Skip to main content

Great day in "Most Peculiar"


Vermont State House, Montpelier

It was a fab day today in "Most Peculiar" - aka Montpelier. (pronounced Mont-pee-lieer)  That is the local's slang for it per my friend Donna and she should know as she was raised in Vermont....

I was up early and got the 7 a.m. commuter bus from downtown.  The bus driver (named Buddy) knew everyone on board but me.  He was quite the character.  The marathon was this past weekend and he had a picture of his daughter on the bus with her time and he knew everyone who had done it.  He announced on his loud speaker that his daughter had been it and congratulations to all who had done it.  Then as we were arriving in Montpelier he started talking on the loud speaker about drive ins and how there weren't many anymore along with A & W stands.  No one seemed to take notice so I assume he has a little speech every day.  He was very friendly - well they are all here.  The drive was beautiful.  The scenery was so lush and green - loads of trees, ferns, etc.  Gorgeous!!!  

After I signed in at the hotel for the walk and stamped my books I had a Breakfast Monster crepe at the Skinny Pancake - it had Cabot cheese, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, etc. - oh my it was good.  Came with a salad....gee I am getting a few of these salads for breakfast!!  I then started the walk from that point and it was lovely. I popped into a pet store/doggie bakery where I had a conversation with the owner about dogs, life, etc.  She was very interesting.   I toured the State house which was interesting - I think the most interesting was that some of the black tiles had fossils in them.  The outside was beautiful as well.  I then carried on to a river side path (by the Winooski river...) to the peace garden.  Nearly missed it as it was very tiny - luckily I asked some workers and they said this is it or I'd have carried on longer. It was a very peaceful walk amongst the trees.  I turned around and walked the path back into town where I had an iced latte at Capital Grounds. (cute name)  I then proceeded to the Vermont State museum which was pretty interesting.  At least now I know that Ethan Allen didn't start a furniture store. :)  I sat on the huge porch on one of the many rocking chairs there and put in relaxation time until the bus left at 4 p.m.  Montpelier is a lovely little city - I can't see ever going back as I have no reason to but I did enjoy it very much. 
The driver coming back was much quieter but once again the bus was packed.  I walked down the Church St. pedestrian mall and got myself some more scented little discs (I have a burner...am scared of fire so don't burn candles) at Yankee Candle as they were on sale.  Also some maple salt  - should be interesting to try that out on some dishes!!!  Had a Sgt Pepper burger at Sky Burger - one of the best burgers I've had in my life. Cheese, peppers, mushrooms and a wonderful bun.  I am not into McDonalds or Burger King burgers - life is too short to eat crap fast food.  I don't have burgers that often but when I do they are usually more of a gourmet type.   I sat outside and loved it.

I had dessert at Ben and Jerry's.  A child size cup of Cherry Garcia- my favourite flavour.  They have the flag ship store here in Burlington.  I could not get over all the people sitting in outdoor cafes - it was amazing in a small city on a Wednesday evening.  I realize they were tourists but still....it was lively and enjoyed seeing it.  Oh and they have fibre glass Teddy Bears (Burlington makes Teddy Bears here) all over downtown so of course I had to take a picture of each and every one.  And lots of doggies sitting by their owners chairs on outdoor patios.  Love it! 

I took the bus back here and am washing out a few things.  Or freshening them up - I never feel they are clean unless they are done in a proper washing machine.   Just relaxing - I was up at 5:30 a.m.  Last night I got caught up watching Pregnant at 16...don't even ask...I'm ashamed to admit it - it was like watching a train wreck.  I flipped between that and The Waltons.  Yikes. 

Tomorrow I will do the 8 km Burlington walk.  It is supposed to be cloudy and high of 68.  Today was hot and muggy.  I probably won't do the lake cruise but that's okay - hope to spend quite a bit of time by the lake as the walk goes on the path. 

No getting up at 5:30 anyway!!!! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A walk from Westminster to St Paul's Cathedral

I have decided to put the Thames Path on hold until I am back in London next month and we have more Spring like weather...I will be going into a more rural area that is prone to flooding as well.  I am staying at about five miles maximum a day as well...my knees and feet have been giving me major grief so I am not pushing myself. However that doesn't mean I don't want to walk.  One of my favourite British Walking Federation walks is one that starts at Westminster tube station and covers 10km to St Katherines Docks just east of the Tower of London.  Yesterday I walked as far as St Paul's and will do the rest of the walk in the next couple of days.  Normally I do this entire 10 km walk my first day in London but not this time... So here are some of the highlights along the way....what a gorgeous day it was.  A different view of Big Ben Can you believe this was my first time on Parliament Square Another hero on Parliament Square Classic ...
1 comment
Read more

The Colourful houses of Mazatlan, Mexico

Well this isn't even Throwback Thursday and I am reminiscing about my (all too short) week in Mazatlan, Mexcico in January of 2010.  It was one of my best holidays EVER.  I stayed in a delightful little hotel called La Siesta which was on the waterfront in the central part of town.(known as centro) overlooking the ocean.   I walked around the town photographing buildings, ocean views, dogs....visited the Mercado, attended a fantastic Flamenco dance performance in the restored Teatro (theatre), toasted the sunset with a beer from my balcony every evening and ate at some wonderful restaurants.  I also took a couple of day trips which were okay but my time in Mazatlan overshadowed anything else I did. My one foray into the Gold (tourist) Zone left me horrified and scampering back to my beloved Centro.  And did I mention I did this as a solo trip?  Mexico has had a lot of bad press lately and while there ARE bad things going on there I still believe the average...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cowboys and Outlaws in the Big Muddy of Saskatchewan

One of the (very) few advantages of being stuck at home during this pandemic has been an opportunity to see more of my home province of Saskatchewan.  Last summer and fall not only did I do a couple of day trips with friends but I took four day tours with Engelheim transport, a local Regina company.   I have to admit my favourite day out was the "Big Muddy Valley and Outlaws" tour. While I had been to the Big Muddy previously many years back I was eager to revisit and learn more of its history.   So in early October, I hopped on board and off we went.  The bus is only booked to half capacity so it was easy to social distance, hand gel was a must each time we boarded the bus,  masks were required when you got on and off the bus and in any buildings we visited.  I felt totally safe and oh my, it was so good to have an adventure!!  Despite the name the Big Muddy isn't a big huge puddle of mud but a valley of badlands that were formed from a glac...
Post a Comment
Read more