Visiting Burlington
My visit to Burlington one early fall took me by surprise. I’d say that this is definitely my favorite city in New England outside of Boston. Burlington is a small city with only 40,000 people, but that’s enough to be the largest in Vermont. Only two hours south of Montreal Burlington has some French Canadian influence. You’ll occasionally come across people speaking French and even hear many French radio stations. Burlington is also known for its brutal winters where temperatures sometimes hit subzero, while a visit in the summer usually has perfect weather.
The busiest and liveliest part of the city is Church Marketplace in downtown Burlington. These two photos above and below show Church Marketplace on a Saturday afternoon. There are lots of eclectic shops and restaurants here, and there are almost always street performers present. The one below had so much attention I couldn’t even see what was going on!
Above is a photo of a large house and small neighborhood in downtown Burlington. Below is a commercial building being overrun by ivy. The sign on the lower right is promoting some type of ‘green restaurant’ in Burlington. The restaurant went as far as to use biodegradable paint and LEED certified carpet, whatever that means. I met a lot of people in Vermont who were very concerned with global warming and the effects of people on the planet. One guy I met who was in his late 20s was so extreme that he refused to own a car because of the exhaust.
What really makes Burlington such a nice city is Lake Champlain which sits between the border of Vermont and New York and also has a small border with Quebec, Canada farther north. Though not one of the great lakes, Lake Champlain is still freshwater and large enough to enjoy sailing, boating, fishing, and water sports. Above are pictures of several boats that are parked along the docks of Burlington.
With all my high school history lessons forgotten, it wasn’t until I visited Burlington that I learned of the Battle of Plattsburgh, also called the Battle of Lake Champlain. The War of 1812 between British and Americans lasted nearly three years. It came to an end after nearly simultaneous victories in Vermont and Maryland. The naval battle that took place in Lake Champlain effectively ended the British invasion of the northern states. Next to the waterfront I found a sailor’s memorial below and this sign above describing the Battle of Plattsburgh.
Some more photos of Lake Champlain. Above is a gull that was hovering right above my head in the strong winds that we had that day. The upper right shows cars bordering a ferry to take them to New York. There are no bridges that span across the main parts of the lake but several ferry services instead. Below is a sailboat, and on the right a seafood restaurant called Shanty.
Two final photos from the lake, on the left is a large flock of geese with a bad formation. The right has some more boats anchored in the lake, but the mountains that can be seen in the distance are actually part of New York state.