Leg 7—Boston to Montréal: May 2, 2006

Greyhound Bus 9341, known as Vermont Transit in the Northeast, travels through the following cities: in Massachusetts, Boston and Lowell; in New Hampshire, Nashua, Manchester, and Concord; in Vermont, White River Jct., Montpelier, the capital city of Vermont, and Burlington; and in Québec, Canada, Montréal.

I decided to purchase a ticket on Greyhound to go to Montréal rather than travel to New York City to catch Amtrak to Montréal, because I wanted to go through New Hampshire and Vermont to fulfill my goal of traveling in all fifty states. The senior fare allows a discount for passengers 62 and over. The bus seats are small but this bus is not crowded, allowing me plenty of room to stretch my legs.

The sky is gray and the rain continues to fall. I enjoy looking at the rain. It nurtures the green grass and trees and nourishes the blooming flowers.

In White River Jct., we get a 30 minute bathroom and snack break. The station is small with only a few snacks, but there are no other businesses close to the station to purchase anything. We have to stay in the station because the rain is falling steadily. We also stop at a bus station in Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. Montpelier looks too small to be a capital of a state. After researching information about the capital, I discover that Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the U.S.


The bus will be arriving late, so I use my cell phone to call the hotel to let them know I will be late.

I stay at the Hotel Du Nouveau Forum. The hotel offers 38 rooms, of which six rooms share a bathroom. All other rooms are equipped with bathroom and shower. I have a private bathroom. The hotel is located within walking distance of VIA Rail’s Station, but because I am late, it is raining and I lack familiarity with Montréal, I take a taxi to the hotel. I open the drapes to see the pitter-patter of rain on the windows.

On Wednesday, I awake to have the continental breakfast, which includes pastries, toast, juice, coffee and oatmeal for $1.50 (CAD). As I walk past the front desk, I ask the clerk if they have laundry facilities. She says that for each load, she will wash them for $3 (CAD) and dry them for another $3 (CAD). I return to my room to get my clothes. I have one load to wash. I then eat breakfast.

The rain is drizzling now. I walk to the VIA Rail station with my hood over my head to check the distance from the hotel. VIA Rail is located in the Gare Centrale, which is the primary railway station in Montréal. The station is only six blocks from the hotel with a few small hills in between.

Gare Centrale is located adjacent to CN Headquarters and is an important link in the underground city, with tunnels to Place Ville-Marie, Place Bonaventure, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, 1000 de La Gauchetière and the Bonaventure metro station.

The station includes Les Halles de la Gare, a shopping and restaurant complex. It also contains two parking facilities, one of which is a multi-level facility that is located above the station. I spend the morning in the shopping area, looking for a connection from my camera to my computer to store my pictures on a C.D. I go to three stores. None of them have the right connection. I eat lunch in one of the many restaurants. All of the restaurants are crowded with business people eating their lunch. I buy a small piece of luggage to replace my existing one.

I return to the hotel after lunch, pick up my laundry, pack my luggage and head back to Gare Centrale. I donate my old piece of luggage to the hotel. The Gare Centrale is a great place to wait for your train with all of the restaurants, shopping centers and VIA Rail located in the same building.