Montréal & Vermont, Part 2

Day Three: Thursday

After a lazy morning once again full of Brenna's fabulous cooking (she made me absolutefavoritefoodever, eggies in a basket!*) we hit I-89 heading North! The drive was thankfully rain-free, navigating was easy, and crossing the border was a total non-issue. It was Austin's first time out of the country so that was a wonderful experience to share in!

After two hours we finally arrived in Montréal itself and, after a little negotiating with the road signs and stopping at the wrong hotel, we made it to our actual destination. The room was, as aforementioned, totally sweet. In some respect I felt like we were missing out on the "real" traveling grit (i.e. we were in the Westin, not a hostel) but both Austin and Brenna haven't traveled much so easing into Montréal was perhaps the best option. And we paid for the room post my Dad's incredible deal-striking abilities, so while we may have felt very spoiled it really meant sacrificing snack food for the rest of the semester. So, you know. We're still young and broke. 

After taking some time to settle in and unpack we hit the streets. Le Westin is in a prime spot on Rue Saint-Antoine in Vieux Montréal, so the streets were all cobbled and winding (and one-way) and the shops quaint and beautiful. Most marvelous for me was the close proximity of the Basilisque Notre-Dame de Montréal, the sprawling and beautiful cathedral just two blocks from the hotel. 

The exterior of La Basilisque Notre-Dame de Montréal

As a former student of Art History (thank you Mr. Watson!) I have nourished a longtime love and passion for Gothic architecture. Most Art History kids find it stuffy and boring (admittedly, cathedrals come right before the Renaissance in Art History survey courses) but I love the sweeping pointed arches and fenestrated rib vaults and flying buttresses (yes, it actually is a technical term, and if you want explanations ask in the comments!). There's something terribly romantic in the desire to ascend to the heavens, to create works of art that are worship in and of themselves. Ever detail of a vraiment Gothic cathedral is ornate and decorative which can be overwhelming but also is really complex and incredible to see- because there is so much to see! The obsession Europe had with upward architecture in the 14th and 15th centuries is neither wholly commendable or not, and these intricacies involving the construction of cathedrals make them all the more intriguing for me. Why do we believe the heavens are above us? Didn't we learn from the Tower of Babylon not to try to build a physical means to God? Why were the people of Amiens and Chartres so willing to pay everything they had to constructing a building they probably did not see finished?

The rose window in the ceiling.

The altar in the main sanctuary.

Whatever you believe, cathedrals are impressive and beautiful and complex buildings to experience. While the Montréal cathedral was no Notre-Dame de Paris it was lovely. The cathedral itself was constructed between 1883 and 1885 under the design of Henri Bouriché. My favorite part of the building surprising was not the main sanctuary, but the chapel behind it. In 1978 there was a fire that consumed the original Chapelle de Sacre Couer, so in 1982 it was rebuilt. The chapel allows for much more natural light (as opposed to the tradition "lux nova" or "sacred light" of the stained glass window variety) and is bathed in a golden hue. At the altar there is this enormous slab of bronze, cast in which are the very post-modern march of humankind towards the Holy Trinity. The 32 panels that comprise it were designed by the Montréal sculptor Charles Daudelin. While this chapel was by no means my preferred stuffy Gothic style it took the best aspects of cathedrals and made it modern and warm and divine. 

Brenna sitting in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart.

After my wanderings inside the building we headed out, walking around Old Montréal for a while longer before heading back to the hotel. We dolled ourselves up for dinner and headed out into the cold in search of a cheap-ish meal. We finally settled on what turned out to be a Canadian chain called "Les 3 Brasseurs" where I had a great beverage but a terrible quesedilla. But, you know. You get what you pay for! 

Being tired and still thinking about the desires of humanity to go upwards into the sky (there it is, my mind in the clouds again) we decided on an early nightcap and went back to the hotel around ten. 

That's all for now, folks! Stay tuned!

-the wandering writer

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current jam: "cathedrals" jump, little children (are you really surprised?)

best thing in my life right now: writing this and not my religion essay...oops.

days until departure: 77

*Ty if you're reading this, BE JEALOUS.

Montréal & Vermont, Part 1

I am currently writing this in the lovely hotel room my Dad managed to score for me and the ladies at Le Westin in Old Montréal...and let me tell you, we are so grateful for the room and the sweet deal he got us. We've got free wi-fi, a heavenly shower, and Brenna and Austin are about to go take a dip in the glass-bottom pool on the fourth floor that overlooks the street outside. Swank-yyy!

Now, in installments, I present the saga of my first collegiate road trip!

Day One: Tuesday

It's always best to begin with the beginning, so we begin our tale with my flight from RDU in North Carolina (where all my trips begin, really) to Hartford. The flight was full of me working on my Anthropology Midterm Study Guide (eek!). But more of interest it was, unlike Thursday's flight, abrim with sunshine and puffy clouds. Luckily for me I got a window seat on both flights (yes, I am the rare breed of people who prefer the window seats to those on the aisle) and simply sat, watching the clouds puff by and marveling at the smallness of the intricate cities miles below me. I love how small people seem when you're up in the air; it's a lot like playing the board game Life, when the people are small and slim and casting long shadows as they get into their cars. Amelia Earhart once said that "I have always believed the lure of flying is the lure of beauty." Every time I am in the air I feel so weightless and unbound, like the stars and beyond are within grasp.


Have I mentioned how much I like planes? And Amelia Earhart?


Once my feet and thoughts left the clouds I was in the rather unassuming Connecticut town of Hartford. Upon landing I was greeted by the gleeful face of my roommate, Austin. She and I made the hour drive back to Mount Holyoke where we deposited clothes and picked up my camera and from whence we went to my aunt's house for the night. 

Day Two: Wednesday

We awoke the next morning to the pitter-patter of rain which, much to our chagrin, persisted late into the afternoon. We had hit the interstate around 10 a.m. and it was not until we hit I-89 that the then-terrential downpour finally let up. As aforementioned, this was my first road trip where I was the driver, and to begin such an endeavor hydroplaning more so than actually driving was really unnerving. I persisted, however, with Austin as my unfailing navigator. Once we cleared the rain we marveled at the nothingness that is Central Vermont. 


I had teased Brenna before about there being more cows in VT than people, but never was it more of a gripping reality than when we both were hungry and had full bladders. Having primarily grown up in the Southern USA where there are more Chick-fil-A's and gas stations off the highways than you could ever possibly visit, this was certainly a learning lesson. A learning lesson that resulted in Austin and I begrudgingly pulling over to the only commercial place within five miles of I-89 we could find: a bait shop. A lunch of pringles and Dr. Pepper was in order. 


Yet the nothingness is no vacuum; once the downpour ceased there were beautiful mountains and cliff faces to behold. I've always loved the mountains, having lived most of my life in the hills, but these were those craggy peaks you read about in my stack-o-fantasy novels. They were purple-y green and gorgeous, just like out of your average quest-to-overthrow-the-dark-king/lord/wizard tales tell of. For the geek that I am it was lovely.


More lovely than the peaks, though, was the arrival at Brenna's house! Her family and home are just as warm and sweet and inviting as she is (and not to mention her incredible cooking). It's strange to think I've only known her and Austin for less than a year, but in so many ways I just know they are going to be with me for a long while. College creates new families.


And on that note, I'll tell you more of the saga tomorrow!
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current jam: "carry on my wayward son" kansas
best thing in my life right now: brenna's baking
days until my (now official!) departure: 78 

En Avion

In an airport once more, this time flying back to MA, from whence I’ll be driving to Vermont with my roommate to visit a friend. After a night in VT we’ll make our voyage to Montreal, Canada!

I have literally driven up to the border of Canada before, but because I was on a Youth Group trip and not everyone had their passports we did not cross over. So I’ve travelled to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi (briefly), Kenya (even more briefly), Côte d’Ivoire (super briefly), and Ghana (not briefly) but I’ve never been to my bordering nation. Go figure; that is so American.

I’m eager to go Montreal for a number of reasons (one of which I will not publish, but I have no doubt your powers of intuition will assuage any doubt in your mind). First among these reasons is that I’ve been told Montreal is the closest thing to a European city on the North American continent. As I have never been to Europe, this is something I am anticipating highly; however, I make no assumptions in that my five years of French will do me very much good. Apparently Quebecoise (spelling?) is a language unto itself. But that’s all part of the experience!

Furthermore, and perhaps even most of all, this will be my first road trip where:

1. I will be doing the bulk of the driving (my Dad and I split the driving evenly on the trek up to Massachusetts this January)
2. It’s only me and my friends! Austin, Brenna, and I are pretty tight and while we’re sad not all the ladies could travel with us, this trip will certainly be part of the collegiate experience!
3. As John Green said in his college advice vlog ROAD TRIPS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF YOUR COLLEGE LIFE. Therefore, I am about to embark on my first college road trip, something of a necessity (according to John Green) to being young and alive and enrolled in an institution of higher learning. (Additionally: if you have not watched this vlogbrothers video, or any of them, I highly recommend it. The Brothers Green are why I got into vlogging at all, and their witticisms and quirks are most wonderful).

And lastly but not least(ly), travelling is always a prime opportunity to learn. I often feel, like Christopher McCandless once did, that I learn best and more when out in this wide world, sans classroom, textbooks, professors. Obviously, as I go to a Seven Sisters school, I value my higher education very much (very, very, VERY much) but there is something so alluring in the open road. Something profound in being lost and relying on your gut and a piece of paper to get you back on the right path again. It is so oft said that it is not the destination, but the journey that matters. Is it in this perpetual journeying I am attempting to find the route? Or is it merely an insatiable curiosity?

Rest assured, as this is the blog where I document my attempts at satisfying my bottomless case of wanderlust, there will be photos and blog posts abounding post road trippin’.

I’ll see you on the other side!

-lizzie

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current jam: “die die die” the avett brothers & “the king of spain” the tallest man on earth

best thing in my life right now: seeing my massachusetts and moho family soon!

days until (tentative) departure: 78