Angela and Martin

Day 100..... Entering Quebec, the only walled city in North America, it felt as if we had been transported to another continent. We were amazed at how Eurpoean the city is. Angela particularly enjoyed the many art galleries and artisan-filled streets, and together we enjoyed lots of great food and wine. Our penultimate city, Montreal, felt very familiar. Perhaps it was the cloudy skies and persistent drizzle, but it really reminded us of London. Due to the weather we spent quite a lot of time exploring the Underground City, a modern network of shopping malls & restaurants. During a break in the clouds, we took the opportunity to stroll around the cobbled streets of the more cultural Old Town and along the Waterfront. Having dropped-off our car in Montreal, we hopped on a train bound for ... read more

Day 85..... The Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire came and went as we travelled through with only a few stops along the way. We did, however, make some time to hike part of the Appalachian trail. It is one of the most famous & demanding trails in the world, measuring 2,174 miles and passing through 14 states from Maine to Georgia. Maybe we'll finish it next time! One day while we were driving through Vermont, we could not resist the opportunity to visit the one and only, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory! We tasted the 2006 Limited Edition Apple Pie flavour, which was delicious! As luck would have it, a little further along the road we also found a cheese factory. We thought it was only fair to stop ... read more

Day 71..... What better to do in a city, in the pouring rain, than meet your friends in a bar and catch up over a few drinks? Luckily for us, Claire & Simon were in town, so we did just that! We had a lovely meal in Greenwich Village, washed down with a few too many Martini's, before embracing the 'must do' yellow-cab experience to Times Square. As the hangovers kicked in, Claire & Simon continued their holiday into New England, leaving us behind in NY to fend for ourselves. As this was our second time in NYC we didn't visit all of the usual places, such as the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero. But in order to reaquaint ourselves with the city and bite as much of the Big Apple as ... read more

Day 59..... Since our last update, we have driven, in only 3 days, over 1100 miles through Wyoming and South Dakota to Minnesota. Along the way, pretending to be patriotic Americans, we stopped at Mount Rushmore to view the giant heads of Lincoln, Roosevelt, Jefferson & Washington. We also made a lengthy stop in the Badlands, a strange yet beautiful sight and home to the movie of the same name. It was also home to numerous Rattlesnakes which meant Angela was unwilling to stray too far from the road. We finally arrived in Bloomington, just outside Minneapolis, to stay with Martin's cousin Marianne, her husband Michael & baby Maxwell, who were the perfect hosts! It was so wonderful to sit on a comfy sofa and have a proper cup of tea. Also, Martin even had time ... read more

Day 51..... After 7 weeks of being spoilt by spectacular scenery, it would be easy to take it for granted. However, each new place we arrive in is so unique it exceeds our expectations - and I guess the good weather has only helped! So, on to Glacier National Park. As well as the usual short trails, We did a fantastic 10 mile hike up and across mountains to Iceberg Lake, which as the name suggests, has small icebergs floating on it's surface. We witnessed a number of brave /stupid (delete as appropriate!) souls throwing themselves into the freezing glacial water like penguins! Not ones for the cold, we were more than happy to paddle our feet to feel the effect! Throughout our hike we met people who had seen a grizzly bear, but no matter ... read more