Mother of all Road Trips--Day 2

Second day began in Riviere du Loop. Today we had to get two things fixed for the #Merc. The low beam bulb for the left side and getting rid of the  message which stated 'check your tire pressure'. We began the day with a light breakfast at #TimHortens by having bagels, cream cheese and coffee. 

After that we drove more or less non-stop except for one stop to check in a Canadian Tire if they would be able to fix our car problems. But due to language barrier, we had to pass. Just used the washroom and carried on. In the car we ate cukes and grapes. Soon, we were in the horrendous traffic of #Montreal. First mistake,  I took what seemed like an exit but was a truck weighing place; and then a wrong lane, but finally we did reach #DuvalMercedes in #Boucherville.

Not only was the service great but even economical. They checked our tires for pressure and adjusted it to correct pressure. They replaced the bulb and charged us only for the bulb and we were on our way. Great job #duvalmercedes.  Next stop was #Walmart for Mohini. 

Despite the GPS it was really hard to reach due to the sheer volume of traffic and the ill-marked exit signs. We had to spend quite some time before we could beat all the construction and find the Walmart. From there the next stop was #Metro for groceries, again, for Mohini and finally heading downtown to her apartment. 

Luckily we found a parking spot behind her building but it was a challenge to figure out parallel parking and then the 'complex' parking ticket pay machines. For our first spot, the machine used to take our money and then say, "sorry it is reserved." How can a public parking spot be reserved?

Anyway  we found another one closer and carted off her various bags upstairs. Her room is nice though small for the amount of money we are paying. We spent some time there and came in and checked into #Deltahotelsbymarriottmontreal, where the agent did confirm that we have king sized bed etc but sent us to a room which had a queen sized bed. Upon calling them we are told that the bed is a King-sized one. Priti did tell the agent that it is not as at home we have a queen and we know what the size of the king bed should be. Anyway, we had to give up and stay put as it is too much effort to prove them the right sizes of bed when you are tired after a long drive.

(At the time of publishing the PR from the hotel did write to say it was a mistake and not all staff is aware of the bed sizes.)

In the evening went to a place called #W&G and had a meal of pasta with a bottle of wine. It was not great, just so-so. But spending time with Mohini for one last time was priceless. Now tomorrow we head to Sudbury, Ontario.

Mother of all Road Trips--Day 1

Pretty uneventful first day on the Mother of All Road Trips—Halifax to Vancouver—coast to coast in the mighty land of Canada. As planned, we did not begin at 8.00am and started out at 10.00am, thanks to over-packing and repacking to fit in as much as possible in the #MercedesB200turbo.

Once the journey began, there was nothing much to write about except an accident on Highway 102 that made the traffic crawl for almost 45 minutes. Yet, we made it in good time to the planned breakfast place in Amherst. It was worth the stopover. After that, back on the road and fighting very hard to not sleep in the passenger seat. Priti was driving and I made attempts to listen to songs etc.

In New Hartland, New Brunswick, we decided to stop for gas and #TimHortens. We did find the gas station easily, but to find TH, it was a detour of over 5 kms. We did that and passed through the scenic town. However, the staff at this Tim Hortens was the most unfriendly one ever encountered. Maybe because we had the wrong colour and to top it did not speak French.

At the fag end, the journey was pretty tedious despite the sun being up and about. Maybe it was due to the single-lane highway. At #Riviereduloop, stopped at #DaysInn but the price was too much for a room with pull-out sofa bed for the 3^rd adult. Hence, moved over to #AubergeAmerylis across the street. Decent price and an excellent room with two queen beds.

Polished off a #Pinotage between the three of us. But it was a struggle, the metal cap of the bottle just would not come off. Priti had to saw it off using a scissors and a fork. Later, we went to a place called #Symposium and had one of the fantastic meals. It included #BlackenedCod, #fishandchips and a #Generaltaochicken. It was really tasty food, despite us walking in just half an hour before closing. This restaurant had a menu featuring a “Boys” side and “Girls” side! In today’s liberated world, this was a “different” touch.

End of the first day worry is: the left hand side low-beam bulb has blown off and the check tire pressure indicator is on. So will have to find a #Mercedes dealership tomorrow, which is going to eat into our time in #Montreal.