Road Trip Recap: Part 3

The second to last stop of our road trip was Boston. P had been to Boston several times as a kid and I went once in the summer of 2005. We had always wanted to go back together and take in a Boston Red Sox game. The drive to Boston from Quebec was about seven hours so after checking into our hotel we were ready to stretch our legs and walk around.

We headed down to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market before deciding on a place for dinner. We ate dinner at the Bell in Hand which is one of the oldest bars in America. P had a lobstah roll and I had clam chowdah and salad with fresh lobstah. Yum! After dinner we stepped into the Ye Olde Union Oyster House (the oldest restaurant in America) for a few beers while we watched the Red Sox game. The Sox lost but we made friends with the bartender, Jim.

Our watering hole for the night

With my favorite bartender, Jim

After a slower start on Friday, we headed out to walk the Freedom Trail in Boston. During our walk we were able to meet up with Mikki (she was one of Elizabeth's bridesmaids and fellow Penn Stater) for a coffee break. By 3:30 we decided we needed a nap before heading to the baseball game. Seeing the Red Sox at Fenway (and win!) was one of our favorite memories of the trip. We have seen them play in Baltimore many times together, but nothing beats Fenway!

The Old State House, one of the first stops on the Freedom Trail

Paul Revere's tombstone

The site of the first public school along the Freedom Trail

Finally at Fenway!

A very happy Red Sox fan

At the game, in matching hats

On Saturday morning we left Boston for the final stop of our road trip, New York City. Less than a year ago we were visiting Matt in California and were excited to see his new place in NYC. We arrived in NYC late in the afternoon and miraculously found parking right across the street from Matt's apartment. After dropping off our stuff, we headed out for a walking tour. We didn't take many pictures while in NYC, but are very thankful to Matt for allowing us to stay at his place and showing us around! We had a great time and hope to go back to spend more time with Matt and see more of the city.

George Washington Square Arch on our walk home

P and I had an amazing time on our weeklong adventure!

Road Trip Recap: Part 2

On Monday we were off to Quebec. It was only a three hour drive, so we arrived in Quebec early in the afternoon. With plenty of time before we were able to check into our hotel we decided to have a late lunch at an outdoor cafe (of course!) and then start exploring the old city.

As much as I liked Montreal, I absolutely fell in love with Quebec. It truly gives you the feeling of being in Europe. There were countless streets to explore with cafes and boutiques. Quebec is also situated along the St Lawrence River which made for spectacular views at night. On our first full day in Quebec we took a tour of the Citadel, explored the lower old city,  checked out the Chateau Frontenac and had more meals at outdoor cafes.

Quebec had many steps to climb and dissent as your explored the different levels of the city

On first day in Quebec we found the site of where the first Canadian Patent was granted. Very fitting for the Patent Lawyer!

Views of the lower city and St Lawrence river

The Chateau Frontenac

View of the Chateau Frontenac from the Citadel

Soldier at the Citadel

This pictures is obviously an outtake. P was trying to get a picture of me at the Citadel and a bug flew into my eye. 

View of the Chateau Frontenac, city, and St Lawrence River

A view of the lower town from the top of the stairs

Inside the Chateau Frontenac

On our second day in Quebec we took an excursion to the Montmorency Waterfalls which were less than a 15 minute ride outside of the city. After walking up the falls we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Ile d'Orleans. This island is located on the St Lawrence river and provides the city of Quebec with most of its fresh produce. We had a wonderful lunch outdoors along a beach. That evening we had an amazing dinner at the Chateau Frontenac, several more local beers, and then took in a little bit of the International Military Music Festival that was playing right outside of our hotel.

Montmorency Falls. To the right of the falls are the stairs we climbed to reach the foot bridge

The falls from one of the lookout points

A view of Quebec from the top of the falls

A closer view of the foot bridge

We asked someone to get our picture with the falls. She obviously wanted to make sure she captured the large pole with graffiti as well

The tram we took down

Our lunch view along a beach on the Ile D'Orleans

The International Military Music Festival

After two and a half amazing days in Quebec, we were off to Boston!

Road Trip Recap: Part 1

I decided to split up the recap and pictures of our road trip in three posts. The first post will recap our time in Montreal, the second will recap our two days in Quebec, and the third will recap Boston and NYC.

After 10+ hours in the car we made it to Montreal a little after 10pm. Once we got checked in to our room at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth we decided to grab a drink and late night snack at the bar to unwind.

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day on Sunday and we were very fortunate to have the same weather throughout the trip. We decided to head down to the old city and port of Montreal. On our way there we spotted one of the classic Parisian metro signs and truly felt like we had been transported to Europe.

After grabbing breakfast at a charming outdoor cafe, we spent most of the afternoon exploring the old city, walking along the harbor, and tasting local favorites such as poutine and local beer.

Bike paths along the harbor and view of clock tower in the distance

We took a spin in one of these bikes to explore the harbor

In our sweet ride

View of the Marche Bonsecours that holds many high-end art boutiques featuring Qubecois, Canadien, and aboriginal artwork.

The charming cafe where we had brunch

Notre-Dame de Montreal Basilica

Fleur de Lis everywhere!

Poutine - french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. P  &  I were not huge fans

After spending many hours walking around, we decided to take a brief nap at the hotel in order to get a second wind.  Once we were rested, we headed to the metro for our next destination, St Joseph's Oratory. The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph and is a pilgrimage site for Catholics in search of healing and support. It was founded by Brother Andre who was known as the miracle man of Montreal due to his connection to thousands of  spontaneous headings. At the oratory there are abandoned crutches and wheelchairs which belonged to people who were reportedly cured.

St Joseph Oratory

View of Montreal from the top of St Joseph Oratory

Once the sun had set, we took the metro back to the old city of Montreal for a late night dinner outside. Since it was such a beautiful night, we walked back to the hotel and got a good night's sleep before our drive to Quebec on Monday.

Thursday Randoms

Yes, I am alive and we safely made it back from our great road trip adventure. I promise to post pictures soon! But first, here are a few random thoughts for this Thursday.

• I hate summer colds and don't fully understand how or why they exist. Although this probably developed from overexposure to germs throughout our travels. I can handle a cold in the winter because I'm all about laying on the couch with lots of blankets sipping hot soup or tea. But in the summer the last thing my body wants is something hot, even when my throat is begging for it.
• I think I have a pretty good idea of what baby's feel like when they're teething. My wisdom teeth have been bothering me the past two weeks and I'm just ready to get them out. I have a consultation with the oral surgeon next week - bring on the ice cream diet!
• Quebec may be one of my new favorite cities. I can't wait to share some of our pictures (my excuse for not posting any yet are the first two bullets)
• I am so excited for college football to start! Needless to say it has been a tough year for Dear Old State, but the current Nittany Lions need our support more than ever. Go State, Beat the Bobcats!
• We're on the road again this weekend. This time we are headed to Ohio to spend some time with P's parents. The last time I went to Ohio and it wasn't the holidays was July 2005 when P and I had been dating for 7 months. So crazy!
• This past Tuesday P and I took our engagement pictures and it ended up being a lot of fun. It took us a little time to warm up to the camera and there were definitely some awkward moments (it is not natural to "hold" a kiss in front of someone with strangers looking on) but we cannot wait to see the results!

I am so ready for this long weekend. We will be coming back from Ohio on Sunday and I fully intend to do a whole lot of nothing on Monday, except maybe post some pictures from our trip!

O Canada

Tomorrow P and I are headed on a week long road trip that we have thought about going on for a few years. Now that he is finally done with law school, studying for the bar exam and completed his last day at the Patent Office we will be spending a week exploring Montreal, Quebec City, Boston, and New York City. Other than hotel rooms and tickets to a Red Sox game, we don't have any set plans for our trip. We are just eager to explore new cities together and take some time to catch our breath. Plus we will have plenty of time in the car together to read guide books. We will be back in a week and I'm sure will have lots of pictures to share!

Quebec City at night

A New Go-To

I have discovered a new go-to recipe. It's perfect to cook on a Sunday or Monday evening as it will give plenty of leftovers for lunches all week. I had first seen this recipe on Pinterest and then another blogger raved about it so I decided to give it a shot. Sometimes I'm apprehensive to make new recipes for P. I don't consider him a picky eater, but he is not always eager to try some of the new recipes I find online. Well he loved this one and was fine when I suggested making it two Sundays in a row. It's that easy and good! I opted to make some substitutions from the original recipe to lighten it up. 

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

Source: Pinterest via www.plainchicken.com

12 oz spaghetti (I used whole wheat noodles)

28 oz jar of spaghetti sauce

1 lb lean ground beef (I used mild Italian chicken sausage)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced

8 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat or fat free)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated (I also used part-skim mozzarella)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Step 2: In a skillet, brown the meat until cooked through and drain grease. Return to skillet and add spaghetti sauce.

Step 3 (done at the same time as Step 2): Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and put in large bowl.

Step 4: Mix in cream cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and spaghetti is thoroughly coated.

Step 5: In a lightly greased 9x13 pan, spread a small amount of the meat sauce on the bottom. Put spaghetti mixture on top of sauce then cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Step 6: Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Taking a Chance

This past Friday was my last day of work with the company I have been working for since I graduated from Penn State over five years ago. Tomorrow I will be starting a new job (similar work to my previous job) at a new company. It was definitely bittersweet leaving, but I know it is the right time in my career and life to take on new challenges and experiences. My time at my former company was not just professionally rewarding, but personally rewarding too. Through my time there I met some of dearest friends, including one of my bridesmaids. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous or scared about this new chapter in my life but I am equally excited. Here's to taking chances!