Our point of entry to Canada was Montreal, Quebec. We were interviewed by the Immigration officer for a few minutes, while we were in the car. Got approved and off we went to our first trip to Canada. 🙂
I can’t believe how fast and easy it was!
Coming from the Adirondack Mountains, Montreal seemed massive. The Adirondacks was calm and peaceful. While Montreal’s traffic looked chaotic to me. We were going for the bridge but somehow we got lost in the maze. lol
My phone GPS didn’t work anymore because AT & T has no signal in Canada. So we had to look for a safe corner where we could park and check our Atlas Map. Of course, we came prepared. ha ha…
A few minutes later and after several turns, we found ourselves back in the bridge. By this time, John and I decided that we did not want to stay in Montreal. We thought of proceeding to Ottawa, but we did not see any road sign. So when we saw the sign that said Toronto, we just followed it.
Being lost in a foreign city isn’t that much of a big deal. But in Montreal, that is kinda difficult. They speak French there. And we don’t. lol So rather than stressing ourselves over translation, etc . we took the lazy way and discarded the plan of staying in Montreal.
I did not book a hotel in advance, not knowing where we will end up that day. We figured we will just enjoy the trip and decide to stop somewhere later in the day.
The weather was weird too. It rained. Then the sun came out. And then, it rained again. It was as confused as we were I guess. he he
Looking from the bridge, Montreal seemed nice. Except for the traffic. 🙂 We hated it. I guess it takes getting used to. Maybe someday, we will give it another try.
I could not resist taking picture of the car below. Nice huh?
Finally, the traffic let on…
And as we went farther away from Montreal, the view along the highway got better….
Ontario, at last!
It’s nice to be in an English speaking place again. he he
Along Interstate 401, we found an exit to a big city called Cornwall. Thanks to our Atlas map. Since we had no phone data, I couldn’t research about the place. So we had no idea what to expect. But we were surprised to find a lot of establishments there, eg – hotel chains, car dealers, restaurants, fastfood, etc.
Despite the overcast weather, the fall colors stood out. Maybe it’s just me. But I think it helps to brighten one’s day. 🙂
We’ve been seeing a lot of Tim Horton’s since we entered Canada. So when we found one in Cornwall, we stopped and checked their food. It was an excuse to use their wifi as well. ha ha..
Remember we had no hotel booking, so I had to go online and searched for somewhere to stay. Most were fully booked. But we found a nice room at Ramada Hotel.
After a short conversation with the hotel staff, we proceeded to our room. I loved the space. And the fireplace helped. 🙂 Canada is cold! Specially when it’s raining…..
The Executive King room in Ramada was spacious and very clean. I loved the large window that overlooked the garden. It came with a fireplace, like I said. A 40′ inch flat screen TV. And a bath tub. Our booking included free wifi and breakfast.
To learn more about Ramada in Cornwall, check their website here –
http://www.cornwallramada.com/
Cornwall, Ontario is located at the boundary of the US and Canada. I found out that upon crossing the bridge, there is an Immigration office that will cater to travelers visiting America.
John and I agreed that if we go back to the Adirondack mountains someday, we will enter Canada through Cornwall.
Here’s the official website of the said city -http://www.cornwall.ca/en/index.asp
Lea C. Walker
http://www.davaoproperties.com
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