Les Mecs Went to Canada!

Angela and Guillaume apologize for the length of this blog posting, but Guillaume and Romain were very very busy, and no detail is too small!

(Romain was the guest photographer for this blog...)

The boys returned safely on Thursday night after a long, long drive from Montreal. Guillaume had a little cold, but otherwise they are happy and healthy still!

After Angela left on Saturday for Florida, Guillaume and Romain prepared for their journey. They left at around 8:00 on Sunday morning. Guillaume looks very ready for his long drive.

They had to buy a "real" map, because the GPS system that Angela bought for Guillaume for Christmas only has U.S., not Canada. That wasn't very helpful at all.

By the time they got to western Massachusetts, it was snowing. Thank goodness Guillaume had already driven in a snowstorm, so he knew how to do it.

They crossed the cold border into Canada at the Rainbow Bridge. The Customs Officer asked if they had anything to declare, and Guillaume said he wished he brought more hats and coats. The Customs Officer did not think Guillaume was funny. Guillaume won't try and joke with Customs Officers anymore.

This is one of the first "pit stops" at MacDo. I think Guillaume and Romain will not eat MacDo for a very very long time!

They arrived at Niagara Falls in the afternoon, and checked into their hotel. They went to the falls, and it was very very cold. They both said that they had never felt cold like that before. The temperature was -25 C.

The walked around the area a little bit (they were happy to have hats and scarves) and saw the pretty lights, and had dinner.

They even saw some Pizza from Boston. Angela isn't sure if it is really from Boston...

They went back to their hotel room. The hotel is the building in the background, not the scary building in the front. Angela was very worried when she first saw the pictures.

Was there a break in?? What happened? Oh, it's just les mecs.

The next day, they spent some time at Niagara Falls again.

They went on the Journey Behind the Falls. It looks very different in the summertime, when Guillaume and Angela went 2 years ago!

This is the same spot in the summer 2005.

This is the tunnel behind the falls.

This is the same tunnel, in the summer. There is no ice. Just a happy girl.

They headed out to Toronto in the early afternoon. It took them only 1 1/2 hours. They stopped at Lake Ontario.

They arrived at around 4:00. The city looked beautiful when they drove in.

They walked around the city, and found a place to ice skate!

This is their hotel in Toronto.

They went back to their hotel room. Was there a break in?? What happened? Oh, it's just les mecs...

They went to dinner at Ki, a Japanese sushi restaurant. They enjoyed a very nice dinner.

Don't they look so handsome?

This is the tallest tower in the world, at night. It's so pretty.

On Tuesday morning, they woke up and went to the tallest tower in the world!

It had a glass floor. Romain did not want to stand on it, and Guillaume had to take a picture, so he forced himself.

Then, of course, they went to the Hockey Hall of Fame! There were many things to see and do.

Angela thinks this is a very scary picture.

Of course, they took a picture with the Stanley Cup.

They won! They won!

They also sat in "locker rooms". Angela hopes it didn't smell like a real locker room.

Then, the real adventure began. They started to drive to Montreal from Toronto. It started to snow 20 minutes after departure from Toronto. They were stuck in traffic behind an accident with many trucks in the snowstorm for 2 or 3 hours. Guillaume called Angela and said they were stopped on the highway, and said that they would get off at the next exit and find a hotel to stay overnight.

Eventually, they found a hotel in Cobourg, and they were able to relax and have dinner, and get a good night's sleep. After dinner, they went back to their room.

What happened?? Was there a break in? No... it's just les mecs.

Hopefully, there will be no more snow for the remainder of the drive to Montreal the next day!

On Wednesday morning, they woke up to find no snow falling! They drove to Montreal without incident, and checked into their hotel. They walked around the "old Montreal".

Of course, they stopped to have a hot chocolate with pastry because it was so, so cold.

Wednesday evening they went to a bar for dinner, and then went to a club where they made some friends. They even met some Inuits!

The long walk began back to their hotel.

What happened? Was there a break in? Oh, no. It's just les mecs!

On Thursday morning, they began their long journey home.

They went through the border into the U.S. at Vermont, and had no trouble. This was Guillaume's first time using his Green Card to enter America!

Meanwhile, Angela's trip to Naples was all business. The flight to Naples from Boston was terribly bumpy, and an hour longer than it was supposed to be because of a strong "head wind". She flew over a big storm that was covering the entire east coast. When she arrived, she was happy to feel that the weather was very warm. At the hotel, she was able to sit on her terrace on one evening for 1/2 hour with her laptop computer in between meetings, and it was very nice!

She arrived home on Wednesday evening at 6:30. Her flight home was very easy, and faster than expected. And her luggage was even carried up to their apartment for her! She unpacked and did all of the clothes washing that very night so she could tell Guillaume. He was surprised, and wondered who took over his wife.

On Thursday, Angela did nothing but relax and go to the hospital for a quick shot (hi Bonnie!). Les mecs arrived at around 6 p.m. A little tired, a little bit sick, but very happy. They ordered takeout food (maybe they ordered a little too much takeout food, because they are still eating some of it right now), and while they were waiting for the food to arrive, Guillaume and Romain both fell asleep on the couch.

Finally, they were all in bed by 9:30!

On Friday, Guillaume and Romain took the car for an "inspection" that is necessary every year in Massachusetts if you own a car. It took them a while to find an open inspection station. One was broken, one was "at lunch", and finally 2 hours later, they found a very nice man from Africa, and he helped them. They also fixed the windshield wipers (which would have been helpful before their long trip!), and then they washed the car! It was a mess from all the snow and dirt on the road. Of course, it will be dirty again by next week, but right now it's shiny and pretty.

They went to Legal Seafood at the Prudential Center for dinner last night. They had a drink at the bar first, with a very nice and attractive bartender that caught Romain's eye! So of course Romain had another drink...

The dinner was very nice. They started with a cup of the famous clam chowder. The chowder has been served at U.S. Presidential Inaugurations since 1981! Then, they had a lump crab cake for a starter. For dinner, Guillaume and Romain had a swordfish, and Angela had Boston Scrod. Dinner was delicious!

They were home by 11:15. Angela went to bed immediately, and Guillaume and Romain started to watch Waterworld, a movie with Kevin Costner. Shortly, Guillaume came to bed. It is now 10:45 a.m., and Guillaume and Romain have been watching the rest of Waterworld. It's a very long movie.

Romain is packed, and is almost ready to go. He is bringing home a LOT more than he arrived with. He has an extra bag now... and the bag is HUGE! If Angela put the bag on her back, she would fall over. It is full of hockey equipment.

Today, Angela is going to see a movie with her best friend Kelley, and Guillaume will take Romain to the airport later this afternoon. It has been a very nice visit, and it makes Angela happy to see Guillaume with his friend. Angela knows Guillaume will be sad for a little while, and that makes her sad too. But we know we will see him again very soon. And that makes their hearts light. A bientot, Romain - bon voyage!

It's taken so long to write and download the pictures that Romain is gone, and Angela is home from her very nice day with Kelley. Angela and Guillaume are on the couch, and Angela is going to go to bed soon!

As the Quebecois say, "Allez, bonjour!"