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Honey to the moon and back
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  • Maria julia Nold

Honey to the moon and back

Reporting from our half year sabbatical and honeymoon to America with our converted van Ruedi... Since Colombia backpacking 🎒 Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 26, 2022
    Honey to the moon and back

    Getting ready

    August 26, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We've almost finished the preparations and are ready to drop off our converted van in Hamburg from where it will be shipped to Halifax.
    The last half year has been intense, with our wedding, Julia moving to Switzerland and building Rüedi (how we named our van). We're excited that we can embark on this journey that we've been planning for a while. We've had our fair amount of trouble with the conversion due to the lack of handiwork skills 😅 but thanks to the help of our friends it all worked out somehow and we're happy with the result.
    Today was my last official day at work and we've almost finished packing, checked the documents again and installed the last parts. We're starting tomorrow our journey North with a stop at IKEA for a few missing items.

    I've added some pictures of the last days, the final result will come in the next two days or after we get it back in Halifax. It still feels so surreal 😵‍💫    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back

    Reststop en route

    August 27, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We started our day early gathering stuff and packing the van. We still encountered some things to cut, paint and sort 🙈 Leaving it to the last minute... Also my grandma visited us for a late breakfast 🥰 So we embarked on our trip later in the afternoon with a stop at IKEA for some smaller stuff and hot dogs.

    But it would've been the same tomorrow or any later day that we'd find things to optimize. But we're honestly very happy with what we achieved and the first actual usage of the van is going pretty well. There's just some kind of techno festival nearby with fireworks 😅

    In Germany it's not allowed to car camp but if you're tired you're allowed to rest and we're both pretty tired after this long day.    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back

    Lüneburg & Lüneburg Heath

    August 28, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We woke up around 6 and got ready for a 15km walk through the unique landscape of the Lüneburg Heath and reached the starting point after a 2 hour drive. After a breakfast and coffee break it was already 9:00 when we headed out but still were almost on our own.
    The heath was supposed to be in bloom but due to the drought the colours weren't very intense. It was still very pretty and an easy, relaxing walk. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the North German breed of moorland sheep called Heidschnucke that are supposed to be clearing out the heath except on restaurant menus 😭
    After three hours we came back to the van and continued on to the Hanseatic city of Lüneburg. This is known for the well preserved old town with brick buildings that remained pretty intact since the 15th century. We strolled through the old town for a while and then had a late lunch next to the river.
    In the evening we cleaned Ruedi for the drop-off tomorrow and re-packed some things. Tonight we're staying at a cheap and conventionally located campground next to Hamburgs Elbe.    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back

    Van drop-off and transfer

    August 29, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We arrived at Hamburgs port just before 8 in the morning to complete the formalities. While we were waiting to enter the port itself a guy approached us asking if we were going to ship our van. He's the owner of a different company than the one we used and we chatted about half an hour about the procedures for the shipping. Maybe we'll contact him for the way back, if we decide to do so. The drop-off went very smoothly, so we hopped on a nearby bus to the main train station and the train to the Berlin airport BER by 9€ ticket. As expected the train was completely full.
    We got there about three hours before departure so we had time for a late lunch/ early dinner and the check in. The online check in didn't work for us because we didn't have any documents proving that we'd leave the US again but at the counter it wasn't a problem.
    The flight is operated by Norge, a pretty new company that just opened the connection from Berlin to JFK New York two weeks ago. They're in the low-cost sector and it is just a personal item allowed, so we stocked up on snacks before the flight. We had some naps, watched Dune and talked to our US seat neighbor who made a bicycle trip with a German friend from Copenhagen to Hamburg. So the 8 hour flight went by pretty quick.
    Tonight we're going to find a dark spot to spend at the airport because the connection to Portland Maine is at 8 am.    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back
    Cosy sleeping spot
    Bus to Rockport

    New York -> Rockland

    August 30, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The processing of our Visas when we arrived was pretty quick and less weird than usual. Afterwards we took the Airtrain connecting the terminals and looked for a spot to spend the night in the Terminal 5 where we'll depart the next morning. Even though the terminals are open 24h there is absolutely no seating available in the pre-security area. But one of the JetBlue booths with carpet was unlocked so it was a bit cosy 😅 We slept a little bit there and woke up around 3 in the morning to three other people that had joined us.
    We decided to go into the post-security section as we could drop off our luggage and online it said that there are sleeping pods available. But apparently they had been removed, instead we went to get a early breakfast consisting of a Philly Cheesesteak and an overpriced orange mango smoothie. At least there were seats now 🤷‍♂️ After some more naps we went to our gate but the flight was delayed for half an hour because of crew members. When we were on the plane they announced that a crew member got sick and then there was a technical issue that got resolved by a restart 😂
    A quick one hour flight later the plane landed in Portland Maine, a small and nice jetport. From there we walked around 4km to the bus terminal and still had more than two hours left so we studied some tourism flyers and got lunch from a nearby Deli. The Concord bus was very comfortable with power outlets, Wifi and plenty of leg space.
    Around 4pm we've reached Rockland where Julias sister picked us up. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the kids and then after dinner we went exhausted but happy to bed.    Read more

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    Camden

    August 31, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I woke up before the alarm at 6am still a bit jetlagged and decided to set up the laptop, hoping that it'll work 😁 There where some issues with the connection but it was resolved later. I've had some visits from the kids asking if I want to play with them 🥹
    Around noon we went to Camden, a lovely little port town for a bit of sightseeing, shopping (I found a Lobster shaped patch for my backpack and a local snack made of chocolate, coconut and potatoes). Then we had a little rest and snacks in a park above the town with an amazing view over the harbor. It was a beautiful day with perfect temperature.
    In the evening Julia and me went a bit grocery shopping for the next days and early to sleep.    Read more

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    Windsor Fair

    September 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today we went to Windsor for the annual fair. It was a huge fairground compared to the size of the town. And it felt pretty expensive with 10$ entrance fee for a few historical buildings, also the rides cost 5$ each for a quite short ride. Just my impression maybe 🤷‍♂️
    Overall it left a mixed impression with me, there were a lot of people with pro Trump outfits or confederation flags. But on the other hand also some rather alternative people, punks and a few LBGTQ+ flags. Rather rare though.
    There was also some horseracing and a LOT of food stalls but most with the same options. Axe throwing was fun though 🙂🙃    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back

    Windjammers Festival Camden

    September 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We woke up pretty early again without an alarm for the Windjammer festival in Camden. In the morning was an All you can eat blueberry pancake and in the afternoon a clam chowder contest. I was the only one joining in both as Julia prefers savory breakfast and hates seafood. It was the first time I've tried it, so I got a pretty good impression from trying 7 differently made clam chowders (Chowder is a type of soup or stew that's often prepared with milk or cream and butter, and thickened with a roux, crackers or hard biscuits.) I liked it but wouldn't cook it and probably would also prefer other choices at a restaurant.
    Besides that there were some activities for the kids like building a tiny boat from corkscrews and a pirate booth. It was a fun day with perfect weather!    Read more

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    Marshall Point Lighthouse

    September 4, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a slow start in the day (not as early as usual) we took about a half hour drive to the Marshall Point Lighthouse which lays picturesque at the Southern tip of the peninsula. It's famous for the appearance in the movie Forrest Gump where he ends his run. We enjoyed a snack based lunch there and spent some time at a rocky beach looking for seashells.
    For our next stop we went to a nearby beach which was perfect except for the water temperature which was around 15 degrees Celsius. The sand was very fine and for about 300 metres into the water there were just a few rocks. We spent about 2 hours there, swimming and playing with the kids.
    In the evening we had a BBQ again with the leftovers from the previous day.    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back

    Mt Megunticook

    September 8, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today is a public holiday in Liechtenstein, so we decided to use the good weather for a hike.
    First we went to Rockport, a sleepy little harbor town with a playground right at the sea and a beautiful view. From there we took a little walk to the harbour front with some historic buildings and a statue of Andre the seal (a local icon with a movie about him).
    We were then dropped off at the trailhead to Mt Battie, a hump on the way up to the highest "peak" in the park. There is a stone tower and it's easily accessible via a road going right next to it so there were a lot of people.
    We just spend a bit of time there before continuing further to a spot called Ocean Lookout where we had lunch. While sitting there we heard some people speaking German 😅 They also heard us and we had a little chat. The summit was pretty unimpressive, just a rock pile surrounded by forest. The trails were in perfect condition and it was a fun day hike.
    To get home we needed to walk about 10km along roads which was quite exhausting due to no sidewalks.    Read more

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    Browns Camp

    September 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After a waffle breakfast we drove 1.5 hours with the whole family to the camp of Browns, the parents of Julias brother in law. We were there 5 years ago when hiking the Appalachian Trail. The mom of Julias brother in law is a passionate hiker and she picked us up back then at a trail crossing in the morning, brought doughnuts and coffee and took us to the camp. She prepared some amazing food for us and we spent a night there.
    So the visit was a short journey back to our trail memories and this lovely spot by a lake. The parents are really sweet people and we enjoyed the conversations. We had a BBQ and then spent the afternoon swimming and playing with the kids, watching the cute chipmunks and eating s'mores. Overall a very relaxing day.
    In the evening we stopped by in the capital of Maine, Augusta, for dinner at Olive Garden. The portions are excessively huge, especially after everything we already had that day, so we packed a lot for the next day. Compared to other chains the quality of the food was a lot better but very heavy on the fat 😁    Read more

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    Hope Apple Orchard

    September 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    After breakfast we went to a nearby apple orchard to pick early season apples. Besides the ones you picked and paid for you were free to try one, but as the kids didn't eat theirs completely, I've had 2 and a half. They were decent but not very intense, especially not as sour as I like apples. The orchard also had raspberries to pick, but there weren't a lot of ripe ones.
    Afterwards we went to a yearly picnic from the church with a big BBQ, salads and desserts. There was also some live music and games for the kids. So we had a very entertaining afternoon ☺️

    There's also some news on the van. It left Liverpool by Thursday night and is on the way straight to Halifax now 🤩 It's supposed to arrive there on Thursday and it takes two working days to get through customs, so we're planning to pick it up by the 19th of September.    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back
    Jordan Pond
    Jordan PondThe CAT ferryCape Forchu Lighthouse

    Yarmouth & Acadia National Park

    September 17, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    This was our last day with Julia's sister and family. Right after breakfast we drove two hours to the visitor center of the Acadia National Park, a popular destination for hiking. It offers typical Maine ponds and picturesque views with mountains covered in forest. We got the annual park pass "America the beautiful" which is 80$ per vehicle and is usually worth the money after three days of visits. As we're planning to visit more parks (mind that it's just national parks, not state parks) on the West Coast, this'll come in handy. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time in the park as our ferry left already at 2pm. Therefore we just had a little walk and a picnic and then drove to the ferry terminal and said goodbye. It was great spending so much time with them, especially with the kids.
    While waiting to board the ferry we overheard some people talking about the fact that the ferry couldn't drive for the past three days because of the weather. So even if we would've wanted to pick up the van on Friday we couldn't have made it to Halifax. The ferry is called "The CAT" , a high-speed catamaran which can transport up to 800 persons and 200 cars. But apparently it isn't running profitable and there weren't a lot of people with us (max. 100). It's very comfortable but the food was awful 😅
    We arrived at 07:30pm in Yarmouth without a plan how to get to Halifax and where to stay tonight. After a bit of walking we booked a room in the main street and tried calling a shuttle service that is supposed to be running to Halifax. Julia left a voicemail and we went out to eat in Taco Bell (we went to McDonald's first but they didn't have any vegetarian options). Shortly after we came back to our hotel room someone knocked on the door. A woman from the shuttle service operator tried to reach us but we didn't answer the phone so she came by 🤩 So we could go happy to sleep that we have found a way to make it to Halifax ☺️    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back

    Halifax

    September 18, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We started our day early with a delicious hot breakfast and the shuttle pickup at 07:30. We were one of the first so we had a little tour through Yarmouth before heading to Halifax. With a short stop at Tim Hortons and some complications it took us 4 hours to Halifax. We were way too early for the check-in so we just talked a bit to the receptionist about how to get to the city center. There was a man waiting behind us and he said that he could take us there if we like. As we had nothing else to do and he seemed nice we said yes.
    Luckily he wasn't a murderer or kidnapper 😁 He is in Halifax for work and his girlfriend visited him, so on the way to the city we chatted a bit and somehow he kept on driving and showing us around. He said that he works right next to the harbor freight terminal and we drove by... And we saw our van standing there 🤩🥹 Tomorrow we will finally have him back. It also started to rain very heavily so we kept going and he invited us for a coffee and then we went out for dinner together in the evening. Overall a very unexpected but super fun day 😅    Read more

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    Peggy's Cove & Lunenburg

    September 19, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Our day started at 6 am for a shower and a quick breakfast. From our hotel we walked half an hour to the customs office where we met with the woman responsible for the shipping in Halifax. She greeted us with the info that there might be a problem because of the funeral of the queen. All public offices are closed because of that, including the customs. So she basically left us there together with an older couple who also wanted to pick up their vehicle. After a little while a supervisor came to tell us that it is in faxt closed but we could go to the customs at the airport 🙈 We split the UBER fare and finally got the necessary stamp to pick up the van which went quite fast. After we got it, we stopped by Jason's workshop where he works as a bus mechanic.
    From there we drove back to our hotel to gather the luggage, shop a bit for groceries and then head South to Peggy's Cove, a lovely little fishing village with distinct rock formations and an overlooking lighthouse. We spent about two hours just walking around and enjoying that perfect day in such a beautiful spot.
    We still had some daylight left so we continued on to Lunenburg, a sweet town about 1.5 hours south of Halifax. It's known for the colonial layout of the buildings and how well preserved it is. You can easily spend half a day there exploring this settlement of originally German speaking countries, hence the name. I finally had my lobster 🦞 there! But honestly it's just too much work 😭😂
    For our night spot we drove about an hour to a spot right next to the sea. It's already pretty dark, so I'll post a pic tomorrow morning.    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back
    Donair

    Truro and Wreck Cove

    September 20, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We were woken up this morning by the sound of rain on our van, occasionally interrupted by the waves. It invited us to stay longer in bed until we decided to head out to the nearest Tim Hortons for breakfast and coffee.
    We decided to go back to Halifax to explore downtown and the citadel by foot because we didn't have much time for that on Sunday. So we parked in the center and explored the city in pouring rain. Even though we were soaked, we wouldn't want to miss to see and experience the city. Afterwards we drove in direction of Cape Breton Island, more specifically the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
    On the way we stopped in Truro for a little walk through the city and to try Donair (similar to Döner, just more greasy and with a sweet cream sauce). We're unsure what to think about it but it's definitely not as bad as it sounds 😁
    We drove almost all the way up to the park entrance and slept on a cliff again to the sound of crashing waves called Wreck Cove.

    Today in the evening a warning was issued about an incoming hurricane:
    Hurricane Fiona is expected to bring dangerous weather conditions later this week.

    Locations: All of Nova Scotia.

    Time span: Friday afternoon through Saturday.

    Potential hazards include:
    - Severe and damaging wind gusts
    - Very high waves and coastal storm surge
    - Intense rainfall rates

    Remarks:
    Hurricane Fiona is expected to merge with a trough and transform into a hurricane force post tropical cyclone on Saturday. The combination of Fiona and the trough will produce very heavy rain beginning Friday afternoon with the heaviest rain overnight into Saturday. Flooding and washed out roads are likely in some areas.

    So we won't spend a long time in Cape Breton 😬    Read more

  • Honey to the moon and back

    Cape Breton Highlands

    September 21, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We decided to go early to see as much as possible from the Cape Breton Highlands. Unfortunately it was rainy and foggy. Not ideal for hiking with views and a scenic drive, but we decided to still drive on a bit and after about two hours it started to get brighter so we parked at the next best opportunity to see a waterfall. It was an easy relaxed two kilometers walk one-way which we used to have our breakfast.
    Afterwards we stopped at two more spots (one really nice boardwalk) before arriving at the Skyline Trail, one of the highlights there. The weather was okay when we started the 8km loop trail but it got worse and we ended up completely soaked back at the van 😅 It was a fun hike with pretty great views despite the weather. At the turning point of the trail was a viewing platform. We tried to walk down there but the wind was really crazy.
    Sadly we didn't encounter any wildlife on the trail - yet! We also stopped at the visitor center to get the Canada Discovery Pass which allows the entry for a year to National Parks and historic monuments. As we'll be passing some of them on our way west it's more convenient.

    We made our way back along the beautiful coastline with some occasional short stops and ended our day at a rest stop near a historic British fort which we plan to visit tomorrow.    Read more

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    Bay of Fundy / Fredericton

    September 22, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    As planned we went to see Fort Beauséjour – Fort Cumberland National Historic Site first thing in the morning. It was pretty cool that we could explore the place without it being open :) And it is pretty small, so it was a quick exploration.
    So we went on our way to Moncton, a pretty big city in our way.
    Buuut, after just about 15 minutes the car indicators started to show up, together with an error message: "Injection defective"... 😭 First we hoped it had something to do with the diesel and that it's differently mixed in America. But a short google search and the "STOP" signal convinced us to look for a car repair shop. That was a lot harder than expected because besides all of them being busy, almost no one heard of Opel. After visiting 7 car workshops and just before we wanted to leave it we met a guy who said that he has a diagnostic machine to read out the error message but he can't help us fix it because they're completely booked for the next 3 weeks. He reset the error messages and we continued our way to the Bay of Fundy.

    We drove for about 45 minutes without any problem to the Hopewell Rocks at the Bay of Fundy. The bay is famous for one of the worlds highest difference in the tide. Overall about 14 metres between high and low tide. The rocks are an impressive product of the erosion.
    Shortly after leaving the Hopewell Rocks the light went on again and we wanted to stop by the National Park of the Fundy Highlands but it was raining so heavily (we even got a severe weather warning about the rain in the region) that we decided to drive through to Fredericton.
    On the way there we stopped at a Tim Hortons for a coffee because I got super tired but when we arrived there were firemen on the roof and police blocking off the traffic. After about half an hour we made it out of the blocks and got our coffee.
    Tomorrow we'll try to find a mechanic and then continue on to Quebec ☺️    Read more

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    Grand Falls

    September 23, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We woke up to our alarm at 07:00 because the overnight stay was allowed until then at the public library. By 07:30 we started our tour of mechanics and we had luck at the 5th one who called another location in town and they said that they'll have a look at it at 14:00. So we had time to check out some shopping places and then had our first breakfast in the van.
    Afterwards we explored the city Fredericton which is the capital of New Brunswick and has a cute little historic center. We arrived earlier at the workshop in the hope that it'll work out and we can continue soon. After I explained what's wrong and the info I already had, they took it to the workshop and we were in a nice waiting area right next to it and could see them working. Just like Ruedi is in surgery and we were nervously waiting to see if he'll make it through it 🙈 After two hours they came to us with the status report: Ultimately they narrowed the issue down to a valve but couldn't find any part that will fix it, which means we're going to drive in limp mode for a while. So the turbocharger is electronically throttled down to prevent any issues. Therefore we can continue our tour, just a little bit slower 😁
    Right after that we drove two hours to Grand Falls, a nice little town with a prominent waterfall and gorges. As it wasn't that late we decided to continue further on to the next province, Quebec. The weather was getting a lot better in the afternoon and we had a beautiful sunset. We found a nice little spot in the village of Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha! right next to a church but it's starting to get pretty cold 🥶    Read more

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    Québec

    September 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I won't mention anymore that we woke up early because we do that every day 😅 At least by my standards 6 is early and we'll probably set the alarm even earlier because of the time shifts moving west.

    It was pretty cold this morning with just 5 degrees and a very chilly wind, even I was cold but we came prepared for these temperatures and I'll just add a sleeping bag. After just about an hour driving we came to a stop because our front tire was flat. Even though we had a spare with us, it took quite long to change it because the screws holding it were rusty. It took us more than an hour before we were back on the road and then we went just slowly to a nearby mechanic. They were super nice and helpful and luckily Julia could communicate pretty well in French. So they fixed the tire (just the valve) and also the screw ☺️

    So we continued our way to Québec city - the oldest city in Canada - and spent the whole afternoon in this beautiful city. Besides all the impressive sights there is just a general livelihood and good vibe allover the place. We enjoyed it very much just strolling through the old city, laying on the grass next to the citadel, the impressive arts displays and hunting for poutine. Poutine is an interesting combination of French fries, gravy and a squeaky cheese. It's heavy, hearty and worth a try!

    In the evening we drove almost up to the entrance of La Mauricie National Park where we're going to hike tomorrow and then visit a work colleague in Shawinigan.    Read more

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    The view after waking up 😍

    La Mauricie National Park

    September 25, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We parked just about 10km away from the entrance of La Mauricie National Park, so at around 7am we were already on a hiking trail along a lake. We were hoping to see some wildlife when it's early morning but unfortunately still no luck. Nonetheless the views over foggy ponds and dreamy little rivers were amazing. We did another little hike before stopping at a lake for a lunch break, but the outlook over the lake was too tempting.
    We rented a canoe and were quickly on our way to the other side. After a little bit of adjustment we felt pretty stable and the sound of paddling was super relaxing. Afterwards we did a little loop along the river feeding the lake and then drove to another entrance/exit because I haven't had service since yesterday. Luckily it was perfect timing to visit my work colleague Laurence and her family.
    We spent the whole afternoon with them, chatting about everything. It was great to meet her in person since we've been working together on several projects for quite a while. We need to be in Montreal tomorrow and had promised ourselves not to drive in dusk because it's dangerous with all the wildlife crossings. So we had a quick dinner at A&W on the way there and then continued until it got dark and stayed at a rest stop.    Read more

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    Parc National du Mont-Tremblant

    September 26, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Our first goal of the day was to find a mechanic who knows Opel (Renault) in the hope that someone can fix the turbocharger. And right the first one was very helpful by giving us the contact info of a mechanic about 1.5 hours North of Montreal. And apparently he had only time for us today, so we drove there right away. But when we arrived he said that he can only help us tomorrow so we'd have to spend the day there.
    It turned out to be easier than expected. There's a lovely little town for the winter tourism, "Le Village" - an old town at a lake and a national park. We quickly checked out the first two and then went to the National Park. This turned out to be a "Provincial National Park", so it's not included in our Canada Discovery Pass. There were quite a lot of things to do but we didn't have enough time for most, so we sticked to two smaller walks to waterfalls and one 5km return hike to a viewpoint. After we got into a downpour, the free hot showers were more than welcome.
    We decided to drive back to the town for dinner but found a nice, covered picnic area on the way and prepared some ramen soup with corn. For the night we're staying at the parking lot of the gondolas. It's super quiet and peaceful.    Read more

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    Montreal

    September 27, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We spent an hour in the morning with Ben looking at the van until he offered us the car to spend some time in the town while he works on Ruedi. So we parked our van in town and walked the streets and shopped a little groceries. Shortly after midday Ben sent us a WhatsApp that there was an unexpected issue (see the attached screenshot). And it will take three days to get the parts sent from Europe 🫤
    But he offered us his car (a tuned Peugeot 307HDI) to get around the area.
    Therefore we decided to drive to Montreal and check that already off while Ruedi is resting. We booked a hotel somewhat near the city and drove 1.5 hours back to Montreal, checked in and went straight to downtown because the sun had started to come through the rain clouds. We explored the old harbor and the surrounding area thoroughly before walking to La Banquise (THE most famous Poutine restaurant in Montreal and open 24hours 😱) and it was pretty amazing!! Afterwards we needed a long walk to process that hearty meal.
    The city is great, very artsy and the mix of old and new buildings works great.    Read more

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    Ottawa

    September 28, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We spent the morning in Montreal, walking Mount Royal (giving the city it's name) and visiting Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. The first was really fun, with quite a lot of hiking trails right in the city center. The second one left us with a bit weird feeling, besides having the real heart of a saint in display, they were asking for donations in every corner. It didn't feel like a church should feel. Afterwards I got a sandwich at Schwartz's Deli (a must visit apparently) and then we went back on the road to Ottawa, Canada's capital.
    We didn't have any expectations from Ottawa, being a capital area similar to Canberra or Washington DC and usually dominated by memorials. But we were surprised by a lively and beautiful city with lots of large areas of green and a big walking and biking crowd. And the public buildings looked straight out of a Harry Potter movie. Overall a fun and pretty walking trip!
    Afterwards we drove further West, close to the next park on our list, Algonquin. It took us longer than expected and we just arrived at 9, there we got a private room at a hostel and a superb pizza and beer 🥰    Read more

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    Algonquin Provincial Park

    September 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C

    We had booked the permit for the entrance to the Algonquin Provincial Park the night before to avoid having to wait until 9 when the entrance station opened. When we got to the car we were surprised to see that the windows were covered in a layer of frost. After removing it with random objects we found in the car (a sock and a tour book from Montreal) it showed -3 degrees Celsius 🥶
    It was still quite cold for the first two trails where the boardwalks were frozen. But as soon as the sun had risen it started getting comfortable pretty fast. The whole park is pretty amazing (unfortunately not included in our Canada Discovery Pass because it's provincial) with informative flyers for most of the trails, an extensive museum and display of the wildlife in the visitor center and perfectly maintained facilities. I've also had time to chat with our mechanic who found the issue with the turbocharger and had ordered the parts. He said that it won't make sense to come back on Friday yet so we decided to stay a night on a campground in the park with our tent to make most of our time there in the evening and morning.
    We walked a little bit around in the evening but the campgrounds were pretty crowded so we had a quick dinner and then went to the tent as we were pretty tired from the hikes during the day.

    By 20:30 we were packed up in our tent and ready to sleep but I'm already feeling that it's going to be a cold night.    Read more

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