Goodbye to PEI and on to Nova Scotia

Day 4 – We started our day driving to Summerside, Denis wanted to see if we had missed anything. Leaving there we took the south coast east towards Charlottetown, I think I found my favourite PEI place – Victoria-by-the-sea. We stopped at the Port-la-Joye/Fort Amherst historical site, nothing remains of either the French or British forts. We carried on into Charlottetown for lunch at Gahan’s Brew Pub, walked around the waterfront and some of the older area. By then it was time to head to the Guild for Anne & Gilbert, it was very well done and we enjoyed it. Since Stanley Bridge was not far out of our way we detoured there for a ceilidh. It was a bit different than I expected, no dancing, but really good just the same. Denis won $95 on a 50/50 draw at the ceilidh, so now we can pay our toll to get off the island.



Denis & Sir John A having a chat




So many beers, so little time

One last stop at a PEI fish market, we were going to buy oysters but wouldn’t you know it, they were out. We settled for lobster, mussels and smoked salmon. Oh well I think we might find a bit of seafood in Nova Scotia. I was sad to say good bye to PEI. In retrospect we likely shouldn’t have stayed in Cavendish, but it is kind of central. It’s by far the most touristy part of the island and we would have been good with just a visit. There are only about 141,000 people on the island but I’m sure the population is 3 times that in the summer.

We had only a short trip through Cape Tormentine (New Brunswick) and then we were into Nova Scotia. We stopped at a farmer’s market near Tidnish, it was about 5 to 12 and they were just closing down, but we got some new potatoes, beets and strawberries. We stumbled across a micobrewery in Tatamagouche so a mandatory stop was made. We also visited ‘Creamery Square’ historical site which has the only prairie style grain elevator in the Maritimes. We checked out the Train Station Inn, their slogan is eat, sleep, shop. The station has a gift shop and tearoom on the main floor and rooms upstairs but you can also get a room in one of the cabooses or a converted box car. There’s also a dining car and a club car. We continued on to Pictou and checked out the Hector, a replica of a ship that brought immigrants from Scotland in the 1700s. Very Scottish architecture and they have banners with all the clan tartans on the streetlight poles. The other thing we noticed, they have a very smelly pulp mill across the bay, makes you appreciate DMI, even during the worst upset we never smelled that bad. We had thought we might camp there but decided we’d move along and find some fresher air. Didn’t call Paddy & Dawn, since my computer upgrade I don’t have their contact info, we could have harassed Paddy about the smell. We headed towards New Glasgow, finally bought a lobster pot! We camped for the night at Quarry Island, we had very sociable visitors, Leonard & Elizabeth, they have a cabin on the next island. We enjoyed the new (almost PEI) potatoes and another lobster, we’re going to have a hard time adjusting at home where 1 small lobster costs more than 2 big ones here. Although Denis did say the rotisserie chickens were smelling pretty good in the grocery store the other day.

We got an early start and took the highway (as opposed to the coastal roads we usually take) to the Canso Causeway and on to Cape Breton. We made a brief stop in Port Hawksbury before heading to Louisdale and once there we had no trouble finding Cohen! He was splitting wood with Quinten but we took him away from his work to give us a tour of the area. We had lunch at the ‘Spud Wagon’ on Isle Madame and then went back to have coffee with Viola (Cohen’s grandmother). Mich and Connor stopped in for a few minutes and dropped off a photo album so we had a laugh or two at the old pictures…. Cohen was surprised by the one of Aunty Kelly with a black eye. Then we headed to another site and crashed a family supper, we contributed our bag of mussels. Most of the family is gathered here to celebrate a wedding this weekend, poor Denis was very confused as to who’s who. We had a good visit with Cohen, he’s getting very tall and still very sweet. Sorry Cohen but grandmas get to say things like that.

Wow only one province to go!

  

PEI - Day 1, 2 & 3, North Cape, Summerside, East Point & Cavendish

We got off to a slow start and then a very long stop for construction, moved a half mile and then another hold up for an accident/emergency, but our day got better from there. First stop was in Kensington, saw a unique, former train station which is now a pub, but it wasn't open :(  We headed up the coast towards the North Cape, stopped for lunch in Tyne Valley at The Landings Oyster Bar. We had bar clams, which are called bar clams even if not served in a bar, and the first PEI beer! It was a busy day, visited a shipbuilding museum, Yeo (the shipbuilder) house, the North Cape wind farm, where it was, you guessed it, very windy. Then we headed down the other coast and made a stop at Skinners's Pond where Stomping Tom lived for a few of his younger years. On the way to our next stop we found another poissonnerie... well it is called the Acadian coast, and purchased some fresh cod. We stopped to see some interesting glass bottle buildings then on to Summerside to see 'The Ballad of Stomping Tom' a musical. Denis has been looking at the 'authentic PEI mud dyed' t-shirt, I think if he just wore his white shirt and rolled around in the dirt it would be just as good! We call the truck the beast but at least once a day and usually more often, people (guys) comment, reverently, on what good shape it's in. 


Mix that shirt and that dirt and you'd have it!  This dirt is really red!

Tribute at Tom's old school

 Day 2 – we headed off on the East Coast drive and got our tip to tip certificate at the East Point Lighthouse. If you visit both the North Cape and East Point you get the certificate. We stopped at St. Peters for lunch at Rick's Fish & Chips, it's a 'You Gotta Eat Here' place. We enjoyed our fish & chips as much as Atlantic Kitchen in Fort Sask. Next stop was at a rustic winery, very unique couple, but very hospitable. Then we had to make a stop at Singing Sands beach even though it was drizzling. What a great beach if it had been hot like the previous day, but I didn't hear the sand singing. Our next stop was at a distillery whose claim to fame is Strait Shine (75% alcohol), we settled for aged, amber rum (only 40%). We continued on our trek heading for Georgetown or so we thought but we missed a turn and ended up back in St. Peters from another side. The distances here, or I should say the lack thereof, are still a bit confusing. We made a correction and were only 8 km (x 2) out of our way. Georgetown is very small but has a lot of preserved historical buildings, it was raining still/again so we opted for a drive around tour. We continued south through Montague to Murray River where we checked out the General Store. By then we were tired of touring and decided to head for Charlottetown where we heard there was a party going on. PEI is celebrating 150 years since the Charlottetown Conference so there is a continuing festival from July 1 to September 7. We were fortunate to see Tim Chaisson and Burton Cummings at the waterfront park and the rain stopped. We fit right in with the sea of gray headed fans for Cummings. We also enjoyed the young guys, locals who played a variety of music. The second late night because we have to drive all the way across the island back to Cavendish!

Day 3 - We booked tickets (for tomorrow) to see the musical Anne & Gilbert and the package included tickets to the L M Montgomery homestead, Green Gables cottage, Avonlea village and the Anne of Green Gables museum. We started the day at the homestead and walked through the 'haunted woods' to the cottage, by then Denis had had enough 'Anne' so I did a quick tour of the village. We mailed postcards from the Green Gables post office. We both decided to give the museum a miss and went to the beach. Cavendish/North Rustico beaches are not quite as nice as Singing Sands but not too bad either and Denis enjoyed his salt water dip. Denis bought  his "dirt shirt" today and found out they use a portable cement mixer to mix the dirt in. We came back to the trailer early to cook the fish we bought 2 days ago.

Just dropping in for visit with Anne, but I think she's in the barn



Lazy beach afternoon


Tomorrow it's off to Charlottetown again for a better look around and to see the play.

 

New Brunswick - The Acadian Coast & Across the 'Bridge' to PEI

We walked around downtown (Bathurst) and climbed another observation tower. Then it was a driving day, during a stop in Miramichi we saw an Alberta plate. The plan was to stay at Kouchibouguac National Park but they had no sites with power available and since it was very hot we decided to carry on and find a place with power so we can use the AC. We camped at Cap Lumiere, amongst a diverse group, several from Quebec, 4 from Switzerland and a couple from Arizona.

This morning we continued along the Acadian coast, I knew the basics but I didn't realize that they had a flag, it's the French tricolor with one gold star in the corner. It's everywhere, painted power poles, decorations on houses. We saw the giant lobster in Shediac, which is 'the lobster capital of the world'. So we bought some  for supper  so we could try out our new tools. I visited a unique craft shop in an old church at Murray's Corner there was a lot of sea glass items, I guess the beach there yields an abundance of treasures. I wonder, do these crafts people throw more bottles in the ocean to get more stock? We bought ice cream at Lake's General Store (aka Sam Drucker's) they had everything. After that stop we arrived at Cape Jourimain and headed across the 13 km Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. We are camped at Cavendish, very near 'Green Gables'. This evening, while doing laundry, I met a couple from Westlock.

Add caption

Confederation Bridge from Murray's Corner, NB

 

Driving across the bridge (sorry for the spotty windshield)

 

Made it to PEI, only 2 more provinces to go!

Tomorrow we're off to Summerside and the northwest part of the island.
 

Leaving Quebec and on to New Brunswick

We camped in New Carlisle on the edge of Baie des Chaleurs (Warm Bay) named by Cartier, it’s also a member of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club. We found another poissonnerie so it was lobster for supper with crab leg appetizer, very yummy! But you would think that two people who love crustasions as much as we do would have come a little better prepared as far as tools were concerned. If you can believe, we resorted to using the back of the hatchet! So today I bought some more appropriate utensils, now we are on the look out for a lobster pot, so we can buy vivant (live) ones next time.

A lobster in every pot, oh I think I may have misquoted, n'est pas?

We have been driving past/through the most picturesque towns and villages, the guide book says Gaspe is comprised of 17 coastal villages spread out over 135 km and Perce has 10 villages spread over 60 km. I read somewhere that ‘the Gaspe is a postcard’, very apt, everywhere you look is a beautiful sight! We stopped in the village of Perce and after checking out the ‘rock’ we walked around, very busy tourist town, like Banff, with few places for our ensemble to park. We parked beside a ‘No Parking’ sign (right behind a motorhome parked beside another no parking sign) so Denis could sample another microbrasserie, Pit Caribou. Since this was our last day in Quebec he had to pull out all the stops!

Roche Perce

Strange customs prevail, yesterday afternoon when we were in Tim Hortons a young man in very strange, skimpy attire with a noose around his neck was paraded through, an early start on a stag party I assume.

Oh, before we left Quebec we just happened upon another microbrasserie in Carlton-sur-mere, Le Naufrageur. My weakness is the boulangerie and we both love the poissonnerie. Denis had planned to visit the Battle of Restigouche Historic Site but their AC was not working so they were closed. This change of plans brought us into Campbelltown, New Brunswick a few hours earlier than expected. We visited tourist information and picked up additional brochures, we are really supporting the pulp & paper industry on this trip. We walked around a bit and read about how terribly my Anglo ancestors treated Denis’ French ancestors. Actually as I’m mostly Scottish and Irish, I think my ancestors didn’t fare much better (with the English) and Denis has not been able to find his family name anywhere we’ve been. We set out on the Acadian Coastal Drive by Dalhousie (where we missed a microbrewery) and on to Charlo where their ‘Summer Splash’ was on, which consisted of a show & shine and country music (my favourite!). They were serving hot dogs, fish & chips, scallops & chips and last but not least huge, heaping plates of mussels for $6.50. Too bad for us we had just eaten lunch! And the country music was live, so it was OK. Everything was set up right on the edge of the beach: kids playing in the water, half a dozen jet skis running around and several boats anchored in the bay listening to the music, If we had stayed later in the day there was fireworks. Travelling pretty much continuously through small towns along the way, we are in Bathurst for the night.

Another Province, and another hour lost! 

 

No Denis, that's not a poissonnerie

We have not seen another Alberta licence plate since KOA in Quebec City, Denis thinks Debby and Glenn were the last Albertans through here.

Only three more provinces to go!

 

Gaspe, Forillon Park & Perce

Whew we finally have an internet connection again, good old Tim Horton's

We are still laughing about our snap decision to try the ferry and the fact that we actually got on. In Matane we walked along the riverside boardwalk and older downtown area. We found a bakery but were too early for the microbrewery. We continued along to Cap Chat where there is a wind farm. Denis took the tour and got the lowdown on the Darius Rotor and wind power generation. Off again to camp in Ste. Anne des Monts, we walked along the beach and watched the sunset.

Being a prairie girl it took my brain a few seconds to process this sign

It was raining quite hard so we drove around town and out onto the wharf where about a dozen people were fishing. We walked around the grounds of Exploramer, an aquarium. There was an observation tower, so of course we had to climb it. We headed out on the road again drove through several small settlements. The rain continued pretty well all day. We stopped at a poisonnerie in Riviere au Rivard and bought salmon and mussels. Continued on to camp at Forillon National Park.

I'd like one of these in the backyard

We drove to Grand Grave in the south area of the park and hiked 4 km to Cap Gaspe, Land’s End. On the way there we saw quite a bit of whale activity in the bay. We took the bike trail back to the truck and it was harder than the path or maybe we were just more tired. We visited a typical fisherman’s home and farm circa 1900 and then the general store where the fisherman also sold their salt cod. It was very interesting, I always knew it was a hard way of life. We drove to the town of Gaspe, then back to enjoy our salmon. Our second day in the park we started with a hike up to the Mont St Albans look out. Up is the keyword here, it was only 1.8 km but climbing 283 m. It was worth it, the day was clear and beautiful views, we couldn’t quite make out Newfoundland but there was nothing but water between here and there. After lunch we drove to Fort Peninsula, there were military installations during World War II. Denis got to walk in the bunkers and check out the guns.

Hey Wyatt, look at Grandpa pretending to be a soldier

On the way back we stopped at a house built in the 1800’s which more history on the area especially on the creation of the park. 283 families were displaced when their land was expropriated, kind of makes you sad to think where you are camped was someone’s farm 50 years ago. We topped off our afternoon with a short 1 km hike to a waterfall. Oh and a short walk to the shore in the evening.  

That's Cape Gaspe (Land's End) behind us

 

Tadoussac, Baie Comeau & Matane, on the Gaspe Peninsula

Curses, foiled again! We headed out from Quebec City northeast along the St. Lawrence but we hardly got started and rain began to drizzle down and the fog rolled in, so what should have been a very scenic drive with some whale watching opportunities was instead a kind of dreary, foggy trip. The beast (truck) earned its keep today, we’d hardly get down one hill and it was up the next, most were 11% grade. Like pulling the Dunvegan Hill over and over again, Denis was worried about the transmission. We started the day with a visit to the Girardin House in the Beauport area of Quebec City. Denis mother’s maiden name was Girardin, but her family came from St. Pierre & Miquelon, so this must have been another branch of the family. It is typical of the French colonial architecture and the museum houses information on the families who settled the area. We also visited the Montmorency Falls, higher than Niagara but a fraction the width, there’s a bridge over them then a lot of stairs down (once again I forgot to count) and then a cable car back up to the top. That’s when the rain started so you couldn’t tell if it was the spray or the rain that was getting you wet. Then we stopped at a copper artist workshop and I managed to resist a beautiful rooster, it was $1,795 so that made it easier. Next stop was Ste. Anne de Beaupre, a huge cathedral and shrine, by that time the rain was pretty heavy and we couldn’t park our caravan within two blocks so we settled on a drive by visit. We were on the lesser byways again and came across Chez Marie, a small shop selling maple products and baking. Along this road we saw some outdoor, brick ovens one was actually across the road from the house. There were also root cellars built into the hill across from the houses, each one had a plaque from a preservation society and telling who they belonged to. We continued down the road and are camped tonight at Tadoussac after crossing Ste. Catharine’s Bay on a ferry. We can hear horns from the ships on the St. Lawrence. From the info I have, Tasoussac is a member of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club and the Association of Beautiful Villages of Quebec, I hope the fog is gone tomorrow so we can see it.

Just a little damp at Montmorency Falls

After a gentle rain overnight, we woke up to a clear, sunny morning! Our campground was on the heights above the village and when Denis checked the lookout he saw whales in the bay, by the time I got there they had departed. We drove down and found a place to park, no mean feat, and walked around the bay; took a short hike out to the point between Tadoussac Bay and Ste. Catharines Bay. We saw an old trading post and the oldest wood frame church built in Canada. Then down the road to a lighthouse at Cap de Bon Desir, where we walked out and sat on the rocks and looked for whales again. We stopped in Les Escoumins at a poissonnerie had chowder for lunch and bought some halibut for our supper. We stopped at a truck selling strawberries from Ile d'Orleans and smoked salmon. After lunch we continued on to Baie Comeau.  We dropped the trailer off and drove around town, Denis oogled the Alcoa plant from all angles. There’s also a big Cargill facility and right in the middle of town, a pulp mill! What with the power plant just before town that's four pretty major industries. We headed back to the trailer and decided we'd better make a reservation on the ferry to Matane for Wednesday (day after tomorrow). There was nothing available until Sunday, but we were welcome to come down and wait in the line-up to see if there was space for us. We were a little stressed at the thought of sitting here for 6 days so we scrambled  and headed to the ferry expecting to be turned away but we got on. By the time they measured us and made sure the propane was turned off, we drove onto the ferry and they closed the door and we were under way, a very quick departure from Baie Comeau. Our halibut will have to wait until tomorrow. That puts us in Matane Monday night instead of Wednesday afternoon and Denis didn't get to tour the Manic 2 dam site. Oh well, c'est la vie! I'm sure we'll find some interesting things on this side of the St Lawrence.

On the Gaspe Peninsula

Three Days in Quebec City

We drove to Levis which is across the river from the old part of Quebec City, parked and took the ferry across. $20 to park and the return ride but cheaper and less hassle than trying to take the truck over there. We spent quite awhile exploring Petit Champlain as the lower area of the city is called. It has very old buildings (many dating from the 1700's) with shops, bistros and pubs and a lot of tourists wandering the narrow cobblestone streets. Also we found another funicular but the line up was half a block long before you even got in the building so we wandered along to the stairs. We heard they are called break neck stairs and I'm sure they would be in the ice and snow. We strolled along the Dufferin Terrace which is below the Chateau Frontenac and the Citadel overlooking the St. Lawrence and the lower town. We walked up more stairs (a lot more) and around the wall of the Citadel and onto the Plains of Abraham. On the way up we passed a wooden ramp which is a toboggan run in the winter. The Summer Festival is on and the main stage is on the Plains, but a sound check was the only thing going on until later in the day. We watched a film on the history and took a bus tour with a guide in period costume portraying the role of Abraham, he told us we didn't look like we'd be successful colonists we were not very appropriately dressed. It was very interesting, too bad the kids can't learn Canadian history this way. We explored the area around city hall and the legislative assembly, there are statues and fountains everywhere. We finally stopped for some sustenance at a sidewalk bistro where we could people watch. There are street entertainers on nearly every block. It was a bit of a late night (11:00).


Street in Petit Champlain



My favourite street performer

Our plan was to ferry across again and get to the Citadel in time for the changing of the guard but parking issues etc. we didn't make it. We did tour the Citadel and Denis toured that museum and the Plains of Abraham museum. We both went to the Martello tower museum and had a closer look at the Joan of Arc Garden. By that time I was pretty sunburned so we stopped at the Chateau for refreshment, very nice but I think Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise are nicer. We gave up early and came back to the trailer about 6. We had just arrived when two couples from Edmonton came over to chat. They were waiting for us the previous night but we came home too late, actually they thought we hadn't come home at all. They are business partners in the vac truck business and have done work for Access Pipeline. They're going as far as PEI in 6 weeks, 4 adults and 6 kids, big undertaking!



Chateau, Legislative Assembly, Petit Champlain from ferry

Enjoying a little refreshment, this was not at the Chateau

Today we did make it to the changing of the guard with over an hour to spare! I can't imagine parading around in those uniforms with a huge bear hat on your head in this heat. Nor would I want to be the goat major, he's in charge of the regimental mascot, a goat named Baptiste (gift from the queen). We wandered more quaint streets and checked out a few shops, Denis hasn't found a Quebec t-shirt he likes yet. We came back early, Denis has some chores he wants to do and I need to do laundry (where I met a lady from Namao). Denis just informed me that we have put on over 7000 km zigzaging our way here.

Baptiste & his entourage

Denis with his new buddy
 

Strange medium but is it art?

Trois-Riviere, Shawinigan & Chemin du Roy (King's Way)

Another hot sunny day and we decided to explore the old town (Trois-Riviere) on foot. After a bit of maneuvering, we found a place to park truck and trailer  I found the neatest little shop, where the young woman repurposed clothes, great window display! We could do this girls (with your ideas and my skills).

Window Display (sorry for the reflection)

Denis saw a ship named Pacific Basin and wondered if someone forgot to tell them that the St. Lawrence Seaway doesn't connect with the Pacific! We took a break at a sidewalk cafe for a café latte glace and shared a chocolatine, very tasty. Before leaving the area we visited Les Forges du Saint Maurice, the birthplace of the iron/steel industry in North America. It's a very peaceful park but you can imagine the activity in smoke and heat that was there 300 years ago.

Then it was down the road to Shawinigan, for a 'Handshake'. After a false start we headed to Le Trou du dialbe (Devil's Hole) and Denis finally got his 'Handshake'.  We tried to go to a bakery in Grand-Mere but some small businesses here are closed on Tuesdays.



Some of  you will remember the inspiration for this

So, is that glass half full or half empty?

We headed south to Champlain and got on the Chemin du Roy, maybe it was fit for a king when we had a king but it's definitely the road more potholey and scenic. We stopped at a fromagerie and bought some award winning cheese. We skirted the west end of Quebec City and crossed the Pierre Laporte bridge and are camped to the southwest in St Nicholas

Today there was rain in the forecast so we drove to the Ile D'Orleans the rain didn't materialize but it was very windy. The island is in the middle of the St Lawrence just east of the city, 34km long by 8 km at the widest part. It was settled in the 1600's so very impressive old churches and traditional French architecture; and strawberry fields forever! Main industry today is tourism, you can hardly go a 1/2 km without a restaurant, fruit stand, winery or historic site and there was one microbrewery where we had lunch. We had a good day and not too many of the 600,000 tourists who visit each year were there today.

Montreal Day 3 & Trois-Riviere at a slower pace

Our last day in Montreal, of course we tried to fit in everything we had missed. We drove to Jean Drapeau Parc, on Ile Sainte-Helene, one of the islands where Expo 67 was held. On the way there we admired Habitat ’67. There was a lot of activity even early, a festival was going on (Columbian, Dominican & Eurofest). After we found parking we visited the Biosphere, a Bucky Ball, which was the US pavilion in ’67. We wandered around and tried to see more of the Expo sites but some were fenced off because later there was an event (Piknic Electronic) not our speed. We took the metro, bus and shank’s pony (my mother’s saying meaning walking) to Les Main Deli (across the street from Schwartz’) and had another smoked meat sandwich. Then hopped a bus, which we knew was going the wrong way but we thought we’d see a different part of the city. We did see little Italy but then we had to get off because the run ended. Caught another bus back to Place des Arts, checked out the jazz festival awhile.

Admiring the 'Bucky Ball'

Denis was wanting some authentic Quebec beer so we took the metro to Les 3 Brasseurs, got a great table by the open, roll up garage door. We could have stayed there and enjoyed the beer and people watched but across the street was a blues bar so we headed there and for more refreshment and some live entertainment. Denis still wanted to go to Olympic Stadium so we took the metro that way and were lucky that the funicular (combination elevator & railway) was still running so we went up the tower. It is 165 m high and the incline is 45^o, it holds the Guiness record as the highest inclined tower in the world. Spectacular views of Montreal and a very entertaining young guide. Then we headed back on the metro to take an evening bus tour of the highlights at night, it was a double decker bus with open top and very few passengers. One of the sights was the casino (the French pavilion from Expo) beautifully lit up.

The funicular goes up the other side

By that time we were two very tired tourists! Took the metro back to the island to pick up the truck. When we came up from the train there were police and security barricading the entrance/exits, the festival was just over and there were thousands of people milling around, some trying to get on a train and some just wanting to continue the party. A bit intimidating but we got the truck and headed back to the rural tranquility of our campground. We just about wore out our 3 day bus/metro passes! My highlight was the unique architecture and quirky oddities; Denis’ was going up Le Tour Olympique and smoked meat sandwiches. 

Today has been an overcast, drizzly, driving day, good day to recover a bit. After a stop at Costco, we wended our way via back roads along the Richelieu River to Trois-Rivieres. Tomorrow it’s on to Quebec City.

Catching up on 'Old Town' gossip with my friends

Just look what you can to with a Sea-Can

Rainbow Shopping Cart bike locked to a parking post so I had to leave it, much to Denis' relief!
For a minute I considered a trade for my bicycle........

Montreal! Day 1 and 2

We left the trailer at 8:30, a half hour late already. We parked at Longuiel metro station and took the subway downtown, got 3 day unlimited passes so we can the metro and buses to get around. We walked a bit and took a bus, then realized we were not headed in the right direction, got off and walked some more. But we were walking on some very quaint streets, not far from McGill University, I think one of the girls should go there, we'd visit lots! Then Denis realized we were not too far from Schwartz' Montreal smoked meat deli (brisket heaven, CF), I suspect this was the ulterior plan all along. The deli was an experience, we waited in line to get in, there was a place across the street with immediate seating, but we joined the line. Suffice to say the place was crowded, we shared a table with an Asian family, they knew the ordering routine. When you order a sandwich that's all you get, you have to order the pickle and coleslaw extra but our waiter was forgiving. Denis was ecstatic, got the t-shirt and some spices; we could have left Montreal then, oh not yet we have to go back there again!

At Schwartz

After our big lunch, we headed up (walking) Mount Royal,it was still a bit cool so a great time to go. We hiked to the chateau, there's a beautiful lookout over the city, then we continued our hike and made the circuit around the cross. On our way down we met a mounted policeman on a beautiful horse. We certainly walked off some of our huge lunch, by Denis' estimate we did a half marathon (in stages). When we got off the 'mountain' we took the metro to Place Des Arts, right into the middle of the jazz festival. Lots of activity on the streets so we found a place to sit, had some refreshment and people watched. I would have stayed longer but they only served Heinekein and after a couple Denis was ready to move on. We took the metro to Bonaventure, walked around the cathedral, the Sun Life building, which apparently was the tallest building in North America at one time. We followed some blues music, but it was canned at a take-out place, so we continued until we found a pub and had some supper. After that we took the metro back to the truck, a long day!

On Mont Royal with Sonny

Saturday we started a bit later, took the metro to Bonaventure and Denis went to the Canadiens' Hall of Fame. I spent a couple hours walking around the streets it was already sweltering so trying to keep to the shade. We took the metro to Champs de Mer and headed to the old port/old town area. Considered going to Cirque de Soliel, which was on a pier, but didn't. Some old stone walls caught my eye and we wound up taking tour of the building where Marguerite D'Youville started the Grey Nuns. We continued exploring checked out a few shops and vendors, finally found a place where we could 'squeeze' into an outside table and shared our first authentic poutine at Montreal Poutine. We continued our stroll through Chinatown in a slight shower then headed to Place d'Armes and saw the remains of the fortifications which once surrounded the town. We had planned to stay down there later but we were both done for the day so took the metro from there back to the truck and ate at the trailer. Another 'hard' day of holidaying!

That Denis, always the first in the dressing room, everyone else is on the golf course!

We made it to Quebec!

 

Yesterday we visited the Diefenbunker in Carp, just west of Ottawa, brought back a lot of memories of all the talk of nuclear attack from decades ago. Then we went into Ottawa and Denis visited the Aviation Museum while I walked around downtown. I saw the changing of the guard at Rideau Hall and also walked around the beautiful grounds. Also went to Byward Market and Rideau Falls. I walked past 24 Sussex Drive but I guess the Harpers weren't accepting callers because the gates were tightly closed.

This morning we said good-bye to Ottawa, heading south and east through Kemptville, Chesterville and Cornwall. We stumbled across a Winery/Christmas tree farm, very unique and after a generous tasting, we came away with a few bottles. Travelling east from there we crossed into Quebec and stopped at the first tourist info stop and picked up some additional information. We crossed the St. Lawrence and are camped at St. Phillipe, south of Montreal. Now we are trying to figure out what we can fit in the next few days, I hear there are 37 km of underground shopping, guess what I'm doing if it rains?


Only 4 more provinces to go!

Happy Canada Day! from Ottawa

We partook of the famous McCandless hospitality in Perth and exercised our jaws as we enjoyed the AC.


We made it to Ottawa, looked across the river to Quebec

Our path into Ottawa was very straightforward and we found our campground and the park & ride very easily. We enjoyed more wonderful hospitality, Canada Day breakfast with Karen & Kim; also checked out their fantastic new home!

We hopped on the bus and were downtown by 2:30 with thousands of other patriotic, enthusiastic Canadians, you've never seen so much red. We toured the sites and had to restore our energy with some liquid refreshment, the water we brought was too warm to drink. We headed to Parliament Hill for the evening show saw Brett Kissel (Alberta boy); Daniel Lavoie (Denis knew from Dunrae); Whitehorse; Serena Ryder; Veronique Di Clare and others. The evening was capped off by a spectacular fireworks show and a cooling rain. When we left the hill every direction you looked the streets were full of people, but for the most part everyone was flowing in the same direction. It took and hour and a half to get on a bus and get back to the truck. It was worth doing once but I think we will celebrate Canada Day a little quieter next year.

Canada Day at Parliament Hill

And now we are off to check out the Diefenbunker........