On the Road to Gaspe

We left the hotel this morning and drove along the Saint Lawrence River. It's huge, and in no time at all it just looks like you're on the ocean, because you can't see across to the other side.  It's a beautiful drive, which gets more dramatic and scenic the farther you go. Endless pine forests, majestic cliffs, and a winding road dotted with picturesque little towns - lots to love here.  We wanted to go to Matane, because we had camped here in 1973, and Jim did some salmon fishing then.  It was not camping weather, so we took a look and moved on.

Matane was a favorite stop on our 1973 trip, in spite of the mosquito population there.

This is not the Matane River, but is typical of what you see in the Gaspe area.

It was foggy today, so not a great day for photos, but this picture from 1973 could have been taken today.  We had many miles of driving through areas like this.

This one was taken today.

I looked for this chick today, but couldn't find her.  Guess she's still lost in 1973.

Okay, how about just one more 1973 picture.  They are just so cute!!

We've reached Perce, on the end of the Gaspe peninsula.  By the time we got here it was dark, so we have to wait until morning to see Perce Rock.  I'm sure it hasn't changed.

Leaving Quebec

We checked out of our hotel this morning, but weren't quite ready to leave Quebec.  Old Quebec has two different areas - the Haute-Ville, the upper town, and the Basse-Ville, the lower town outside the wall and along the St. Lawrence River. We hadn't been to the lower part and thought we needed to see it. We drove down and parked by the river, and the first thing we did was take the Funicular up to the higher part.  It was designed to move people up the steep embankment, and his been in operation since 1879.

We walked back down to the lower town, which was just as beautiful as the upper part.  There are beautiful flowers and very unique planters everywhere.

Of course we had to have lunch at a street cafe one last time.

We left Quebec City and drove northeast a short distance so we could see Montmorency Falls.  It was very impressive.  You could ride a cable car to the top of the falls and walk across on a suspension bridge.  We decided not to do that, although we probably should have!  Next time...!

We finally decided we had to move on. In order to drive up the St. Lawrence River we had to cross to the other side, which meant we had to drive back through Quebec City to get to the bridge.  Doing it at rush hour was not smart. It was a slow trip, but we succeeded and finally left it behind.  We got a room in Montmagny, and tomorrow we'll see how far we can get up the Gaspe Peninsula.

Last Day in Vieux Quebec

Nous aimons le Quebec, mais il est temps de partir.    We love Quebec but it is time to leave.

We ventured out in spite of a bad rain forecast, which turned out to be not so bad after all.  We went to the Quebec Parliament building and took the tour.  It was very interesting, and to make it even more interesting, one of the members of the National Assembly of Quebec was conducting a press conference while we were there. We watched it for awhile before starting our tour.

Jim conducting his own press conference.

The streets of Quebec are picturesque and inviting even in the rain.

Of course if all the great sidewalk cafes don't appeal to you, there's always McDonalds, although it didn't look like the typical Mickey D's.  Notice the dog in the window of the house next door!  (If you click on the picture it will enlarge.)

This is the narrowest house on the continent, according to one of the locals.

We're ready to leave and still haven't tried the wine vending machine.  We love the concept though!!

We'll spend a little more time in town tomorrow morning, and then we're heading up the St. Lawrence River toward the Gaspe peninsula.

Au revoir Quebec.  Je me souviens!

Exploring Quebec

We started our day at the Visitors Center picking up maps and information.  The idea of following a tour guide around with a group of people didn't appeal to us, so we decided to do our own walking tour.  That way we could stop and take a look at anything (or any store!) that looked interesting.  Old Quebec is surrounded by a wall, built to protect the city from any invasions.  Much of it is still standing.

Jim is doing his part to help protect the city.

No matter where you are in the old city, you can almost always see part of the Chateau Frontenac. The first building on this site was a residence for the first governor in 1620.  The hotel has been here since about 1890. We had to go in and check it out, but we didn't check in!  We're pretty sure it's not in our budget. 

We spent most of the day walking around, doing a little shopping,  and found a great place for dinner.  We decided to extend the day just a little and do a horse and buggy tour.  Doing it at 8:30 P.M. was actually a great time.  The streets were quieter- no tour buses hogging the streets - and the driver spent extra time taking us to some areas he usually had to skip in the middle of the day.  It was a great way to learn a lot about the history of such a fascinating city.  It was chilly after dark, but we were snuggled under a blanket and were nice and toasty. 

There's rain predicted for tomorrow, but there are lots of museums and indoor things to do.  We won't have trouble staying busy.

Bonjour Quebec

We arrived in Quebec City this afternoon and managed to find our way to our hotel.  We're in Old Quebec, and it's wonderful.  It's so picturesque and beautiful.  We unloaded and took off to go exploring. Everything we want to see is within walking distance, so we don't plan to get into the car again until it's time to leave.

Quebec then and now!!   We happened upon an artists' alley and guess what?! We've been here before!    Check out toddler Wendy and Mom in her 70's wig!

1973

2013

We walked around until after dark, and Quebec at night is really beautiful.  Le Chateau Frontenac is a huge landmark hotel and the most photographed sight in Quebec.

We were happy to have a successful first few hours in Quebec, and were glad to find our way back to Chateau Bellevue, where we're staying.  It's picturesque, and feels very European.  We've never been in a hotel that had a self serve wine dispenser - the ultimate vending machine!

We are looking forward to the next two days.  We'll see how much sightseeing we can fit into that time. 

Mont Tremblant - Part II

Yesterday my feet hurt. Today everything hurts!  We went to Parc National du Mont-Tremblant to experience the less populated area of the province.  We got some hiking trail information and figured out where we wanted to go.  We decided to take two short hikes to see a couple of waterfalls.

It was beautiful walking in the woods beside such a picturesque stream. It was only a 40 minute hike to Chute du Diable,  followed by a 20 minute hike to Chutes Croches.  Chute du Diable was especially beautiful.

Of course we had to stop along the way to explore the area and get a closer look.

This was a piece of cake, so we decided to do another hiking trail.  This one was supposed to be a two hour hike.  We thought we were good for that. No problem, except it was ALL uphill.  We hiked for an hour and a half and finally got to the summit.  We were rewarded with a spectacular view of the countryside.  Unfortunately, it was overcast and hazy, so it was hard to get a great picture.  Hiking down was definitely easier, though hard on the knees and hips.  We'll feel this one tomorrow.  Rain had been forecast for today so we felt lucky to have no rain until we were driving back.

We saw a lot of deer, and they weren't at all concerned when we stopped to take pictures. One came so close to the car I could have reached out and touched her.

Tonight we're packing up.  We leave tomorrow and head for Quebec City.  We've had a great time here and feel like we did a pretty good job of exploring the area.

Vieux-Montreal (Old Montreal)

My feet hurt!!  We went back to Montreal today, and walked all over.  We like figuring out how to get around a new place, so we took the Metro from the suburbs into the heart of Montreal.  Montreal has an extensive underground, with several areas of multi-level underground shopping malls. They are connected to the Metro, so in bad weather you'd never have to go out on the street.  We explored one of the areas, then went up into the sunshine and walked to Old Montreal, through part of downtown, through Chinatown, and on to the harbor.   Montreal has several areas that appear to be designed just for outdoor entertainment and festivals.

We explored Old Montreal more than we had been able to do when we were there before.  There were more street performers, artists and musicians on the streets today, probably because it's the beginning of the weekend.

We especially love all the street cafes, and we discovered they have great sangria in Montreal!

We looked at lots of art, and I picked out a watercolor that I liked.

The picture I bought is a watercolor of this street --  very typical of the area.

Tomorrow is our last day in this area, so we're going back up north to Mont Tremblant National Park to enjoy the natural beauty of the area and maybe find a couple of not too long hiking trails.  Then it's time to pack up and head for Quebec City.