Bday Trip 2017

I’m on my last day of my 2017 birthday trip. It’s been a wonderful 2 weeks of roaming. Rather than give a detailed day-by-day summary in a bunch of posts, I’m going to write one long post.

The trip started out with a late night flight up to Boston via Chicago. For the first time in my life, the connecting gates in O’Hare were right next to each other. And naturally, the flight from Chicago to Boston was delayed… We arrived very late in Boston and at 2:30am, all I wanted to do is catch up on sleep. So, the first day, we got up late in the morning and made our way back to the airport to pick up the car.

Once in the car, we immediately got on the road to make our way to Vermont. We drove through the outskirts of Boston and then before we knew it, were already in New Hampshire. We had quite a drive through New Hampshire before we finally crossed the border of my 48th state – Vermont. I wanted to get out and get a photo of the state sign but I was overruled (as usual).

The first stop of the trip was Killington, a ski resort town that was blissfully quiet and serene in the off-season. We stayed in a lodge 5 minutes away from the base of Killington Mountain. In the off-season, the mountain offers all kinds of warm weather attractions: a mountain bike park, small zipline, gondola rides to the top of the peak, ropes course, and my favorite thing – a mountain coaster! I had a fabulous time hanging out, hiking a bit, riding the coaster, and enjoying the beautiful mountain air. It was definitely a great way to start the trip.

After 2 nights, we left Killington and drove Vermont Route 100, a scenic byway that twisted and turned through the hilly rural countryside, on the way to Burlington. Burlington is the “big” city in Vermont; but in reality it is a compact and friendly town of 42,000 (and I think that includes the student population at the University of Vermont). It’s situated on the shores of Lake Champlain, the biggest lake that is not one of the Great Lakes. I spent my actual birthday riding the ferry from Burlington across the lake to the dock in New York State – and turned around immediately and rode the ferry straight back since there was absolutely nothing to do on the NY side. But it was a gorgeous day and perfect conditions to be on the water (yes, lots of sunscreen applied). Afterwords, we visited a few of the craft breweries that Burlington is known for. Although I’m not really a beer drinker, it was fun to wander from brewery to brewery and chat with the locals staffing the bars.

Then, we traveled north into Quebec, Canada to head to our next stop – Montreal. It’s only a two-hour drive from Burlington to Montreal. I had been to Montreal a few times in my early 20s and had fond memories of the place. We spent three nights exploring. Vieux Montreal (old town) was even prettier than I remembered and had a number of fun bistros and watering holes. The second day was the day with the worst weather of the entire trip and fortunately coincided with the day that I had the most work to do (I was working the entire time I was on the trip, and I’m very grateful I have a job that allows for that flexibility); so I ended up spending most of the day inside anyway. The next day was beautiful so I dragged my husband up the 800-foot Mont Royal to the park at the summit. I was still struggling a bit going uphill or up the stairs breath-wise – I think I’m always going to have that issue – however the leg/scar did not give me any problems.

After Montreal, we headed back into Vermont to spend a few nights at a lake house owned by friends of ours that live in our building in Austin. They spend their summers in a tiny lakefront community in northern Vermont. It is a magical and peaceful place. I could actually feel my blood pressure lower while I was there. We went out on their boat, explored a little of the surrounding towns, and sat looking at the lake for hours. I can’t even begin to describe how relaxed I was. It was very much needed and our hosts were gracious and kind. It was nice getting a chance to get to know them better. (I hope they invite us back some day!)

Then, after 2 blissful nights at the lake, we drove down through New Hampshire again (but using a different route through the White Mountains) and into Boston (where the zen disappeared as soon as the traffic got crazy). We dropped the car off and took a Lyft to our first hotel in Cambridge. We spent time checking out the campuses of MIT and Harvard. And met a friend of mine and her husband for an evening walking through the North End where there must be over 100 mom-and-pop Italian restaurants. We had dinner at one of their favorites with them. Then after 2 nights in Cambridge, we transferred to another hotel in the Back Bay area to see a different side of Boston. We spent an hour in the Public Gardens park listening to an incredible violin player (Lewis Flores for those interested) and then walking along the Charles River Esplanade. We also discovered that our hometown Cleveland Indians were playing the Red Sox; so we secured seats at Fenway to catch a game. It was a gorgeous night for a baseball game and I had always wanted to go to Fenway anyway. It was a special bonus that the Sox were playing the baseball team I cheered for growing up (even though the Indians lost).

All in all, it has been a lovely 2 weeks. We lucked out with the weather for the most part and managed to spend time in a variety of settings – town, city, and countryside. I got to add Vermont to the been-there list. I got to visit with some friends and make some new ones along the way. I got to escape the heat that was pretty oppressive back home. And I got to do one of my favorite things ever – explore some more of the world. I think that’s a marvelous way to kick off another trip around the sun…