Bryce left Boston today. He was travelling on a train to San Francisco – not everyone’s cup of tea. We rose early and I drove Bryce back to South Station in downtown Boston. It’s a quick ride mainly on freeway. We stopped at the drop off point and wished each other well till next time. Bryce strode into the sunset, well actually just the concrete station building in mid-morning. It was a great trip and totally unplanned. On the domestic front, Bryce was a hit. Gail and Maddie liked him a lot.
Fast forward to about noon when I was in Newtonville going to the post office and pharmacy … As I was walked over the bridge spanning the train line and Massachusetts turnpike, I suddenly realized that Bryce’s train would be passing by at any moment. It was scheduled to leave Boston at 11:50. Should I wait for the train? As it may have already passed through, I decided not to wait and went to the pharmacy. About 5 minutes later on my return, I heard a train coming. Sure enough it was Bryce’s Amtrak inter-continental express. The train was very short with only three or four carriages, one of which was a double-decker. The dining car was at the rear. Although the train was moving very fast, if Bryce had been looking out the left side window, he probably would have seen me standing on the bridge. That was a nice little coincidence (no pun intended). I think the correct word is Synchronicity.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thursday October 15th 2009 - The Long Haul
After a full breakfast in the hotel, we proceeded directly to the bus stop. We had a long wait, but as it was first come first serve, we had no choice. We were at the head of the line and gradually other people showed up. After some time, a non-English speaking family created a second line, much to the consternation of those already in line. But finally the bus came and we all boarded in correct order.
The ride was not too interesting. I wanted to video trucks with an unusual axle configuration that I’d seen for the first time. The land was flat and many farms had un-harvested corn that was probably going to be used as some sort of stock feed. We crossed the border without incident. The US Customs officer looked like he was in his seventies and worked at a leisurely pace. This obviously was a backwater in the Customs service. A lone SUV blocked the road to stop vehicles proceeding. The inspection amounted to one or two short questions in the Customs building and a search of the bus. Within 10 minutes we were back on the bus. The Customs official moved the SUV and we were on our way. As we were leaving, a semi-trailer loaded with damaged cars was being inspected before entering Canada. We drove into Vermont. The scenery became hilly with vibrant autumn colors. Several times, we glimpsed Lake Champlain between the hills. Finally we drove slowly through Burlington, Vermont, stopping at several traffic lights. We drove down a side street to the bus station which was little more than an elevated wooden shed in an unpaved paddock. We had about 40 minutes, so we bought lunch at the local produce store which also sold pastries and sandwiches. It was like an indoor market. We bought lunch and a couple of cakes for the trip. After eating lunch in the market, we walked back to the bus station along an abandoned railway track that paralleled the street. Our next stop was close to the Vermont/New Hampshire border. It was a more substantial, permanent facility than in Burlington. We sat and watched TV for a few minutes – some breaking news about police chasing a home made helium balloon believed to contain a child. It landed in a field without the child, and before finding out more information we had to leave. The ride back to Boston was a long one. Our last stop before Boston was the airport in Manchester, NH.
We arrived at South Station in Boston at about 6 PM, and had planned to continue on a bus to Newton, but the next bus wasn’t until 8 PM! Bryce had the excellent idea of catching a local train, so travelled on the so-called Commuter Rail to Newtonville station. I phoned Gail who picked us up on her way to collect Madeline at Gymnastics. We made a short stop at Starbucks and sat down with warm drinks. It was cold rainy night. We collected Maddie and drove home. Gail feels the cold, so the car was like a furnace inside. Bryce professed to be sweating profusely.
The ride was not too interesting. I wanted to video trucks with an unusual axle configuration that I’d seen for the first time. The land was flat and many farms had un-harvested corn that was probably going to be used as some sort of stock feed. We crossed the border without incident. The US Customs officer looked like he was in his seventies and worked at a leisurely pace. This obviously was a backwater in the Customs service. A lone SUV blocked the road to stop vehicles proceeding. The inspection amounted to one or two short questions in the Customs building and a search of the bus. Within 10 minutes we were back on the bus. The Customs official moved the SUV and we were on our way. As we were leaving, a semi-trailer loaded with damaged cars was being inspected before entering Canada. We drove into Vermont. The scenery became hilly with vibrant autumn colors. Several times, we glimpsed Lake Champlain between the hills. Finally we drove slowly through Burlington, Vermont, stopping at several traffic lights. We drove down a side street to the bus station which was little more than an elevated wooden shed in an unpaved paddock. We had about 40 minutes, so we bought lunch at the local produce store which also sold pastries and sandwiches. It was like an indoor market. We bought lunch and a couple of cakes for the trip. After eating lunch in the market, we walked back to the bus station along an abandoned railway track that paralleled the street. Our next stop was close to the Vermont/New Hampshire border. It was a more substantial, permanent facility than in Burlington. We sat and watched TV for a few minutes – some breaking news about police chasing a home made helium balloon believed to contain a child. It landed in a field without the child, and before finding out more information we had to leave. The ride back to Boston was a long one. Our last stop before Boston was the airport in Manchester, NH.
We arrived at South Station in Boston at about 6 PM, and had planned to continue on a bus to Newton, but the next bus wasn’t until 8 PM! Bryce had the excellent idea of catching a local train, so travelled on the so-called Commuter Rail to Newtonville station. I phoned Gail who picked us up on her way to collect Madeline at Gymnastics. We made a short stop at Starbucks and sat down with warm drinks. It was cold rainy night. We collected Maddie and drove home. Gail feels the cold, so the car was like a furnace inside. Bryce professed to be sweating profusely.
Wednesday October 14th 2009 - Back on the Rails
We rose early and walked up the hill into the old town. One amusing incident occurred as we walked up the hill behind the hotel. Bryce stopped to check something in his bag and immediately I heard the click of a car’s door locks. We’d stopped next to a parked car with a nervous driver inside. Did we look that unkempt?
We walked all the way to the top of the Quebec City old fort – quite a climb. The views across the St Laurence Seaway and beyond were spectacular. We paused for a moment before heading back down to the hotel. We took back roads with quaint buildings probably dating back to the late 18th century. Eventually we came across the old town wall so we decided to walk along it as far as possible. It was accessed by a stone stairway. Once on top there was a pathway to walk along. This changed to the wall proper at one point. Again the views were quite something. As we went along there were boards displaying the history of each section of the wall. In one nook we saw a shelter for a homeless person, but there was no sign of anyone. Further down we came to the end of the wall and a restored factory building. This was also part of the historical tour route. We emerged near the road leading down to our hotel, so collected our bags and walked to the railway station. After waiting about an hour, we boarded the very comfortable train to Montreal. There were plenty of spare seats, so we moved to one side of the train or the other depending upon the scenery. But after our first stop, the train filled, forcing us back to our reserved seats. We ran alongside the Seaway for a few miles before crossing it over a long steel bridge. Mostly the terrain was flat with grain farms. At Montreal, we crossed a series of bridges over a canal and then the Seaway. It was getting dark as we pulled into the station.
Our next destination was the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts which had a J. W. Waterhouse exhibition. I’d seen the exhibition poster when we walked to Montreal station on our way to Quebec City and decided it was a must see. I’d admired his art for years and always wanted to visit the Tait in London. We thought about taking a train to the museum, but after walking what seemed like a mile along underground passageways and stairways we decided to exit and walk to the museum. When we arrived, the entrance fee was half price after 6 PM, so we waited half an our or so. The exhibition was superb. It was the largest collection of his work ever assembled. Everything was there. The crowning glory was probably “The Lady of Shalot”. Each painting was accompanied by a longish description of the work. I read most, but not all owing to limited time. As with all modern museums, the exit was through the museum shop. I bought the soft cover exhibition catalog, a sizable book in its own right. Bryce bought some postcards.
We had difficulty finding a station. In the end Bryce asked a cyclist and we were literally outside the entrance. Before catching a train, we got some supper in the form of gourmet sandwiches and ate in the small café. The train went about 2 miles to our bus station and hence our hotel. As on our previous visit, we didn’t have a booking, so we checked in upon arrival. We then ventured out to the local milk bar for a few snacks and drinks. It had been a long day.
We walked all the way to the top of the Quebec City old fort – quite a climb. The views across the St Laurence Seaway and beyond were spectacular. We paused for a moment before heading back down to the hotel. We took back roads with quaint buildings probably dating back to the late 18th century. Eventually we came across the old town wall so we decided to walk along it as far as possible. It was accessed by a stone stairway. Once on top there was a pathway to walk along. This changed to the wall proper at one point. Again the views were quite something. As we went along there were boards displaying the history of each section of the wall. In one nook we saw a shelter for a homeless person, but there was no sign of anyone. Further down we came to the end of the wall and a restored factory building. This was also part of the historical tour route. We emerged near the road leading down to our hotel, so collected our bags and walked to the railway station. After waiting about an hour, we boarded the very comfortable train to Montreal. There were plenty of spare seats, so we moved to one side of the train or the other depending upon the scenery. But after our first stop, the train filled, forcing us back to our reserved seats. We ran alongside the Seaway for a few miles before crossing it over a long steel bridge. Mostly the terrain was flat with grain farms. At Montreal, we crossed a series of bridges over a canal and then the Seaway. It was getting dark as we pulled into the station.
Our next destination was the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts which had a J. W. Waterhouse exhibition. I’d seen the exhibition poster when we walked to Montreal station on our way to Quebec City and decided it was a must see. I’d admired his art for years and always wanted to visit the Tait in London. We thought about taking a train to the museum, but after walking what seemed like a mile along underground passageways and stairways we decided to exit and walk to the museum. When we arrived, the entrance fee was half price after 6 PM, so we waited half an our or so. The exhibition was superb. It was the largest collection of his work ever assembled. Everything was there. The crowning glory was probably “The Lady of Shalot”. Each painting was accompanied by a longish description of the work. I read most, but not all owing to limited time. As with all modern museums, the exit was through the museum shop. I bought the soft cover exhibition catalog, a sizable book in its own right. Bryce bought some postcards.
We had difficulty finding a station. In the end Bryce asked a cyclist and we were literally outside the entrance. Before catching a train, we got some supper in the form of gourmet sandwiches and ate in the small café. The train went about 2 miles to our bus station and hence our hotel. As on our previous visit, we didn’t have a booking, so we checked in upon arrival. We then ventured out to the local milk bar for a few snacks and drinks. It had been a long day.
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