East Quebec

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From the cities to the country now as we followed the St. Lawrence Seaway out to the Atlantic on the road that hugs the water. This road is called “The Acadian Highway” and is rich in Acadian history. There was blazing fireweed everywhere along the road. The small villages had quaint small homes right on the waterfront, with huge lots. There are New England types of homes from the British Loyalists coming up here from Maine, NH, & Vermont. The coastline reminded us of Big Sur with rugged cliffs and rocky coastlines instead of beaches. Gorgeous! Forrillon National Park on the Atlantic in Quebec is like walking through a postcard. The (Gaspesie) peninsula location was the 3^rd most beautiful destination in the world one year according to the National Geographic Society. Off the shores of Forillon NP are 7 species of whales, including the blue whale, the largest on the planet, weighing up to 145 tons. The tip of this peninsula is the end point of the “International Appalachian Trail” going from Maine to “Lands End” and the mountains literally drop off into the sea at that point. There was amazing scenery with views of a lighthouse, the cliffs that fall into the sea, abundant, healthy, lush green forests, and the treat of seeing a group of grey seals. They have a long snout, so are nicknamed “horse head seals.” We also saw a whale spouting and diving but couldn’t tell what kind. The St. Lawrence current (similar to the Gulf Stream Current) goes past this point and into the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the whales are go along with that current which is why there are so many here. We drove past village after village all with small cottage-homes with beautiful gardens and large waterfront land. They have cords and cords of wood stacked up behind them so it must get really cold up here. The English proficiency has fallen off dramatically from the larger cities but we manage to get understood. Quebec was fantastique and felt like being in France in so many ways. On to New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

Quebec City

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Quebec City was founded in1608 (by Champlain) and is the oldest city in Canada. Old Quebec is a national historic site and is quaint, colorful, & vibrant. There were plenty of outdoor patios with colorful umbrellas; old stone architecture; lots of flowers everywhere; & steep hills. The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is the gigantic castle building at the top, visible all over town. Alfred Hitchcock featured this hotel in his 1953 film “I Confess.” Quebec City is strategic because it’s up on a hill with a good view of the St. Lawrence and not far from the mouth, so it controls access to the entire Great Lakes. Quebec history included the 1759 French-Indian War (aka “The War of Conquest” by Quebecians since they felt they were conquered by Britain.) The fortification walls surround the old town and the Citadel, a fort built in 1820 (but never needed since they weren’t attacked after that date.) There was loads of history from the British invasion era at the Citadel. The Citadel was also bolstered during the US Civil War era since Canada was a subject of Britain who sided with the South. We learned the German Nazis U-boats made it to the mouth of the St. Lawrence during WWII, sinking troop & supply ships leaving for Europe. The Citadel is also the site of the “Conference of Quebec” where FDR & Churchill agreed to invade at Normandy instead of Greece, and is considered the final turning point in the shift of power from England to US. In the city, there is also a large French influence of roads and churches (Notre-Dames) and obviously the language.What a fun city! Leaving Quebec City, we drove on the Chemin du Roy, the King’s road, which follows the St. Lawrence River and was built mid 1700 and is the longest carriage navigable road north of the Rio Grande.

Montreal

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Montreal, Quebec is a city built on an island and is at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and the Ottawa rivers. The French heritage is still seen and heard everywhere and is still very much alive. We thought that we were in Paris without leaving the northern hemisphere. The city’s Notre Dame basilica reminded us of the one in Paris, complete with the plaza in front, called Place d’Armes. Bonsecours Church is the oldest in Montreal. Notre Dame also has a seminary attached to it which is the oldest building in Montreal, built 1684. The plaza in front of it is, The City Hall, Hotel de Ville, a beautiful old building, where Charles de Gaulle shouted “Vive le Quebec libre!” Montreal is culturally diversified with its Chinatown and Little Italy; Latin Quarter and Artist Village. During US prohibition, Montreal was a favorite place for US people to go. Nightlife abounded then and still does. So the influence of jazz in local music is very present. Place Jacques-Cartier is a typical example of a place dedicated to the good life, with the street closed to cars and where the restaurants, cafes, entertainment, and gathering of the “in” crowd nightly happens. Rue St-Paul is the oldest street in Montreal, as evidenced by the cobblestone streets and is filled with shops & restaurants. The Pointe-o-Calliere Museum displays the history of Montreal, with the basement having excavated walls and sewers from when Montreal was founded, called Ville-Marie originally, 250 years ago. Watching boats from Old Port attempt to move against the rapid current was unique. Many parks face the St. Lawrence River and provide a pleasant respite from walking. Parc Jean Drapeau was created as the site for Expo ’67 and today is a large lovely city park.

Ottawa

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After passing the 45^th parallel and with the realization that we are half way between the equator and the north pole, we found ourselves firmly in Canada. We entered through customs at Sault Ste. Marie. Ottawa: Ottawa is the current capital of Canada following Kingston, Toronto, Quebec City, and Montreal.

The town is situated on the confluence of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers. Falls of 20 foot drops that once existed between these rivers are mostly replaced with several locks to provide for easy navigation. The locks are open and closed by hand driven wheels. Most buildings as Parliament and Notre Dame Basilica were built in 1850’s. The rivers provide for a focus of local recreation from boating to ice skating in the winter when they are completely frozen over. Trails adjacent to the canals had good pedestrian and biking trails.

Family and Friends- June 2012

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After getting rid of half of our possessions again, we put what is left into storage. We also are storing the truck/camper and have set out this year in our fully packed Jeep with roof-top carrier and hitch-mounted bike rack. We will stay in more vacation rentals, couch-surfing, hotels, and cabins, as well as camping in a tent (Ron says, “We’re getting too soft camping in the truck/camper.”) We finished the Midwest: Iowa, Chicago, Wisconsin, and much of Northern Michigan. This round we are doing the things that we missed in 2007 when we were last here. We are blessed with many friends and family along this route, and the pictures in this blog show those friendly faces instead of mostly scenery. We had a great time bicycling, canoeing, touristing, boating, walking, dune-buggy-riding, eating, hiking, visiting, partying, visiting & sharing your homes.

We have now entered Canada and will be here for the rest of the summer. We are driving from Sault Ste Marie through Ontario to Ottawa. Then we will go on to Montreal and Quebec City, before spending the rest of July & August following the Saint Lawrence to the Canadian Atlantic provinces (the time zone east of Eastern.) There are plenty of forests and nature up here, similar to the U.P. of Michigan or northern Wisconsin, and temperatures are cooler as well. We are already on board with kilometers, liters, and degrees Celsius – when in Rome… we decided to finally learn the metric system once and for all.

Thanks again to all of you for getting us up to Canada in fine fashion – eh?

Love, Pat & Ron