American dreams, and back in CA

Quite a relaxing few days to complete my American adventure, basically just wandering around and enjoying Boston. We took a look at the 'Cheers' pubs, which was a novelty, but for the most part Kate and I just drank coffee, took in the sunshine (!) and took advantage of the cheap American prices. I acquired some sunglasses for the equivalent of £2.50, while Kate fulfilled her shoe needs with a purchase of some new boots.

The bus back to Montreal, and then on to Quebec City, was a tough one for me. Again, the bus was pretty busy, and driving through the night was hell on earth. I couldn't get comfortable, didn't get any sleep, and then when I did shut my eyes we stopped for some reason or another which woke me.

Arriving in the capital of French Canada after about 11 hours was such a relief. Back in Canada, away from the craziness of the Yanks, and back to laid-back life.

Not so. We were greeted by metres of snow. The white stuff was smacking against our faces and we were freezing. Somehow, Quebec City still manages to remain beautiful. Its old buildings (it is one of the oldest cities in North America) are quaint and rickety, and the steep roads, battlements and Gothic architecture are all reminiscent of an Alpine village.

For the first day, we had our obligatory mooch around the downtown area. We saw the main buildings that we needed to see, such as some of the cathedrals, and the Chateau Frontenac. After a fantastic meal, we then retired back to the hostel- which is quaint and classy itself- for a beer (something Kate hasn't been legally able to consume for the past 15 days).

Today was a bit more energetic. We were up early for some skidooing (otherwise known as snowmobiling). It was quite nerve wracking, with a $1000 deposit on the line! Also, rather than be shown how to do anything, we were basically patted on the back and sent on our way! The tracks were confusing, we became stuck at least twice, took the wrong turn, and incessantly felt that we were going to tip the whole thing over. Other than that, the time spent on the machine was exhilarating! The course wasn't just a flat, easy track. There were turns, steep inclines and declines, and uneven terrain for us to manoeuvre over.

Thankfully, we didn't damage anything, so our bank balances weren't cleared out. We made our way back to the hostel, and now we have been recuperating back at the hostel. Quebec is a quiet city, and I think that both of us were ready for a less hectic place where we could gradually take in all the sights, rather than rush around trying to see everything.

So tomorrow it is back to Montreal, and then the worst bus journey of them all- three days to Vancouver.

Top o' the mornin'

Actually, we weren't quite feeling "top o' the mornin'" when we woke up three hours earlier than usual this morning, to catch an early bus to Boston.

We had timed our visit to Massachusetts perfectly, because it was that popular Irish holiday- Saint Patrick's Day! The fact that we were in the Irish capital of America made it even better. No sooner had we dropped our bags off in the 'downtown' H.I. Hostel (which was in reality was a fair old subway ride out of the centre), than we were directed to 'Southie' and suddenly we were amongst hoardes of drunken Americans clad in Shamrock green.

The parade was fun, even if after the novelty of backflipping Leprechauns and novelty buses full of cheerleaders wore off we were just surrounded by wasted idiots. We had our fill of the fun, and then headed to Boston Common for some more relaxed pasttimes.

The city centre is a world away from the hectic climes of New York. Finally we could walk in a straight line down the path, without fear of being solicited or bumped into; we could hear eachother's voices without the sound of sirens of building work drowning us out; and we could buy a coffee and actually have somewhere to sit in the cafe we had purchased it!

New York was enjoyable, but for someone from the Midlands, where you turn the street corner and you are surrounded by a herd of cows or fields of corn, the in-your-face nature of the Big Apple can become a bit irritating after a while.

Boston seems a much more quiet and quaint place. It is also more upmarket. Most of the restaurants have valet parking, and the Common is littered with wealthy old couples walking their immaculately trained canines.

Both Kate and I have commented that we actually miss Canada though! We'll be back there in a few days, and it is strange, because it is a feeling of yearning for home that I have. I think I will enjoy Boston, MA, however, and am particularly looking forward to the 'Cheers' pub tomorrow!

Bye to the Knicks and Rangers, "hello" Celtics and Bruins

Finally, the five days here in New York have come to a close, and I am back in the hostel preparing for my early start tomorrow morning for Boston.

The last couple of days have been less 'touristy', with yesterday being designated boredom day for me. Kate wanted a day of shopping and who was I to deny a bargain-hungry shopaholic?

So we visited all the retail highlights- which were 'enthralling'. Macy's, H & M and no end of handbag shops were our stops. In the end, however, it was me who spent more, stocking up on pants and socks and replacing my battered, tatty old shoes with a cheap replacement.

Today was more exciting. We stayed in one place- Central Park. The area is quite substantial, but we made a good effort to cover it all. I had the summer feeling, with the sun beating down, roller disco happening on the main promenade, and the sound of children's laughter throughout as they swung on swings, ran everywhere and played football with their adoring parents.

To try and take in as much of the park as possible, Kate and I opted to hire bicycles for an hour. We managed to cover the whole bike-track in the park, atop strange 'cruiser' cycles. They took some getting used to as the brakes were not on the handlebars, but to slow down you basically cycled backwards.

As we haven't exercised in what must be months, we were readily exhausted at the end of the cycle route. That didn't stop us having a mandatory break at Starbucks, and then (slowly) edging back down the fourty-odd blocks to our hostel.

We stopped off a what was advertised as "the best burger place in New York", and it seemed so!Brgr was a diner-type place, which promoted clean, local produce and tasted great!

I have to admit that I have had enough of the non-stop nature of New York now. The food is great, and the sights are fantastic. Could I live here? No. It does get frustrating that you can't walk in a straight line down the road; you are constantly dodging tourists, artists shoving their CDs in your face, promotion workers asking you endlessly if you like comedy and free beer, beggars asking for spare change; and on top of that always keeping an eye on your wallet to see if it is still there. If the amount of sights to see don't get you tired, then all the extra bother will!

I'm looking forward to Boston now. It is a little quieter, a little more pictureque, and hopefully the sun will keep on shining!