Since the trip to Quebec City early last year, I haven't been more than a few miles from home. Fueled my car three times in a year and a half, and it wouldn't have been that often, had I not regularly taken a roundabout route to the grocery. As things have started reopening in the past few months, my thoughts have turned back to travel. Well, they never got away from that, did they? But there were times I wasn't sure I'd go anywhere ever again. I reminded myself to be grateful for what I've been able to do, all through my working years.

With restrictions easing, I booked a short trip to Iceland for September, but canceled it when the US State Department issued a travel advisory. It seemed overcautious, but I wasn't feeling comfortable about flying just yet, anyway. Things are relaxing a bit more now, so I've planned a short getaway north of the border over the week of Thanksgiving. It's a chance to test the waters, and also to avoid the holiday invitations of well-meaning friends. My stops in Montreal and Ottawa will be mostly pubcrawl, but I'm looking forward to visiting some historic mill towns in eastern Ontario, and to getting out of Springfield.

Friday 19 November 2021--There are still pandemic hoops to jump through. Canada requires visitors to register ahead of time, documenting vaccination status and declaring a port of entry. It seems sensible to use one of the major highway crossings, instead of one of the remote outposts I usually prefer. I've chosen the one at St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, from I-87 in New York to Autoroute 15 in Québec, the largest port of entry east of the Great Lakes. This gives me opportunity to take the route through the Hero Islands in Vermont, which I've always enjoyed. As expected, the customs station is not busy; there are only two or three cars waiting in front of me. The officers are, however, spending five minutes or so with each vehicle.

I bypass Pont Champlain and cross the St Lawrence on Pont Jacques- Cartier. I'm staying in a motel in the Ahuntsic neighborhood, on the north side of the island. In the absence of traffic, the fastest way there would be across the Champlain, up Autoroute Décarie, and along the Métropolitaine, but at 4:30 in the afternoon, I know it will be easier to cut across town. (Actually, I don't think there is any time those highways aren't choked with traffic.) The motel is a bit far from downtown, but it's near a Métro station, and not far from Marché Jean-Talon and La Petite-Patrie, the neighborhood I intend to explore tomorrow. The price for the motel isn't bad, but the clincher is free parking.

Rest up a bit, then take the Métro downtown. It takes less time than I thought it would, about twenty-five minutes. I've come to see the trio Solstice, featuring my old acquaintance, Pat, at Hurley's Irish Pub. Arrive to find there's a wait to get in, as capacity is limited to the number of seats. I'm annoyed, but the wait isn't long. I'm asked to show proof of vaccination, and told I must have a seat to be served. Thus I am not able to watch the band and drink beer at the same time. I do manage to have a short chat with Pat between sets (keeping a proper distance), after which I head back up to the motel. If this had been my primary reason for coming to Montreal, I'd have to say it wasn't really worth it.