16 - Summertime Vacations (Fast)
I think the best summer vacation I've ever taken was when I went out East a few years ago. Two of my friends and I went on a two-week road trip. At the time, I was living in St. Paul, Minnesota, in the Midwest of the United States. Anyway, we started off camping every night, but that got real old, real fast. So we started checking in to hotels after about the third day. We were headed for Washington, DC first. Checking in to the hotel was always a bit of a hassle. I wanted to sleep in a double bed, my friends wanted to get a king to share. Lodging is more expensive at a hotel than in a campground, but it is much, much more comfortable!
We went to the major tourist attractions in Washington, D.C. - the Capitol, Lincoln's Memorial, the White House. We then headed north, passing through Boston and headed towards Canada, to Quebec City. When we arrived at the Canadian border, we had to pass through customs and immigration. Customs was easy. We had nothing to declare. Immigration was more of a pain. We were asked the standard questions. How long will you be staying in Canada? What is the nature of your visit? Finally, we were permitted to enter, and we drove on to our destination.
Quebec City is beautiful! Unlike many cities, there are no tourist traps to sidetrack you. We spent two days there, then drove on to Montreal. Of course, we had to pass through customs and immigration again when we re-entered the United States. Our bags were searched in customs, but other than that we got through fairly easily. A few days later, we were back in Minnesota--home sweet home.