QUEBEC

CHATEAU FRONTENAC, OLD QUEBEC CITY

EASTERN CANADA JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

QUEBEC

JUNE 28 - JULY 2

RIVIERE HART JAUNE

Our next night was spent, regrettably, at Relais Gabriel, a half-way truck stop that was without question the worst place of the entire trip.  Our tiny un-airconditioned room was on the stifling hot second floor.  We had only one small window that provided little ventilation and the bathroom was shared with 5 other rooms of truckers.  Below was a small restaurant which had bug coils burning in a vain effort to repel invading hordes of black flies and mosquitoes.  Everyone smoked, probably in self-defense against the biting flies.  Nearby was a small lake, which we fled to and sat on a neatly placed bench to give ourselves some space and fresh air.  It was evening and the lake was perfectly calm and peaceful.  The only noise was the buzzing bugs around our heads which hopefully our repellent would dissuade from dining on us.  A common Loon snorkeled its way along, occasionally diving for fish.  Two Common terns flew around, circling the pond and fly-catching!  It was the first time we had ever seen this behavior from terns.  A beaver quietly worked the corner of the pond near its lodge and then swam back and forth before us, silently pushing through the quicksilver water.  Black flies snuck up my pants legs, sat on the tops of my socks and ate their way around, like my legs were a lazy susan.  These little buggers inject an anesthetic as they chew, so you feel nothing until the incredible itching commences moments later.  We returned to our hell-hole.  It was dusk now and we had the lights on.  Suddenly, we both started itching on every area of flesh that wasn’t covered.  A veritable horde of extremely tiny gnat-like biting flies had entered the room through the screen, flies so small that we could barely see them.  They made black flies look like giants.  Despite insufferable heat, the itching was so severe and the flies so numerous on the wall, we had to close the window and keep the door shut.  I thought I would go crazy for lack of oxygen.  We spent a half hour chasing down over 200 of these wretched biting mites and squashing them on the walls. We then turned off the lights, wrapped ourselves in sheets and tried to sleep in our twin beds.  About 11:00 PM, I woke in a panic, feeling like I was suffocating.  At least the flies had stopped biting.  Gas was $1.66/litre, the highest of the trip.  We sped away as fast as we could.

MANIC CINQ DAM

About 30 miles south is Manic Cinq, named after the fifth monster dam placed on the formerly monster Manicouagan River, which like its cousin to the north, has been reduced to a trickle after water is diverted for hydro-electric purposes.  We ruefully noted that there was a much nicer looking motel there and wished we had stayed there instead.  The road was extremely dusty and not in the best shape.  If you could take your eyes off the road for a moment when a dust cloud of a tractor trailer wasn’t bearing down on you, the Manicouagan area is exceptionally beautiful, with mountains and valleys and has been designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.  The road is now paved, but not easy driving, since it winds up and down and around almost endlessly, coming to its conclusion in Baie-Comeau.  Route 389 was definitely our least favorite drive of the trip, mostly due to the heavy truck traffic.

GARDEN OF THE GLACIERS CENTRE

SEASHELL VALLEY

SEASHELLS FROM GOLDWAIT SEA

Five hours after starting, we reached Baie-Comeau on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.  Our destination was the Garden of the Glaciers (www.jardindesglaciers.ca) a remarkable new multi-faceted project.  The primary focus is on the effects glaciers had on the geology and aboriginal peoples of the region and the effects of climate change.  The project is headquartered in a beautiful church converted into a display center, all overlooking the mighty St. Lawrence.  In addition to the exhibits and shows featured in the main building, the Garden of the Glaciers offers tours to Seashell Valley. Here the ancient glacially created Goldwait Sea deposited seashell layers up to 50 feet thickb from 30 plus species of mollusks.  You can also take a ride through the forest where native dwellings from glacial times are recreated.  Finally, along the river, for family fun, they offer “Adrenaline Park”, with five zip-lines on the cliffs, rock-climbing, kayaking and a multitude of other activities.  The staff was extremely helpful, enthusiastic and informed.  We planned a one-hour visit and stayed four.

HOTEL TADOUSSAC

READY IN OUR IMMERSION SUITS

WHALE WATCH BOATS

Next stop was two hours southwest in Tadoussac, at the mouth of the Saguenay River and Fjord.  We arrived at the Hotel Tadoussac around 9:00 PM, with just enough light to see this grand old hotel, dating from 1864.  Although old, the hotel is thoroughly modern and offers excellent services, including two highly rated restaurants featuring regional cuisine.   Due to its location at the confluence of the deep Saguenay River and the even deeper trench of the food-rich St. Lawrence River, Tadoussac is one of the finest marine mammal observation sites in the world.  In addition to having an excellent marine mammal interpretation centre in the harbour, numerous operators offer guided excursions out on the St. Lawrence for a chance to see the whales that come here from the ocean to feed every summer.  Visitors can chose from a small to medium size zodiac boat for a three hour trip or for something more stable, up to a three-level whale-watch boat that was the largest I have ever seen.  When we awoke, it was raining.  We ate a big breakfast, with bacon and lots of coffee, confident that the boat would not go out in these conditions.  The rain slowed down.  The zodiac we (I) had chosen was going.  So were we.  We met at the nearby dock of Crosieres AML (www.croisieresaml.com/en), donned our warm and protective life-saving immersion suits and boarded the zodiac, with about 20 others.  It was raining lightly.  As we got out into open water, the waves increased and this type of boat just bounces with them.  Gale and I do not have stomachs or inner ears that tolerate much bouncing.  All I could think was, “What have you gotten us into?”  The waves and the rain increased.  A minke whale surfaced.  Who cares?  Just take me back to shore.  Then a miracle happened - the rain increased, but the waves diminished.   I could stop thinking about how I would be able to turn around and hang over the edge of the boat to puke without falling out.  We were not going to die.  Two fin whales surfaced nearby.  At about 60-70 feet long, the second largest mammal in the world, they dwarfed our puny boat.  Minke whales were everywhere, including one that did a 75% breach only 50 feet away, showing its pink striated underside to perfection.  A few gray seals stopped by to check us out.  Great!  Now get us the hell out of here.

MINKE WHALE

WHEELS AT THE CHEESE MUSEUM

Once again on terra firma, we were still pretty wobbly.  We had to get to Quebec City, about a three hour drive.  But since when is a three hour drive REALLY a three hour drive?  Never, when you stop to check out interesting places.  And how could you pass up The Cheese Museum in the Charlevoix Region?  We bought a little piece of Swiss cheese and then an ice cream cone that started up a conversation with Robert Benoix, chief guide for this fascinating place.  Turns out we both love photographing birds and after a little while of that topic, he offered to show us the works of the cheese factory.  We received the full cook’s tour, including explanations of how cheese is made here completely from natural ingredients, without consuming any natural resources other than milk.  When cheese is made, the process throws off methane gas, which they capture to fuel their operation.  The mud that is another byproduct is returned as fertilizer to the local farmer’s fields.  Water that is used is naturally filtered by vegetation within the factory greenhouse in several different stages until it can be returned to the rivers in a pure, clear state.  Check it out: www.fromagescharlevoix.com.

OLD QUEBEC CITY

CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT THE CITADEL

GATE TO THE OLD CITY

OLD QUEBEC

THE FUDGERIE

What can I say about Quebec City?  Charming, sophisticated, old world style, rife with North American history, beautiful in almost every way.  We checked in at the Hilton and were delighted with the view from our room, overlooking the old walled city, the citadel, the world-famous Chateau Frontenac, the elegant Quebec Parliament building, Ile d’Orleans and the St. Lawrence River.  Quebec City was the first French settlement in North America, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain.  Our guide for the day was Michelle Demers, from Quebec City Tourism.  Michelle drove us around the outside of the Old City, explaining the history of the area from earliest times.  We visited the battlements of The Citadel, fortunate to catch the changing of the guard.   Passing through the St. Louis Gate, we wound through the narrow twisting streets within the walls before we abandoned the car and wandered on foot through the sights and sounds of Old Quebec.  Lunch was at a quaint little bistro, where delicious soups, pastries and sandwiches on croissants provided excellent fare.  There are superb restaurants of every type throughout the Old City and I could pleasantly imagine an effort to eat one’s way through them all.  Of course, you may not be able to fit though one of the gates leaving the city, but c’est la vie.  The streets were full of people as this was Canada Day weekend, similar to our July 4th celebrations.  Flowers seemed to drip from every establishment and upper floor window box, and since the sun was actually shining, this was indeed a festive occasion.  One of our most interesting unplanned visits was to an exhibit beneath the Our Lady of the Victories church, where Champlain in 1624 built the first permanent house by Europeans in North America.  An extensive archaeological dig in the 1970s produced many original artifacts from this period and they were first placed on display only two days before our arrival.  

DINERS IN OLD QUEBEC

We spent a couple of hours visiting the Ile d’Orleans, an island the size of Manhattan just downriver from the city.  Famed for its fine produce and family owned farms, vineyards and orchards, we enjoyed sampling some outstanding ice wine and ice cider, not to mention the fresh strawberries sold from roadside stands.  Every merchant we met was charming and happy to chat.  I would strongly recommend anyone who visits Quebec City to also spend a day or two on the island.  There are several gites (B&B’s), excellent restaurants and even two golf courses.

FIREWORKS ON CANADA DAY!

Since it was a pleasant evening after Michelle dropped us off, we went out for dinner along Rue St. Louis, an old and interesting neighborhood outside the walls and a great place to dine away from all the tourist spots within the old city.  It was an easy stroll back  through the gates and we enjoyed our aimless wandering until near dark.  Since this was Canada Day, fireworks were in order.  The show was on The Plains of Abraham, above the cliffs where Americans made a surprise attack on the Old City in 1775.  Fortunately, we were able to watch the entire show from our hotel window.

OLD CITY IN EARLY MORNING

Our last morning.  We arose early and before breakfast walked through the Old City.  Much to our surprise, no one was out before 8:00 AM and we had the place to ourselves.  The quiet and peacefulness was in stark contrast to the crowded party atmosphere that lit up the streets last night.  We saw that there are dozens of boutique hotels scattered throughout the Old City, many on little-traveled side streets.  I think if we were to return, that is where we would stay, to fully immerse ourselves in the charm of the place.  There are numerous museums and other attractions we would like to have experienced, but that is for another trip when we have more time.  For now, our trip is over but for an 8 hour drive back to Connecticut.  Au revoir, mon ami!

EAT MY DUST

Questions?  Write sam.fried@live.com