The trip to Canada

The alarm went off at 7:00. The hearty breakfast at the 'Snowed Inn' was enriched by a conversation with the friendly Spanish hotel manager. She has been living in the USA for over 25 years and married an American. Together with him, she manages the hotel. In a hushed voice, so that none of the American guests could hear anything, she shared her criticism of the American healthcare system with us. I felt like she was just revealing the codes for the American nuclear missiles, she was so secretive. She was afraid of being mistaken for a communist. Strange...

Then we set off. Shortly after nine, we rolled down the highway and left the Green Mountains. We drove downhill for a few miles, reached a plain, and got to admire typical American farms. 

This is where the famous marshmallows are also grown, some were just harvested. 

Further on, we headed towards Lake Champlain (the largest lake east of the Great Lakes). We crossed a bridge and found ourselves in the state of New York. The first small town was called Moriah, like the mines of the dwarves in Lord of the Rings. And it looked similar too. There was something missing everywhere, there was a lot of junk lying around, and even though the town is in a prime location by the lake, there was not a soul to be seen. Not even hobbits.

Immediately after the village, we started going uphill again. The Adirondack Mountains with peaks about 1700 meters high began. During the ascent, you have a beautiful view of the peaks of the Green Mountains, which are on the other side of the lake.

In the Adirondack Mountains, it looks as if the last Mohican has just passed away. Wild streams, rocky slopes, and dense forests, interrupted by large, elongated lakes.

The most famous place in the Adirondacks is Lake Placid, still known to some readers from the 1932 Winter Olympics. They were there again in 1980.

The town has the architectural charm of the '80s but is still nice. And of course, there are reminders of the games everywhere...

Behind Lake Placid, a large, wooded valley begins, surrounded by mountain peaks. The valley is divided by a long road. Here we saw many animals, including marten, porcupines, squirrels, and raccoons. I wanted to take pictures of them, but Nicole said it's not appropriate to stop in the middle of the road and photograph roadkill. So I didn't...

After leaving the mountains, we drove through flat land towards Canada. We were overtaken by the occasional Amish with their horse-drawn carriages and by monster trucks, and we got lost once. Suddenly, we were just outside Berlin.

But eventually, we found our way back onto the route and soon crossed the bridge over the St. Lawrence River.

We answered a few questions from the immigration officer and we were already in Canada. And here, everything is......

......the same. The roads look the same, the traffic signs, the police cars. Everything. Only the distances are given in kilometers. Otherwise, you wouldn't notice any difference from the USA.

After an hour's drive, we reached the stopover destination Kingston. The city is located directly on Lake Ontario and is the starting point for boat tours to the Thousand Islands.

Here, for the end of the day, I had my first Canadian beer.

Delicious...