Adventure on the horizon

I'm less than three weeks from leaving on a year long sabbatical around the world.  It's getting really really real,  and really really scary.  I'll have more coming soon,  and a website at nyaclassroom.com with more info.  This will remain my primary blog,  but there are other things up on that site abou the trip.

Montreal, en francais

Somehow I ended up chaperoning a student French trip to Montreal this April vacation.  I don't actually speak any French. I'm still not sure how this happened. 

Thankfully, the kids are delightful and the trip is full of fun. We started with a walk around Old Town yesterday, taking in the cobblestones and nineteenth century architecture.  There was a stand with delicious maple cider there. Afterward, we went ice skating at the Atrium.  I made it around twice without falling! Too bad that was all it took for my crippled get to go numb.  The kids were much better than me.

Dinner was in the old city, a delightful little boulangerie.  Then back to bed. Our room is right next to the elevator. It's noisy.

Today started with history, at the Basillica Notre Dame.  We had a little explanation and time to explore. Then on to the city history museum, which was fantastic. A great multimedia show followed by a guided tour really gave a sense of the early city and how it's changed.  The museum was fantastic, with lots of interactive displays and varied information boards. I was very impressed and definitely recommend this for visitors.

For lunch we had a cooking class. It dragged a little long but the food was delicious- meat pies, poutine, and maple candy! It was in a grocery store so I got to pick up some candy too.  :) They have maple Mars bars!!!

The afternoon was spent at a circus school. Circus was practically created here in Quebec so it's a good fit for the trip. The kids LOVED it.  I loved it, who am I kidding.  They got to try tightrope, trapeze, silks, trampoline, tumbling, and juggling. It was adorable. 

Dinner was at a fancy Italian restaurant, then the kids did laser tag.  We ended today walking down Rue Sainte Catherine  to see all the fancy stores.

So far Montreal hasn't disappointed!

When Things Go Wrong...

Sometimes trips go perfectly.  The hotel you chose is lovely, your flights are on time and smooth, the food is good, the sites are all open when they promise to be, and there are no crowds.  When that happens, travel is amazing.

And sometimes things don’t go so well.  The weather is miserable, your credit card doesn’t work in another country, you get sick, you get robbed, or any other number of tragedies occurs.  All of these have happened to me or to my travel companions, and it has the potential to ruin even the best-planned vacations.

London started out as one giant headache.  

When I got to the airport, my bags were overweight.  They’d given me fair warning, I’d just read the premium column, not economy.  It was either pay $65 to check a tiny carry-on suitcase, OR…. stuff everything into all of my pockets and hope for the best.  That worked, but it seemed like such a silly exercise.  In the end I wasn’t taking less on the plane, I was just carrying it on my person instead of in my bag.  Thank heavens for deep pockets in puffy coats.  Lesson learned: I can easily travel in a carry on bag.  I cannot travel in a carry on bag with a 10 kg weight limit. At least not in the winter.

Then, on the flight, I’d taken out my contacts and realized that I’d forgotten my glasses.  No problem, I was just going to sleep.  I had a wonderful seat in the front row with lots of leg room, so I stretched out to relax, only to hear a couple of children a few rows behind me begin to chatter.  Reaching into my toiletry bag I went to grab my earplugs.  Instead, I grabbed my razor, and sliced off several layers of skin.  Gushing blood, unable to see, I stumbled over the people next to me from my window seat to find the flight attendants, begging them for a band aide.  Of course they were in the back of the plane.  Eventually they got a few for me, which stopped the bleeding if not the pain!  I was in a bandage for most of the week.  

Once we arrived in London, things went fairly smoothly.  We went to the Victoria and Albert museum, then rested for a bit before dinner and a show.  On the tube back from the show…

Feathers.  Feathers everywhere.  

Somehow my coat had ripped and was shedding down throughout the Piccadilly line.  I grabbed hold of the ripped section and walked awkwardly back to the hotel, where I was able to safety pin it back together.  Thankfully, the hotel had a lovely amenities list where I was able to get a sewing kit.  We’re talking multiple colors of thread and pre-threaded needles!  A little home ec and my big puffy coat was no longer molting in the tube.  

Overall these were minor things.  On my first trip to London, my hostel reservation never went through and there was no room at the inn, beyond the first night.  I survived, cobbling together hostels and hotels for the rest of the week through a few lucky breaks and a few long-distance phone calls back to my parents.  Twice, travel partners have been robbed in Italy.  My luggage got lost going to Turkey and it rained the whole time we were there.  Sometime between my trip to Montreal and Quebec, my bank decided Canada was a separate country and denied access to the ATM without a call first.  And it was 3 PM on a Saturday when I learned this, meaning no access until Monday.  You get the idea.  

Anyway, the hiccups subsided after the first few days and London was a perfect vacation.  But I tend to write about all the highlights so I thought a reminder that things go wrong might be due for balance.  Because no travel is as perfect as it seems on TV, and there’s never a handsome man to save you like in a Lifetime Movie.  

Open Borders, Open Minds

I travel.  It’s my passion.  Some people follow sports teams and spend money on tickets and teamwear.  Some people craft and spend money on glue and glitter and fibers.  Some people bake, some people work out, some people do home improvements.  I travel.  

So, when I heard about the president’s executive order banning travel from seven countries to the US, my stomach churned.  People who don’t travel probably don’t understand how much those of us rely on free and open borders when we are outside the country.  People who chant “America first” don’t realize how threatening that is to Americans abroad.  I rely on good international relations between my country and the rest of the world in order to pursue my passions.

More than that, though, I believe in open borders and free movement because that’s what makes you a better human.  I believe that we only grow when we are exposed to new ideas and the best way to do that is to travel.  I stand in strong opposition to walls, bans, or any other attempts to keep people apart.

The past two weeks have been tough because they have shaken the very foundation of my world view- that we are all citizens of Planet Earth and therefore all equally worthy of happiness and love.  I hope that recent court decisions will show the rest of the world that the majority of Americans are not xenophobic nationalists and I will once again be able to travel comfortably.  

 I hope. 

Women's March on Washington- travel for a cause

After the US Presidential Election last November, I was left sick to my stomach and unable to sleep for several days.  I can’t remember politics having such a physical effect on my before.  It was downright scary how much fear was in my heart and mind after my country chose to vote for a hateful, fear-mongering failure as leader of the nation.  Honestly, I still can’t quite believe it was true.  It defies logic.

It was hard to figure out what to DO.  I knew that my representatives in Congress were going to fight the good fight for the American people, but they are in the minority party.  There was little I could see myself doing, besides continuing to teach that we should judge sources carefully, not believe everything we see on the internet, and love all humans equally, always. 

When I heard about the Women’s March, it gave me hope.  I booked hotel rooms.  I made rough plans.  I joined up with friends and we set off on a grand adventure.  Leaving Friday late afternoon, we had an easy ride to Philadelphia, where we stayed the night.  Up early the next morning, we drove through foggy weather down to DC.  Every rest area that we passed was FULL of buses- so many people were making the journey, it defied belief.  Once we got close, we heard that the Greenbelt Metro station garage was full, so we rerouted to College Park and arrived with plenty of spaces still available.  That doesn’t mean there weren’t people- the line to buy tickets was nearly two hours long!  Everyone was pleasant and positive through the whole thing.  It was truly the nicest crowd ever. 

Once we were on the Metro, we heard that L’Enfant Plaza stop was closed because people were backed up onto the platform.  They couldn’t get out of the station, the streets were so jammed.  Then we heard that Archives was closed for the same reason, on the far side of the mall.  We ended up getting off at Galleria.  As soon as we exited the station, the protest erupted in the streets.  Cars were stopped, because there were so many people walking down 7^th St.  Everyone had signs and held them tall.  John Kerry walked right by us! 

When we got to Constitution, the mall was totally full of people.  We were directed right, past the archives.  With a full streetful of people we marched down Constitution, past the White House, all the way to the Lincoln Memorial, around, and back up Indpendence.  At that point people were stopped in their cars as the protest went by.  Most were cheering and beeping their horns.  It was so powerful just to be in that. 

When we got back up to the Washington Monument, we met the bulk of the march moving down Independence and turning toward the White House.  Everything slowed down.  There were chants—

“NO HATE, NO FEAR! IMMIGRANTS ARE WELCOME HERE”

“SHOW ME WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!”   

            “THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.”

“WE NEED A LEADER, NOT A CREEPY TWEETER.

And my favorite: “WE WILL NOT GO AWAY!  WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST DAY!”

Eventually we went back past the White House and up to MacPhearson Square, where things broke up.  We tried to find food, since we’d missed lunch, but everything was so crowded.  We ended up with chips and drinks from a convenience store at the edge of Chinatown, before getting back to the Metro.  The ride back was long- full trains, breakdowns, medical emergencies.  Still, everyone was in good spirits and sharing phone chargers and stories of the day.  We ended up taking a Lyft back to the car from a station after our train went out of service, then had a delicious dinner at Hard Times Café in College Park.  We stayed in Maryland, and had the smoothest drive home the next day.

This was a new kind of travel for me, and sadly one I see myself doing more in the future.  It was incredibly uplifting to see so many different people coming together from so many parts of the country to stand up for women’s rights in all forms.  I’m so happy I was able to participate in this.

The Most Magical Place on Earth....

Traveler confession: I love Disney World.  I know, I know.  I'm supposed to be this big worldly explorer who sees the real thing, not a plaster imitation in Florida.  I can't help it, I was raised in a Disney family.  I don't decorate with cartoon characters or wear cheesy T-Shirts, but I do love to go to the parks, ride the rides, eat the food, and live in a fantasy for a few hours.

Last year I went to the EPCOT Food and Wine festival with family and loved it so much that I bought tickets again this year.  Having family in Florida makes such little jaunts extra special!

This year my cousin and I had a grown-up Disney day walking back and forth around the world and trying all of the food.  We tried so many amazing worldly dishes.  My favorites were the pork belly on black bean puree at Brazil and the Apple Pie frozen drink at Poland. 

Loaded Mac and Cheese with Pear Cider

Frozen Apple Pie

Strawberry Daquiri Pop

Irish Cheese Plate and Irish Cream Ale

New Frozen ride in Norway Pavillion

Lunch in Canada

Sometimes we just need a little adventure.... like driving to another country for lunch.  I live only 3 hours and 20 minutes from the Canadian border, but haven't ever gone unless it was part of a BIG TRIP.  Since I do day trips to New York rather frequently, I am amazed that I hadn't thought of this before.

Kudos to Stef for not telling me I was crazy when I first brought it up, and to Julie who is always up for an adventure.  The three of us had a rainy but still beautiful drive to the border, then stopped in Stanistead for lunch just over the border.  We found a delightful little French restaurant with crepes of all sorts (leeks, fondue, and bacon for me!)  and then visited a bakery and grocery store.  One drive through Tim Hortons and it was back to the US.

Some people think  we were nuts, but honestly, we need to find adventures in the world where we can.  For the cost of a couple of tanks of gas we had a delightful journey, good company, and a great story.

On the road in Vermont- photo by Stef

 

Crepes at Tomofobia

Heading back home

Souveniers