Sunday Drivers: Montreal edition

This edition of Sunday Drivers carries us through a long weekend of driving: James' first road trip.  Also his first official jaunt across a border, his first passport stamp, first ice cream (WHAT?!), first olives, three hundredth pickle, and hours upon hours of car seat time. 

Here we go...

Friday morning we set out early (or early enough - it was 10:30) on our journey to Montreal

Buddy bear has trouble keeping his eyes open before he has his first cup:

The plan was to head north on I-93 all the way through to Vermont, hop on I-91, cross the border, and mosey into Montreal.  James blessed us with a couple of hours of sleep right off the bat, so our first stop was not until two hours in: The Woodstock Inn Station & Brewery in North Woodstock, NH. 

 

As it was a gloriously sunny early Fall day, we sat on the patio, surrounded by wildflowers, microbrews, and fellow cheerful diners.  I'm not sure if it was the Friday escape from work, the excitement of a weekend adventure, or simply a nice lunch break, but Chris and I both agreed that we felt a world away from our day to day routine. 

 

Relaxation.  And a growler (our first of the trip) to go: the Autumn Brew (yum!).

Back on the road, we continued north to Canada and James' first passport stamp (totally unnecessary yet totally necessary). 

Destination: Holiday Inn right on the edge of Chinatown. 

After a quick wander around Montreal, we settled in for some Vietnamese food before heading back to the hotel for one wee lad's bedtime. 

Saturday morning: rise and shine bright and early for some crappy hotel coffee (us) and a stop at the milk truck (one wee lad) before two of the three decided crappy hotel coffee wouldn't cut it and this was a situation for breakfast Autumn Brew.  Best decision we had made yet - it tasted a bit like warm apple pie in beer form...in the morning. 

We had some time to kill before heading out to pick up the moms, so the boys broke out the map to plan our attack.  We wound up walking through Chinatown again to pick up some breakfast (red bean and green tea buns, rice balls, the usual delights) before we found our way down to the water, then back up to our hotel via Tim Horton's for a proper cup of coffee.  After retrieving the car, we set out to retrieve the moms and carry on with our journey through Montreal. 



Sleepy Nugget

On the road again, this time heading South to Vermont.  Next stop: Burlington, Magic Hat, Vermont Brewery (James' favorite pickles to date), hotel motel.

Magic Hat angel

 

 
Sunday morning in Burlington called for a stroll along the lake, followed by a brunch trip to Ben & Jerry's and a few snacks at Cabot. 

 

 

 

My favorite Ben & Jerry:

ICE CREEEEEEAM!

Next up?  Through the fall foliage to Manchester, NH, to Milly's Tavern for our final microbrews of the trip and $1 hotdogs with a side of Patriots game.  We relaxed for a brief while, enjoyed a cold beer, and hit the road home: Sunday Drivers journey #2 complete. 

As for road trips with the kid?

They're so fun we're back on the horse next weekend with a trip to New York City!