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Quebec and New Brunswick
  • JoAnne Gelowitz

Quebec and New Brunswick

A 15-day adventure by JoAnne Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 24, 2019
    JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler

    Getting to Montreal

    July 24, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    It was a long day of travel. Since we had to fly to Calgary to get to Montreal and most of Canada did not have clouds, I got to see the changing landscape of Canada from the sky. Pretty cool to see it all in one day - mountains, prairies and lakes and trees of Northern Ontario!
    Not too much to say. We got to our hotel around 8:00 pm. Went out for all you can eat sushi and went to sleep.
    The only picture I have is one dad took of the luggage on the bus, which took us to the metro (subway), which took us to our hotel. On the bus I noticed a lot of graffiti. A lot of graffiti. It's kind of disturbing. I'll write more about this in the next footprint.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    Notre DameRandom mister thingy on the way to the metroCabin of JokesHorse and carriage outside of Notre Dame

    Just for laughs festival

    July 25, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I am writing this a day later so things may not exactly be accurate.
    After breakfast we walked around the area of the hotel to orient ourselves with the streets. Turns out our hotel is short walks to the places we want to go or just a quick ride on the metro. Glad we didn't rent a car for this portion of the trip, it would have been useless. Parking is very difficult to find.
    Back to the graffiti I was talking about yesterday. Its everywhere. Much like Regina, there are murals on many buildings, I think to discourage the graffiti, but sadly some of these also have graffiti on them.
    After figuring out the streets we walked to the Just for Laughs festival site. Turns out nothing at the site is open until later in the afternoon, so again we just walked around and got to know the place.
    Then we headed off for Old Montreal. It is a pretty cool place. Cobble stone streets, Notre Dame, lots of shops and the old port. We are going back on Saturday.
    In the evening we saw our first Just for Laughs show, The Ethnic Show, it was pretty funny. After the show we walked through the festival site again. There was much more going on and this time was quite interesting. Buskers, food trucks, an outside stage for free shows (these were in French 😔) and just things to see. We went into the Cabin of Jokes. It seats about 4 people and you get a free 5 minute comedy show.
    We took in lots on our first day. We both really appreciate the metro. I am really appreciating how people who work/live in Montreal are so accommodating with language. They are very willing to speak English. We have not run to anyone who doesn't speak both languages. Makes me think I should do a better job a learning to speak our nation's other language.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    This park is right by our hotel
    Rainbow houses by our hotelCoffee shop in the park by our hotel

    Schwartz's Deli and Kale Salad

    July 26, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    This morning we went for a walk away from the downtown area towards the neighboring residential area. The goal was to walk to Mont Royale to see the cross and then for lunch have a Montreal smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz's Deli. We got to the base of Mount Royal but it was way too hot today for either one of us to want to venture to the top. So we just hung around the park for quite a while.
    Once we started getting hungry we wandered over to Sainte Laurent Blvd to find Schwartz's Deli. This place is supposed to have the best Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich in the city. It was lunch time when we found it and the lineup went down the street and around the corner. We decided to go have a poutine from Patati Patata while waiting for the line up to go down. The poutine was very good. We then slowly made our way back to the deli. The line up was a little shorter so we joined. As we waited Gerard noticed another door with people moving in out quite quickly. Our line was quite slow. We were told that what Gerard saw was the take out door and that we were in line for the restaurant. We just wanted take out anyways so in we went and got our smoked meat sandwich. The sandwich was really good and now that I am writing this I think I want another one.
    It was super hot so we went back to the hotel to cool off and get ready to go out to see our second comedy show. We discovered an underground mall yesterday. It is under the festival site. So we went to the mall food court for supper. I was craving salad so I went to a kiosk that clearly sold salads but the menu was all in French. So far we have been able to figure out the French menus. I got a salad and the greens were chou frise, found out the hard way that means kale 😝. It was actually pretty good and that is coming from someone who really doesn't like kale.
    After supper we saw our second show, which was really funny. All British comedians. Then we did another tour of the festival site. Came back to the room and wrote blog posts.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    A 275 year old Bonsai tree.
    Chinese garden with the with Olympic stadium incline tower in the back groundrA water lily for our Lily who loves waterThe marina at rue Grande

    Montreal Botanical Gardens and Old Port

    July 27, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    This morning we went to the Botanical Gardens. It is right by the Olympic Stadium. We took in the stadium only from the outside but went to walk through the gardens. It is very nice and wasn't restricted to just flowers. There were quite a few different gardens. Useful plants (vegetables), toxic plants (Gerard took a picture of poison ivy, so now I don't have to wonder what it looks like), medicinal plants. My favorite was the First Nations garden, which was pretty much a natural forest area. Once we got way too hot we went back to the hotel to cool down and get ready for supper.
    Gerard wanted to go to a French restaurant for supper. He found one that good reviews. It was hidden in a hotel just outside of Old Montreal. When we found it we discovered it was really fancy and we definitely were not dressed enough for this place. So of we went to Old Montreal to find a French restaurant for sweaty people dressed in wrinkled clothes.
    We didn't find one but we found the liquor store so Gerard bought a couple bottles of wine. More on that later.
    We finally decided to eat at an Italian restaurant, Mimmo. It was very good and neither of our dishes had pasta 😄. After supper we walked down rue Grande. We were going to a show that was too involve all the senses. I was concerned that we wouldn't get in with the wine. Gerard asked at the ticket booth they said it was okay and sold us tickets. Got to the door and security made it very clear that we could not bring in the wine. So back we went to the ticket booth to get our money back. They were very apologetic.
    We decided to walk though rue Grande. Its like the exhibition. Food trucks, all sorts of booths selling a variety of souvenirs, a zip line, a huge Ferris wheel. Once we were done looking around we went back to the hotel and watched the football game🏈🙂.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler

    Kamouraska

    July 28, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    So we stopped for a bathroom break and found a cool rest stop.
    It was right on the shores of the St Lawrence Seaway. It was really windy around there. Not sure if that is common but what we saw was a group of people kite surfing - not sure if that is what it is called but that's what I am calling it. 😁 Took some pictures of them surfing on the water. Gerard got some videos of the surfers getting some air and flying off the water. It was a pretty cool place to have a little break.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    Gerard is in his happy placeThe OnondagaPretty sure those campers are staying overnight on the break water

    Rimouski in the evening

    July 28, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We got to our destination at about 6:00. Eight hours for a five hour drive, not bad. We took the scenic route and drove along the St. Lawrence Seaway, much nicer than the main highway.
    Got to our bed and breakfast. It is called Gite de l'Onondaga. Gite is a small hotel and Onondaga is a submarine which is resting on the St. Lawrence and is walking distance from the hotel. So we drove because we didn't realize it was walking distance 😕. It was nice to be so close to the water at sunset. Kind of felt like bring beside the ocean. The day is fine and there is more to see tomorrow.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    These rose bushes are about 5 feet highThe tea house at the end of the hike, which is surrounded in rosesA rise bush tucked amongst the evergreensA view on our drive to GaspeThe view from our hotel room in Gaspe

    Le Bic Park

    July 29, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After having a wonderful breakfast at our gite (bed and breakfast) we did something we don't usually do. We back tracked. Very close to the town of Rimouski is a provincial park at the town of Le Bic. It looked nice and had the promise of seeing seals. We went on a 4 km hike and saw the St. Lawrence Seaway at high tide. Unfortunately there were no seals 😔. On the hike I was amazed by the size of the wild Rose bushes, which were everywhere.
    After our hike we drove the north side of the Gaspe Penninsula. It seemed like a long drive, probably because we have now had two days in row of 5 hour drives. This 5 hour drive only is took us 7 hours. It was a nice dinner along the St. Lawrence.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler

    Forillon National Park

    July 30, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    This morning we went to Forillon National Park. When we went to Le Bic National Park we discovered that there are provincial national parks and federal national parks. On the signs the only way to tell the difference is a beaver is on the sign for the federal natural parks. Anyways, today's park was a Canada National Park. It is on what's called lands end. Pretty much a huge cliff that drops of into the Gulf of St Lawrence. It was a very spectacular sight. Decided that we need to see this place again.
    We went back to Gaspe for lunch. Last night while looking for a restaurant that was open at 9:30 pm got confused and thought the restaurant was at this hotel. It wasn't but the hotel looked cool but I wanted to take a picture. They must have parking at the back because I am not sure how you would get your suitcases up all those steps.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    The cliff at the rest stop
    Gerard trying to get through some bent bars in the fence 😄Roche Perce (the pierced rock)

    Roche Perce

    July 30, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Roche Perce (pierced rock) is pretty cool. It is a large rock on the Gulf that has a hole in it. Gerard watched a show a few weeks ago that said that due to erosion this rock won't be around in 10,000 years, so we thought we better go see it 🙂.
    It was really kind of cool but I really liked the cliff at the rest stop just outside the town of Perce.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler

    Magnetic Hill

    July 31, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Magnetic Him is a place I remember hearing about when I was a kid. It was a place that your car rolled up hill. Sounds like a tourist trap and it is but in a Canadian way. It wasn't too much to pay for the experience and it was pretty cool. The explanation is that the tree line confuses you about where the horizon is and makes you think you are going uphill when really you are going downhill. In theory this makes sense but when you are there it is mind boggling.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    Reversing Falls
    Bay of Fundy

    Sussex/St John Area

    August 1, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We are now staying with Gerard's cousin Jerry and his wife Sherry. Jerry said if we stayed at his house he would tour us around the area for a couple of days.
    The first thing we saw today was the reversing falls and we were fortunate to see the falls in reverse. The St John River flows into the Bay of Fundy but when the tide comes in the bay pushes the river back making the river water flow in the opposite direction. We timed it right and got to see this phenomenon. It's hard to see in the picture (the Bay is on the right and it is making the river flow backwards). We went a little farther down the river and saw a spot where the current was so strong that ducks were purposely floating backwards in the river.😄
    The next stop was at a lighthouse just to get a better view of the Bay of Fundy.
    After that we went to St Martin's to experience the sea caves. Here the tide was low so you could go into the caves. When the tide is high it completely covers the caves.
    At the same spot where the sea caves are located there were two covered bridges. So we stopped to take some pictures. The last picture is the boats sitting on the sea bed during low tide. It was quite the day.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    When the tide is lowest you can walk around this rock

    Hopewell Rocks

    August 2, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Hopewell Rocks was another place that we both really wanted to see. The tides are the highest in the world at this place. The big feature of the area are the Flower Pot Rocks. When the tide is high these Rocks stand in water. When the tide is low you can walk around on the ocean floor and see just how big the rocks are. While talking to an interpreter he said that on the ocean floor the tide comes in at 1 foot per minute. We spent about an hour on the ocean floor just as the tide was starting to come in. Once the water starts to get too high the interpreters chase people off the floor so they don't get trapped. It looks safe at this point but there are spots where a person could get trapped. Even the best swimmer would not be able to get out because of the strength of the tide.
    It was pretty spectacular to see and I will have pictures of the high tide in the next post. The tide was 43.8 feet high. The interpreters seemed quite concerned because the highest recorded is 46 feet, so pretty close.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    Not when the tide is high
    View from the red chairs

    Bay of Fundy National Park

    August 2, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    While waiting for the tide to come in we went for lunch and saw a few other sites. On the way back to Hopewell Rocks we stopped at Cape Enrage. The water is supposed to be pretty rough in this area but it was calm day in terms of waves. Still noone was in the water while the tide was coming in.
    After that we went back to the Hopewell Rocks to see the Flower Pots at high tide. We were about an hour late for high tide but the water was still very high. They block off steps going down to the Flower Pots so none actually goes into the water but you can get quite close.
    After that we drove back to Jerry's house and stopped at a viewpoint in Bay of Fundy National Park. Gotta sit in those red aderondak chairs.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler

    Ganong Chocolate Factory

    August 3, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    So the town next to St Andrew's had a chocolate factory. The Ganong chocolate factory. This company makes one of my favourite childhood candies - chicken bones. Had to go so the tour. Found out that Ganong considers themselves the creator of the chocolate bar. They also created the heart shaped candy boxes that are sold around Valentine's Day. Didn't take any pictures just ate alot of chocolate.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    The Fairmont Algonquin
    The Kennedy InnRandom picture of turtles

    St Andrew's by the Sea

    August 3, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    This is the resort town that we went to so Gerard could go whale watching. It's full of tourists and claiming a few firsts. The Fairmont Algonquin Hotel is the first CP hotel. It was built then the town was built around it. It's crazy big, especially for a small town hotel.
    The hotel we stayed in claimed to be the first summertime hotel in North America (not sure what that means). It was probably pretty grand in its hey days. Would definitely go back to this town.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    My marker rock when we went on the island
    The 50 room summer houseThe bathhouseHey kids, its a windmill!My marker rock when we left the islandMy marker rock at high tide

    Minister's Island

    August 3, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After supper went to Ministers Island which an island that is a short distance from St Andrew's. You can walk or drive into the island at low tide. And if you want use the hiking trails your visit had to be timed right so you don't get stuck on the island during high tide. It originally belonged to a minister who sold a large portion to the Van Horne. He was in charge of CP rail built his 50 room "summer home" on the island.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler

    Edmunston

    August 5, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We stopped in Edmundston just for an overnight stay while traveling to Quebec City. Stayed at what is probably the best place we have stayed while on such a crazy road trip. Our room had a washer and dryer in the room, which was very welcome because this trip has been hit and humid. Anyways it was very nice and very close to a lovely walking path which takes you into downtown Edmundston. Went for a walk and then left for Quebec City.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler

    Old Quebec City

    August 5, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Got to our bed and breakfast, which was about 30 minutes from Old Quebec City. I thought this might be a problem but it wasn't. Aside from the construction Quebec is pretty easy to get around. We missed lunch so we had an early supper, late lunch at Normandin, a Quebec franchise. They had a huge menu, pretty much sold anything you wanted to eat. It was really good.
    Our b&b host have is lots of good info about what to see and do. We decided that going to Old Quebec and taking a double decker bus at sunset was a good idea. Turned out it was a great idea. Saw a lot very quickly. There were buskers all over the place. Not sure if there is a festival going on or if this is a regular thing.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzQuebec and New BrunswickTraveler
    Beaver Lake
    Dad has decided selfies are a good thing.Molson stadium, but I forgot my phone was in selfie mode.

    Back to Ville du Graffiti

    August 7, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Our flight was later in the day so we had some time to check out Montreal a little more. I nicknamed Montreal graffiti ville because there is an overwhelming amount of graffiti. I read a CBC article that said Montreal considers itself an artistic city. As a result people express themselves by putting graffiti everywhere. On murals, mailboxes, garbage cans, the street and you if you stand still long enough. Ok I might be exaggerating but there is graffiti everywhere.
    So we went to Mont Royal Park. There is a cross at the top of this mountain that you can see from the base. We decided to walk around a lake in the park. Then, since we were in the area, we went back to Schwartz's for another sandwich and another t shirt. Dad bought a white souvenir shirt the first time. I accidently dyed it pink doing laundry. It was an everything into washer load. I apparently have never washed my beach cover up and it leaked color. Anyways the sandwich good and dad had a new t shirt. The sandwich was even better than the first time.
    After we ate we went back to Mont Royal to go to the top and see the cross. We went off the main trail and it took a little longer than planned. No problem since we had some extra time.    Read more

    Trip end
    August 7, 2019
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