Actually we weren't at all sure that
we'd make it as far as Newfoundland on this trip. There was a small
matter of a hurricane ripping through the maritime provinces and we
didn't want to become part of the problem by going somewhere where
resources were already strained. As so many times on this trip, we
changed our plans and then changed them again.
We intended to head for Newfoundland as
fast as we could and then take our time on the way back. We did want
to visit Quebec City though so we headed off with that in mind when
we were finished the singing gig in Ottawa. We were a bit
apprehensive at the border because of our lack of French and we
stopped at the first visitor information centre we came upon. The
lady there was very helpful. She assured us that we'd be fine with
our very limited French. She gave us a map of the best way around
Montreal and she recommended a campground across the river from the
Old Quebec. We could, she said, take a ferry over so that we
wouldn't have to worry about driving. What a brilliant suggestion!
We did have a bit of trouble
understanding exactly what the parking attendant wanted us to do when
we pulled up to the ferry dock but with some pointing and grunting on
both sides we got parked in the proper spot. We walked up to the
Citadel and signed on for a tour. I heard my dad talk about the
French Canadian regiment the 'Van Doos' from his experiences in the
second world war and it was interesting to see their home barracks.
There was a parade and we got to see the soldiers in their bright red
uniforms and their busbies. Rather ironic that the only regiment in
Canada to wear the very British busbies is the French one. Unlike the
Stampede or Banff and Lake Louise in the summer, the Citadel was
comparatively quiet. They only allowed a certain number of people on
each tour but there weren't huge line-ups waiting to get a tour
either.
After the tour and a good look around
the museum, we headed into the city for some lunch. Richard had been
without a watch for a few days and we figured it must have slipped
out of his pocket. He was quite unhappy about that because I have a
watch that matches it. We went into a Swatch shop and he bought a
rather elegant replacement. It's also a very practical souvenir of
the trip. The watch I wear most of the time I bought in Zermatt
Switzerland. I won't say that I think of Zermatt every time I check
my watch but probably once every day or so I'm reminded of the great
hiking holiday in the Alps. Of course, as luck would have it, I later
found Richard's watch in the van.
On Richard's bucket list was having
poutine in Quebec City. We went to a rather upscale restaurant and
he had poutine. It was nothing like the poutine that comes in a
package or the kind you get at MacDonald's. Still, I wouldn't put it
near the top of my list of favourite foods. I don't remember what I
had but it wasn't poutine.
With the Hurricane Arthur making its
way north, we decided to go around the Gaspe Peninsula and stay out
of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia where the worst of the storm was
supposed to hit. We'd do our sightseeing on the way to Newfoundland
rather than on the way back and if we didn't make it to Newfoundland
this trip we'd just have to plan another. We started to follow the
lighthouse route and our first lighthouse was at Pointe-au-Pere. We
got a tour, in French, saw a video, in English, and got to go through
the Canadian submarine the Onondaga. Both of us really enjoyed that
stop.
We kept our eyes on the weather
forecast and decided to head to Matane which was supposed to have a
municipal campground. It did and it was a lovely one. We planned to
stay one night and then move on but by that time the trailing edge of
the storm was making itself felt and we decided to stay for two
nights. With the help of Google Translate, Richard managed to secure
a second night for us and we hunkered down in the wind and the rain.
It was chilly enough that we even turned on the furnace at one point.
We saw one tree with a broken limb as a result of the storm but we
were warm and dry and our shelter stood up just fine in the wind.
Because power was out in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and parts of
Prince Edward Island we took our time in Quebec until the power was
back on in most places. We spent two days in Forillon National Park.
It was kind of exciting to buy a national park pass somewhere other
than Banff.
There were a number of hikes that we
could have done but we chose to hike up Mont Saint Alban which gave
us gorgeous views along the coast in both directions. On our way down
we came across a mama and a baby porcupine. We waited for them to
get off the trail. Mama obliged and lumbered off into the bush.
Baby had other ideas and headed down the trail in the opposite
direction. We waited for a bit and then crossed the trail in between
them. Mama did not come rushing out of the bush and Baby seemed
content to chew on the foliage.
After 2 nights in Forillon we carried
on and stopped for lunch in Perce. It was a challenge getting a
parking spot but we managed and had lunch in a little restaurant
overlooking the ocean. We debated about whether to stay and take the
boat out to the bird sanctuary but the weather forecast was for rain
the next day and we decided we didn't want to spend another day
waiting it out. We reasoned if it was raining we might as well be
using the time to get closer to Newfoundland. Perce Rock and the
gannet colony went onto our bucket list for another trip.
The next national park we hit was
Kouchibouguac. I practiced a lot to spell that and to say it. I
think it was one of my favourite places on the trip, although it was
really hot and humid and I had a serious case of the grumpies because
of the heat. There are lots of trails that to hike or cycle. The
second day we rented bikes and rode 23 km on the trails, not a hugely
long ride but these bikes were... interesting. They had one speed
with coaster brakes and we had to ask the rental guy for helmets. It
took me a while to stop grabbing for the non-existent brakes with my
hands. We got quite a workout and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
From Kouchibouguac we drove to PEI. We
weren't sure we'd get to PEI either but, once again, we lucked out.
We phoned from the Nova Scotia visitor's centre to book passage on
the ferry to Port Aux Basques in Newfoundland. We couldn't get on
for a couple of days so we decided to contact John and Kris on PEI to
see if we could arrange to meet. John is very quick replying to
emails and within a short time we were heading back so we could take
the Confederation Bridge over to the island.
It's an advantage driving a rather
large high vehicle over the bridge because we could see over the
concrete barriers on either side. In a car we would have only seen
the road. When we left the island we chose to take the ferry rather
than the bridge because it was shorter and because the day we left
was windy and Flopsy's steering is not the most responsive on the
planet. In that situation a large high vehicle was not an advantage.
We had a marvellous time with John and
Kris who wined us and dined us. We caught up on the intervening
years, had great conversations and met their two dogs. Our time on
PEI was one of the highlights of the trip.
After taking the ferry to Nova Scotia
we camped about 20 minutes away from the Newfoundland ferry. Getting
to Newfoundland would take 6 hours. We needed to be at the ferry at
9:30 a.m. The ferry didn't leave until 11:30 but it really did take
all that time to get all the vehicles loaded. Having secured a space
in the campground, we drove into North Sydney to have a lobster
dinner at a restaurant recommended to us by the person at the
campground. When we got there it was closed. We settled for pizza
and never did get our lobster dinner. That's one more thing for the
next time.
When we got up in the morning it was
drizzling and chilly. The drizzle turned to rain once we left the
port and we were glad we brought our fleece sweaters out of the van
with us. We found a spot on one of the decks right by the windows
that looked out the bow of the ship. We had lunch on board in a
rather unusual restaurant. We lined up to order and pay for our
meal, then obtained a number to put on the table. When the meal was
ready one of the crew brought it to our table, sort of like a
cafeteria where someone else goes through the line for you.
When we finished lunch we listened to
books, wandered around the ship, checked out the gift shop and took
photos of the rain and the sea. When we arrived in Port Aux Basques
it was raining and grey and altogether desolate looking; nevertheless
I couldn't wait to see what Newfoundland had in store for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment