Tuesday, July 21, Day 35
The previous day we had driven 290 miles and entered Quebec,
the 7th Canadian province and territory we have traveled through in our
truck camper.
Unlike the other provinces here in Canada that feature French and English. French is the language spoken and read. The first task for Daisy and me was to read, understand, and comply with the French highway signs!
We arrived at the Camping Transit, a Good Sam campground in Levis,
Quebec, in the mid-afternoon and made arrangements for our tour of Quebec City. |
| A nice almost double wide grassy spot with no mud! |
We went to the office at 9:20 am to take a
9:30 shuttle to the ferry that would take us across the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City.
There were several people going to
the ferry this morning so the campground provided a van and 2 cars to take us
to the dock.
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| Our ride |
We got ferry tickets and boarded the ferry for the short 20 minute
ride across to the downtown terminal.
It was cool and cloudy with sprinkling rain. We took photos of the city skyline as we motored across the river.
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| The ferry could carry 40 cars as well as passengers. |
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| Morning skies were gray as we approached the old city. |
We disembarked with two Canadian couples. There was some confusion about where to board the red double-decker tour bus and we split up to find the bus stop.
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| Our road ride with the top down |
We
located the boarding area, and when the bus arrived we decided to sit on the
lower covered level instead of the open-aired top. It was a 2-hour tour in the drizzle and Daisy
and I were glad we decided to stay dry and warm. Of course the folks on top were
pleased they did not have any obstructions for photo taking. We were happy for
them!
The tour guide alternated between English and French and was
very good at highlighting the history, architecture, and culture of the city
and region. The bus made 12 stops to drop off and let on passengers.
Even the underpasses where decorated.
Our bus tour featured the old and the new scenes of interest:
Even the underpasses where decorated.
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| Fountains |
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| Lamp posts |
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| Statues |
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| Churches |
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| Parliament |
The Chateau Frontenac was one of the stops where we got off and visited. It has stood overlooking the St. Lawrence River for over 100 years. Construction on the most-photographed hotel in the world began in 1893. Since then, it has been expanded several times.
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| Very elegant |
Our campground owner advised us to first make the whole loop without getting off, and then just get off at the stops that really had our interest, and we gladly followed this suggestion.
Overall the tour guide gave us a good overview of the city.
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| The street scene |
Rue Saint-Louis and Rue Sainte-Anne are lined with renowned restaurants and delightful boutiques.
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| Our recommended eatery |
We got off at a stop near the end and had lunch at a very traditional place called “Aux
Anciens Canadiens.”
We shared a sampler platter to try out a variety of local specialties.
We started with a glass of wine, which was great on a cold and wet day. As appetizers, we shared wild bison and caribou rillettes and pea soup. There was plenty of time between the servings to enjoy the wine and each other.
We told our waitress that we wanted to sample a variety of French Canadian cuisine and she quickly suggested we order the "Grandpa's Treat." It was a main course meat sampler platter consisting of: braised lamb with herbs,wild meat pie, pig knuckles, fried salt pork with stewed fruit, wapiti sausage with baked beans, and meatball ragout. The price of our selected entree for two was $43.99 Canadian, and this was for the fixed price meal that included our wine, appetizers, and dessert. We thought this was a very reasonable price, especially considering that the exchange rate made this about $34 in US dollars. Of course we added a nice tip for our server.
Dessert was strawberry upside-down cake and maple syrup pie, both very tasty.
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| Four-footed taxi service to the restaurant |
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| Low ceilings and heavy furniture |
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| Wild bison and caribou pate |
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| Chilled water pitcher |
We shared a sampler platter to try out a variety of local specialties.
We started with a glass of wine, which was great on a cold and wet day. As appetizers, we shared wild bison and caribou rillettes and pea soup. There was plenty of time between the servings to enjoy the wine and each other.
We told our waitress that we wanted to sample a variety of French Canadian cuisine and she quickly suggested we order the "Grandpa's Treat." It was a main course meat sampler platter consisting of: braised lamb with herbs,wild meat pie, pig knuckles, fried salt pork with stewed fruit, wapiti sausage with baked beans, and meatball ragout. The price of our selected entree for two was $43.99 Canadian, and this was for the fixed price meal that included our wine, appetizers, and dessert. We thought this was a very reasonable price, especially considering that the exchange rate made this about $34 in US dollars. Of course we added a nice tip for our server.
Dessert was strawberry upside-down cake and maple syrup pie, both very tasty.
It was drizzling at a faster pace as we turned down Rue du
Trésor. It is nestled between Château
Frontenac and Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral. This street attracts a host of
artists who display their work on the walls lining the narrow street which doubles
as an outdoor art gallery.
We walked around and looked in several shops and of course bought a magnet and t-shirt/hat combinations. It had stopped the heavy drizzle and we watched for our bus to get back to the port level and one more tour site near our ferry entrance.
We got off the bus at a museum to discover that a large tour was in line and staging to get in. We did not have the time to wait and still make the ferry back to catch our shuttle back to the campground. So we walked back to the ferry through the old waterfront area of town with its cobble stone streets and narrow width store fronts.
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| Part of Quebec's old port |
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| People mover |
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| Waterfront looking uptown |
We got there in enough time to catch an earlier ferry back to the Levis side of the St. Lawrence. Then we walked from the terminal to a barbecue place and had a glass of wine while waiting for our shuttle.
There was an interesting mural on
the wall, illustrating different types of BBQ in the US, which was something we
didn’t expect in Quebec.
But in the US they do not serve wine in smoky BBQ joints either.
Our shuttle came on time but there were more people than the 3 vehicles could handle in one trip. It seems that 2 large families with children had taken cabs from the campground and wanted to go back with the shuttle. So we waited with one other adult. No problem. We had a quiet evening back at the campground. The next day would be a short travel day.
But in the US they do not serve wine in smoky BBQ joints either.
Our shuttle came on time but there were more people than the 3 vehicles could handle in one trip. It seems that 2 large families with children had taken cabs from the campground and wanted to go back with the shuttle. So we waited with one other adult. No problem. We had a quiet evening back at the campground. The next day would be a short travel day.
Wednesday, July 22, Day 36
Travel miles this day 103
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| A sweet thing |
It was nice to sleep in, then we got a late morning start on purpose. We stopped to have lunch at a Tim Horton’s, a chain that Daisy likes. The pastry she selected was a chocolate doughnut with cream filling and chocolate icing. There were three Reese’s minis on top—sheer decadence.
At our next campground in Quebec we were greeted by English-speaking French Canadians we know from our winter home in Texas. We parked right by Sylvie and Sylvain and then walked over to visit Denis and Francine at their site.
We later had a glass of wine with Sylvie and Sylvain and went out to eat with Denis and Francine at one of their favorite restaurants.
Daisy had poutine (french-fries with cheese curds and gravy) topped with pork barbecue. Poutine must be a national dish because we found it everywhere, but not with the barbecue. I had ribs. Combined with a great salad bar, our meal was very satisfying.
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| Poutine |
Back at the campground we found another couple we know, Jean-Paul and Petra. Petra works at a local tourist attraction—a restored 19th century village—and wanted us to come visit it. We were not able to this trip, but we already know that Quebec is one place to revisit in the future. Petra served us some of the special teas that she is known for collecting. We had a great visit with them, knowing that we will not be seeing them in Texas this winter. They have made plans to investigate Mexico for a couple of winters. We will miss them and were glad we got to see them in their summer place. We went back to our TC and called it a day—a very good day at that! It would have been nice to stay there longer, but the next day we would be visiting another French Canadian couple, who had been expecting us all summer. We had arranged to park in their driveway for a couple of days.
Thursday, July 23, Day 37
Miles to travel 146
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| This sign means "Rest Area." |
Sylvie and Sylvain came over to see us off. We definitely want to spend more time with them in the near future. The skies cleared as we traveled west toward Montreal. Daisy took an interest in photographing the symbols in the French highway signs.
Our destination was the home of Roger and Nicole near
Hinchinbrook, QC. They live on the same street
we do at our winter resort in Texas. As we were planning this summer’s journey,
Nicole told Daisy that our visit would be the highlight of their summer! |
| The road to Nicole and Roger's |
They live out in the country in a house on which Roger did the majority of the building. We were able to park in their second driveway and got hooked up with electricity. They took us on a tour of their place including a secluded glass brick outdoor patio that had a soaking tub with solar heating for the water.
Nicole fixed a lovely dinner of pureed broccoli soup, beef
ragout, baked zucchini with cheese and garlic, salads, and a plate of various
unique cheeses and fruits for dessert. She had been planning and preparing for
our visit to make it special, and her efforts were very successful. We used the showers in their place and
settled in the TC for the night. They had plans for our next day with them.
Friday, July 24, Day 38
Nicole and Roger offered us a tasty breakfast of meats,
cheeses, breads, fruits, juices, and teas. I felt very European. Every now and
then Nicole would speak to us in a French/Spanish/English mixture. It was cute.
Roger was in charge of the travel day and was anxious to get
started. Daisy and I lounged a little bit before getting with the program. We
toured the local area first and he pointed out to us just how close the US
border was—only about two miles. So we found an isolated boundary monument. 
After a short drive, Roger took us to an example of another interest we have: covered bridges. The "Percy Covered Bridge" spans the Chateauguay River. It is the oldest covered bridge in Canada. This one was first built over 150 years ago and rebuilt since.
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| Percy covered bridge |
I asked Roger about the stream that flowed under the bridge, remarking how clear it was. He indicated that it was spring fed and one source was not far from where we were.
He and Nicole conversed and informed us that one of Quebec’s bottled water suppliers also used the spring for their production as well, which interested us. We got in his vehicle and after a few quick turns, Roger pulled into the back driveway of the Labrador Bottled Water Company, which has been bottling spring water on site since 1882.
He excused himself and came back informing us that the plant managers were standing by to take us on a private tour of their facility. Really! That made us feel very privileged.
After the plant tour we decided it was time for lunch and Nicole had already picked out one of their favorite places for us to eat.
We arrived after the peak lunch time and almost had the attention of the staff to ourselves.
The food was good of course, and we had the new experience of ordering Mexican food in French-speaking Canada!
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| Sandwich de Pore Effiloche |
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| Filet de Percheudex Cajun |
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| The battlefield now |
Knowing we have an interest in military history, Roger and Nicole took
us to a War of 1812 battle site after our meal. At that time, Canada was a colony of Great Britain. On October 26, 1813, the Battle of Chateauguay took place between 2,600 US and 1,630 British troops.
This was significant in Canadian history because the British forces repelled the American invasion. The American intent was to use a superior land force and to capture Montreal after dealing with this campaign. What I found interesting is that the numerically superior US force intended to do this without the benefit of any artillery support and accurate battlefield knowledge!
Without adequate communications related to the battle ground and the British force’s locations and numbers, the US commanders apparently split their forces and tried a flanking movement in heavily forested and swampy terrain.
The British spread out their smaller force and using yells, bugles, and movements led the US forces to believe they faced a superior army.
The US retreated and went home—never
again to threaten Canada.
The Canadians are quite proud of this achievement. Score one
for them. It is a good thing we are now allies. We now share with Canada
the longest non-militarized international boundary in the world.
Back at Nicole and Roger’s home, we came together peacefully
to share some wine and filet mignon expertly prepared on the grill.
The next day, we would head for the province of Ontario and more Canadian friends.
The next day, we would head for the province of Ontario and more Canadian friends.
