hello friends!
This weekend we decided to escape the city for a day, and go on a mini road trip. Originally we were planning on going either East or North to a regional/national park and snowshoe or cross country ski, but the high temps and melting snow this week put a bit of a damper on that. So we cut our losses and headed South to a place neither of us had been: Burlington, Vermont.
City square, view from Church Street.
American flag, peeking through the branches.
Everybody knows the well-planned road trip starts with ham and camembert sandwiches. And a little sandwich art for some added charm.
After lunch we explored Church Street. I really appreciated (besides the mall) how few chain/franchise stores there were. Most of the shops were quite unique. This was a really cool used bookstore which I could have spent hours in. I left with a copy of TinTin in America :)
There were lots of street performers, playing guitar, banjo, harmonica, you name it. Kids danced along, or sat and listened on big rocks that lined the street.
Street performer.
Although I have a particular kind of hate for small dogs, this guy was seriously in his element and I couldn't help but take a picture. Leopard print harness and all.
Further down off of Church Street, we walked into Anjou, one of the coolest and most reasonably priced antique store I've been to. It was like a treasure chest, and we spent a considerable amount of time exploring and uncovering all the stacks of antiques.
Cheeky animal prints and numbered glasses.
Old kitchen utensils and perfect wicker baskets.
And.... although I could have come away with a LOT, this is what we hauled back to Montreal in the backseat.
I've been looking for a unique trunk for ages, and also a bench to go in the hallway. Two birds? One trunk. The two brass/metal handles you see lift up the top part of the trunk to the storage part on the inside. Also, on top is a pane of removable glass, so you can put pictures, maps, or souvenirs on display. I'm thinking an old vintage european map...
There's a ferry that goes from Burlington to New York state, although I'm not sure if it was this boat in particular. Chilly ride!
By the port, trying to stay warm!
If you'd like to see some more photos from the trip and Montreal, hop over to
provincecanadienne.com, the blog of that handsome fellow standing next to me :)
There was lots of amazing architecture to observe. I love the contrast here between the red and pale bricks.
This was from the University of Vermont campus. It's five minutes from downtown, and we wandered around there under the snow flurries before hopping in the car and heading back North.
Burlington is on the Southern part of Lake Champlain, which separates New York state from Vermont. On the way back to Montreal, we decided to drive up through the chain of Champlain Islands, and cross over the Canadian border on the New York side. The drive was beautiful, if a bit dark. It would have been gorgeous on a sunnier evening.
Even though it was cloudy, the pale blues of the thick frozen lake and the pink of the sun made for some especially wintry photos. On one of the first causeways we drove over, there were so many ice fishers! They were peppered all over the lake, some with little wooden shacks set up, some with small bonfires, all crouching or standing quietly around the holes in the ice, waiting for something to bite.
Our visit made for a lovely day trip, if only a bit cloudy. I think it's a place I would visit again, especially to visit that antique store again... I indulged in some shopping while we were there (7% sales tax and american dollar, I already miss you!) and was happily surprised either to be exempt from border duties and taxes, or to have fallen upon a particularly friendly border controller. Either way, it was a win.
Hope your weekends were equally as lovely!
xo
