Melby's Travels

I haven't gotten around to posting about my last week in India until now (5 months later), so I'll do my best to remember with the help of my camera roll. Though we had lived in Pune for two weeks, we hadn't visited many of the main attractions in Pune. The biggest landmark is arguably Shaniwar Wada - a fort that served as the great seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire in the 1700s and 1800s. Most of it has burned down but it was cool to guess what the buildings might have looked like based on the foundation alone and explore the gardens that have now exist. You can walk up to the top of the fort walls, though the stairs are quite steep. Me in what might have been a cellar?? We also checked off a restaurant recommendation from both Vidya's and Rishika's family. Vaishali's serves Southern Indian food including various dosas, idlis, and others. We had the masala dosa, onion tomato cheese uttapam, and sabudana vada. The masala dosa had spiced potatoes and lots...

Montreal struck me as a city that was both American and European. The wide streets, big cars, architecture, and general landscape felt American, but the culture seemed more European. For instance, the boulangeries and boucheries interspersed amongst supermarkets, the laid back cafes as you walked down the street, the bikes and reliable underground metro system. Everyone speaks French, but no one was snarky about speaking English. While there is not as much to do as in NYC, Montreal is still very vibrant, more so than Boston. It influenced by immigrants from all around- the Arabic, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Jewish, Italian, Cantonese. There is street art / murals everywhere and cool cars zooming by every so often. Things are cheaper than in the US (though wages are also lower), making Montreal seem like a pleasant place to live. MAY 18 After the 6-hour drive from Boston (of which I drove the last 2 hours) and settling down in the Airbnb, we headed to Chinatown for some food. Based on a lo...