A Day of Wandering

The day started out sunny and warm, a beautiful day for a walk. I walked down to a diner nearby and ate some blueberry pancakes and then headed for downtown. The walk there I started to think that it didn't seem all that different from Wisconsin - the pine trees, their faint scent in the spring air, the soil, too, seemed somewhat sandy. But then, through a break in the trees appeared something that never appears in  Wisconsin: Mountains. After this startling and jaw-dropping discovery, they seemed to be surrounding me as I made my way to the University. When I got to the University I felt like I was on top of the world for it is situated above downtown Burlington and the city flows down from the top of the hill to Lake Champlain. The campus itself is beautiful. The buildings are almost too picturesque with their dark, antique bricks and dark green roofs. There are a few new buildings, but have been built to match their older and smaller counterparts. I was then walking down what seems to have been the UVM's version of "Frat Row" when I saw the Lake, or just a glimpse. 10 minutes or so later I was there, frozen lake in front of me with mountain tops, hazy, but towering in the back. I walked along the edge for a while, watched some kids climb on the rocky shoreline, and soaked up some sun before wandering through the houses of Burlington. The houses and people are not much different than any other town -some as pristine and mountainous as the surrounding peaks, others barely managing not to roll down the hill and into the Lake- but there seems to be a special something about it. A little more fresh, or something. Maybe everyone is just happy to be living in Vermont? I then stumbled upon Church Street, the 4 blocks of Burlington devoted entirely to people and commerce. No cars allowed, just the hipsters, hippies and high-class that only an ultra liberal city like Burlington can handle. I ate at a bustling sandwich called the Red Onion and decided it was about time to go back to the Hotel, seeing as I had been walking for hours. I returned to my room, coat in hand because it was so warm and sunny, and that was it for the day. Cheesemaking tomorrow - - I can't wait!!!