Notes from the Road – Part IV or III or OMG I am already lost in this trip.

Okay, I’ve regrouped. This is day 3, so this should be Part III. I want everyone to go back to the last entry and where it says “Part III (or Part IIb)” in the title, take a Sharpie and cross out the “Part III” portion on your screen (if you’re grammatically fastidious, you may want to take out the parenthesis, too). Now go up to the title of this post and black out the “Part IV or” and the “or OMG I am already lost in this trip”. That will take care of any confusion.

Day III was the day I rented my first international car.

Generally speaking, I don’t refer to rental car agencies in kind terms. I admit I had a good experience in Salt Lake City, but I thought it was a total aberration.

I had walked alone from the hotel to the Atwater-Métro branch of Globe Car Rental. One would think that on foot, with an exact address, I wouldn’t toddle past the agency. But I did. Three times. I was beginning to believe I had been taken. They had my credit card number (another sorry story) and were now enjoying an all-expenses paid vacation in some country that had no extradition treaty with Canada.

Estimating the address, I walked into what I thought was a multiplex movie theater. And there, next to the popcorn machine was Globe Car Rental. (Actually, it was a shopping center. It all made sense when you opened the door.)

I entered with an attitude. I spoke French with my most authoritarian accent, “J’ai un reservation pour une voiture. Je m’appelle Robert Cornelison.”

They responded with “oooh la ètre de whâtever.”

I glazed over.

“You’re more comfortable in English, aren’t you?” was the next thing I heard.

You have to have been there. I will discuss the hospitality of Montréalers later, but I had two new best friends. They did everything but drive us to Ville de Québec. If you ever need a car in Montréal, you have my recommendation!