Burlington, VT, and Bar Exam Prep Begins

Getting a late start today after arriving in New York at 9:30 PM last night, completing 550 miles from Quebec to Montreal to Burlington, VT, and finally home to NYC. To say I'm a bit creaky this morning is an understatement.

Since we had such a long day ahead of us, we decided to do two minor detours -- drop by Mont Royal to see the views of Montreal and eat lunch in Burlington, VT.

Montreal cityscape from Mont Royal

Montreal was unfortunately a bit hazy but it was still wonderful to look out over the city and see the Olympic Stadium from the top of Mont Royal. 

Next up -- Burlington, VT! I officially get the Vermont love after driving through more of this state than I had before. The northern part, with its mountains and lakes, is truly beautiful. Make sure you take the Ethan Allen Highway (Route 7) if you are driving through Vermont!

Adirondacks view and the bottom of Lake Champlain from Route 7

Burlington, VT, was also a really cool town that I'd love to travel back to this summer. It's right on Lake Champlain and has a lot of neat local stores and cafes plus plenty of chain stores, like Banana Republic. 

The downtown, walking-only area

I feel like going to school at the University of Vermont here would be like summer camp. I went to school in a town less than 1/10 the size of Burlington and always wished there was more to do, so Burlington seemed like the perfect mix of country and city!  I am officially applying for enrollment (ok, not really, no more student debt for me).

See? Adorable!

Using Yelp, I found my parents and I a great little cafe in downtown Burlington: Zabby & Elf's Stone Soup. It had lots of vegetarian and vegan options, a hot and cold salad bar, and some incredible baked goods. I got a plate of mixed salads and veggies from the salad bar then split a piece of apple cake with my mom. It was stuffed with chunks of apple and spice. It was so good that my dad got a piece for himself as well!

The fabulous Zabby & Elf's Stone Soup

So, as of today, I'm officially in bar exam study mode. That means 3.5-4 hours of online lectures every day, Monday to Friday, and homework assignments for the afternoons. It should be lots of fun (*sarcasm*). Still, it'll be nice to have a clear-cut schedule for studying. I'll update you all on how it's going occasionally because I know some of you are grad students who have similar exams that you'll be studying for and may be curious to hear how it goes!


Do you ever have college town envy? Have you had to study for something like the bar exam?

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: Canadian Road Trip Edition

Bonjour from Quebec!

Today's post is heavy on photos of our road trip so far and light on words. Except for the workout recaps at the bottom since I'm a week behind since I recapped Cuba last week instead of posting a workout recap. I also have workout goals for this week that I'm sharing in the hopes of added accountability, as always! It's the last week before marathon training starts. Eek!!

Friday morning, after breakfast with Sourabh, my parents and I drove up to Montreal in Quebec, Canada. Montreal is actually the second largest city in Canada! I didn't realize it was so large since the total population of the metro area is only 3.8 million, so it's the size of, say, Seattle, WA.

Marie-Reine-du-Monde, Old Town in Montreal

I'd been to Montreal once before -- it was the first vacation Sourabh and I took, a weekend away from undergrad one month after we started dating. It was November and absolutely freezing, but we still enjoyed exploring the city. I'd expected to explore the city under nicer circumstances this time, but it ended up raining for the day and a half we were there!

Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral

It was a bummer that the weather was so bad, but my parents and I still explored quite a bit. We're planning on stopping by on Tuesday while we drive back to New York so we can check out Mont Royal on a sunny day. It's a giant park with beautiful views so good weather is kind of a necessity!

Besides exploring the old town, we had a terrific Lebanese dinner at Garage Beirut and also took a free pilates class at a Lululemon!

We stayed two nights at Hotel Chateau St-Marc, a bed and breakfast. It was a quirky little place with speedy free wi-fi and a small but tasty complimentary breakfast. The extra bed for me was super soft and I slept like a baby.

Our hotel!

Sunday afternoon, we headed to Quebec, and after exploring the old town here we had a tasty French meal. Photos and updates on Quebec to come tomorrow!

Oh, I almost forgot to share this vital piece of information. I found this place in Montreal:

Yes, it's a pick-your-own-ingredients-and-get-a-cookie-made bar. I didn't try it because I'd just had our delicious dinner at the Lebanese restaurant,  but I'm hoping to find an outpost of this chain here in Quebec...

Ok, on to the workout recaps. Yup, two workout recaps this week because I didn't recap the previous week's workouts since I was in Cuba!


Workout Recap - Week of May 13

Monday: Rest after Flywheel/Refine double.

Tuesday: 45 min. spin at Flywheel & 60 min. Flybarre class. Another fantastic class with Kate H at Flywheel! She is a phenomenal spin instructor and I have gotten my two highest power numbers ever in her classes. I also really enjoyed Flybarre (review to come!)

Wednesday: 60 min. Refine Method class.

Thursday: Rest.

Friday-Sunday: Rest due to travel. Stretched and walked a lot during my lengthy layover in the Miami Airport, and walked several miles each day exploring Havana.


Workout Recap - Week of May 20

Monday: 1.5 mile run in Havana. SO HOT AND HUMID. I promise not to complain (too much) about the humidity in NYC now.

Tuesday: Rest (Sourabh's birthday).

Wednesday: 45 min. spin at Flywheel with Dani Devine. My first time in this rockstar's class, but it definitely won't be the last! I was pushing myself hard and loved her playlist. Felt so good to get a hardcore sweat going!

Thursday: 60 min. Refine Method class. Tough but not so tough that I collapsed onstage as I crossed during graduation ;)

Friday: Rest (drive to Montreal).

Saturday: Oiselle Dr Lesko Core Routine and walking around Montreal.

Sunday: 60 min. Pilates class at Lululemon in Montreal. This class was pretty easy, but it was a nice way to wake up before another day of driving (it's 3 hours between Montreal and Quebec).


Goals for This Week
I'm going to be gearing up for marathon training this week, making some runs a priority to see how my legs are feeling. Hopefully I'll be running up here in Quebec since there are some beautiful parks!

• 3 runs (2 short and 1 long-ish)
• 3 strength workouts
• 1-2 yoga classes
• 1 spin (?)


What are your goals for this week? How do you work out on vacation?