route we took to get there quickest was not so picturesque. Fields covered in grass, or a yellow blanket of dandelions, stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. Gas at $4.50 a gallon did nothing to lighten our mood. The brochures said the coast of Newfoundland was spectacular. Well, it was very nice, but we have seen better on short trips to the Oregon coast ( with gas . half the price), or slightly longer trips on the coast road to California. It made us really appreciate our spectacular Oregon coastline. CONTINUED ON MY WEBSITE.

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