Our flight from Seattle landed at 4:45am local time and we are happy to report that our checked luggage made it in.  We rented our car and we’re in the road by 6am the a full day of sightseeing up the Florida Coast…

It was a very long day for us both, and now we are just relaxing at our hotel and watching the Olympics opening ceremony before another early day tomorrow!

Daily Expense Ledger:

We are enjoying a relaxing wait at the Alaska Airlines Board Room, a perk for lounge access by our newest credit card,  the Citi Prestige card.  We were also able to use the lounge in Portland,  which was a huge help because we were connected to an Alaska gate agent who helped us get on an earlier flight to Seattle. Instead of a 10 minute mad rush to make our connecting flight,  we had a whole hour to enjoy this lounge…

Hot pancakes? Sure, okay!

Cookies! Must try all the flavors!

Yep, Lisa got some wine

And now on to Orlando,  Florida!

Before I forget our experiences in Montreal, here are some of our musings…

• While on the train, we overheard some people saying that Montreal drivers are crazy and therefore refused to hire a car rental.  After three days of witnessing countless drivers cutting each other off, speeding through intersections as pedestrians attempted to cross, and the ceaseless honking of their horns, we concur!
• Montreal has a wonderful and efficient public transportation system; the subway ran frequently and stretched out to many parts around the city
• Chocolate-centric and dessert restaurants.  Juliette & Chocolat was the one that we tried, and set right below our hotel was Chocolats Favoris.  Not to mention plenty of French pastries and sweet breads available at restaurants, cafes and even grocery stores.  And crepes!  Enough said.
• Yes, French is the primary language, though English is understood
• Montreal is known as a city of festivals, and we were so lucky to have our stay coincide with the International Jazz Festival
• Montreal Underground City:  much like Toronto’s “The Path,” Montreal has a series of underground tunnels and passageways that connect to shopping malls, transit stations, schools and more.  We didn’t really have time to explore, so this will be something we can do next time!
• Panhandlers are numerous and a part of commuter life.  We saw the guys washing the windshields at red light stops.  We saw the people selling newspapers.  We saw the enterprising ones try to sell other products.  But mostly, panhandlers would politely ask us for spare change as we were exiting subways, restaurants and other buildings.
• Churches galore!  We were impressed with the architecture and fine details of the numerous churches we found during our walks.
• Finally, we had a great time in Montreal and can’t wait to try a New England cruise that goes to and from Boston and Montreal.

Our last day on our trip was spent at Valley Forge National Park before heading back through rainy weather to the Philadelphia International Airport for our flights back home…

Valley Forge was fascinating… Although no battles were fought here, the site is historic because this is where the Continental Army was finally trained as one cohesive,  disciplined army that eventually won us our independence from England.

After our visit, it was a long bus ride to the airport and then a six-hour flight to San Francisco with a two-hour layover.  We didn’t land into Portland until 1:30am and didn’t make it to bed until 2:30am — 5:30am east coast time, so basically we were up for the last 24 hours and finally, finally it was time for sleep!

Our final day in Philadelphia before making a visit up to the King of Prussia…

Our go-to breakfast spot, Sabrina's in the University District

On this, our final visit, we opted for the simplicity of homemade granola with milk, and an Apple and Wisconsin Cheddar omelette

Life-size heart of a 220 foot man, a popular exhibit at the Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute had a cool sports science wing, and Lisa and I had fun trying out all the sports related exhibits

Train wing

The Dude responsible for all of this

After the Franklin Institute, we strolled over to the Academy of Natural Sciences

After touring both museums, we walked towards City Hall and found more impressive buildings like this church

Flight wing

Interior

East gate

And finally, you can't come to Philadelphia without getting a photo in front of the famous LOVE sculpture!

City Hall, with 700 rooms and at the time it was the tallest building in the world

Dinosaurs Unearthed was the featured exhibit

Butterfly Garden