Retour de 3 semaines au Québec

On this Tuesday, August 6th, the day was going to be long and refreshing. I had planned to visit Parc du Bic and Parc Faunique de Matane during the day. The distances and timing convinced me to skip the Parc du Bic option.So, after breakfast, we set off for the Matane reserve.A 30-minute drive and we arrived.We stopped by the Visitor Center to pay the entrance fee, the day’s parking, buy a moose plush for my car (Yes, I know it’s weird, but I love plushies!), grab a map of the area, and listen carefully to the tips from the lovely person at the front desk.The wildlife park is huge—lakes, hiking trails, various accommodations—it’s a stunning place. The only downside is that it’s also a hunting territory where bear drives are organized. I’m told it’s to regulate the species. Fair enough.Time passes, the sun rises, and we choose the trail along the river under the trees. A 2.5-hour round trip plus photo stops, making it about 3 hours of walking. It’s a great tip.We didn’t see any land animals, but luckily, we spotted wild salmon swimming upstream. At one spot, there were more than 50 or 60 waiting for the water level to rise because it wasn’t high enough for them.Pictures from the walk and the rest HERE.

After the walk at Parc Faunique, we head back to Matane for a stop at the salmon run viewing facility (obviously because of the dam).Unfortunately, the low water levels this hot month aren’t great for spotting these beautiful fish.According to the authorities’ count, there hasn’t been any salmon run since mid-July. Rumor has it that if no one’s fishing before the facility, it’s because there’s nothing to catch.We take a quick tour of the town, then head to IGA and SAQ to grab some supplies before resting in our room—our legs are really feeling it. And we’ll end the day with an apéro dinner.

It's time this Wednesday, August 7th, to leave the north shore of the St. Lawrence River and dive into the Gaspésie forest to reach Gaspé. A 300 km journey through a magnificent landscape with hardly any traffic on the roads.Before arriving in Gaspé and the hotel chosen for three nights, HOTEL BAKER, 178 rue de la Reine, Gaspé, I push on to Percé to check out the discovery possibilities of Bonaventure Island. There’s no way to book the crossing online.There are a lot of people in Percé! In the middle of the afternoon, it's packed. I'm a bit hesitant seeing all these people. The person selling the boat tickets reassures me: come early in the morning, otherwise, it’s too crowded! And not tomorrow, Thursday, because we have tourist buses! Yikes!!Alright, I book for Friday. We’re fifty minutes from the hotel, so we’ll have to get up early. There are really a lot of people. Once these arrangements are made, we head to the hotel, and after stopping by IGA, we can finally drop off our suitcases.
Then, a stroll through town. And in two days, the music festival begins! Big fiesta ahead!

And on Thursday, August 8, Forillon Park is on the agenda.On the other side of the bay, it’s—finally—a beautiful hike!Same advice as always: get there early enough for both parking and the heat. There are quite a few mountain bikers, but plenty of side pedestrian trails to keep everyone happy.The entrance is paid, sure, but very affordable. Backpack, water in reusable bottles, map in hand, and off you go. First part of the photos from the parking lot to the lighthouse at the end of the trail.The pictures are HERE.

Once we arrived at the tip of the land and its lighthouse, the scenery was pretty nice. There were quite a few people. On the left side of the point, there’s a path that’ll take you "To the End of the World." You have to go down 387 steps, and according to my math, just as many to climb back up. Ugh!!I think about my abilities and, given my totally accepted extra weight, I hesitate.I chat with some people coming back up. "It’s doable—it stings on the way up, but you’ll make it!" I decide to go down, and my wife will wait for me at the top. Off I go, down we go. My knees are suffering, but what can you do?Once I reached the bottom, the view was nice. Not breathtaking, but still pretty. Photos, selfies, chatting with the people there—we had a good laugh—and then it was time to think about the climb back up. After a short break halfway, I managed to make it to the top! I was actually pretty pleased with myself. I gave some advice and info to people who were hesitating to go down, and then my wife and I headed back to the car.We went to another viewpoint along the coast, with enough people around to convince me not to stay too long.In the late afternoon, we returned to the hotel for a bit of rest, and tonight we’re eating at the SeaFlower restaurant. It was good. Make sure to book ahead—it’s not very big. The bill stings a little, but hey, it’s vacation time.

On this Friday, August 9th, another beautiful day is shaping up. Busy but beautiful!Left the hotel fairly early, a 55-minute drive, parked in the village of Percé, and headed to the dock where there were already people. It's only 8:45 AM! Long live vacation! Just tourists, of course, since no one's talking to each other! RER Line C?No need to argue on this chilly morning. We boarded among the first and were lucky to find seats on the upper deck, which allows for photos and, most importantly, fresh air to avoid any possible "seasickness" from the pitching and rolling.I chose the mini-cruise that visits Percé Rock, then circles the island to finally dock where it should. It's nice and quite calm sailing. However, the weather isn't great, and the rain jackets are out.Let's see some images from this first part of the crossing. The rest is HERE.

Once we docked, we were given a short welcome speech reminding us that we’re on a protected site and shouldn’t do just anything.To see the Northern Gannets, you have to take the trails. About an hour’s walk, and there are three options: Left Trail, Central Trail (the easiest), and the Kings’ Trail (Island Tour), which we’ll take on the way back to the dock.The middle one is set up with activities for kids, so we’ll avoid it. After some thought and analysis, I go for the left trail. There’ll be fewer people. It’s a bit tough but doable, and the photo spots are nice.

And here we are, arriving at the Gannet Colony!Noise from the gannets' cries, smells from the droppings, and not too many people since we chose the first crossing of the morning.Tourists with iPhones and well-equipped photographers! The flight of these birds is stunning. You can even see some in the distance doing the big plunge for lunch.Photos are being taken left and right. I’m a bit limited because I only brought the Tamron 70/200, and the weather isn’t the sunniest. Too bad, but we still manage to get some good shots.At this site, there’s a snack bar with sandwiches and drinks. There’s also an activity led by a young park staff member. The spot is definitely worth it. I don’t regret the walk to get here. Now, it’s time to head back—I chose the 2:00 PM return. So, I need to take the right path. I opt for the one that goes around the island, Chemin du Roy. And then—disaster! A scheduling nightmare!I’ll spare you the details, but basically, there seems to be a time zone change—or something’s off. Halfway through the route, I check my phone and see I’ll be late for the boat, but my (analog) watch still shows the usual time. We trust the phone, which we shouldn’t have done because later, the time readjusts! Thanks to some tourists who pointed out the correct time!Once at the dock, lots of people. Since I have a good memory, I position myself in the right spot and board among the first. Lucky to be out in the open air.In summary? A fantastic day. Then back to Gaspé, hotel rest, and later, out for the first evening of the music festival, where we meet two young French people on a Working Holiday Visa selling churros from a mini food truck!And we try, for the first time (but not the last), the *La Guédille au Homard et Crabe* sandwich! So good!Photos of the gannets. And HERE

Saturday, August 10th, it's time to hit the road. We'll take the East Coast route toward the city of Campbellton in New Brunswick. It's not an exceptional or very attractive city, but it's a good stopover with opportunities for some nice walks.I've planned a stop along the coast at the historic site of Paspébiac. The Cod Museum is calling our name.It's a cool spot with staff who speak perfect Québécois. Here, we'll learn that back in the day, there were several grades of salted cod. The lower-quality or hit-or-miss batches were used to feed some locals and, especially, slaves in the Caribbean. The rest was shipped to Italy, the West Indies, France, and of course, Portugal. But not just there.The operation was under the control of a Jersey-based company (a bank), more English folks, who ruthlessly exploited the local population starting at age 14. When this bank-owner went bankrupt, you can imagine the tragedies that unfolded here.Let's check out the cod processing site. The images HERE.

As planned, we arrived in Campbellton, New Brunswick. Drove through a deserted town and stopped at a basic hotel. The only upside was that we were on the ground floor—handy for the luggage. COMFORT INN, 111 Val d'Amour Road, E3N 5B9 Campbellton.
Evening spent with a stroll around town and along the estuary, dinner at a pizzeria with Italo-Canadian fusion, a stop at the IGA, and back to the hotel.On Sunday, August 11th, I’d planned a trip to the Miscou Lighthouse. A 3-hour round trip just to see the ocean seemed a bit much, so we changed plans and headed to Sugarloaf Provincial Park, just a stone’s throw from the hotel. It’s a small ski resort with various facilities. In the summer, it’s a paradise for ATVs and hikers.We bought tickets for the chairlift, and the attendant suggested we check in with the rescue team since the map we were given wasn’t very clear. The rescuer on duty grabbed his bike and rode up with us on the chairlift to show us the right path once we reached the top.One perk of the area is that the ATV trails are dedicated, and hiking trails are mostly (95%) off-limits to ATVs since they’re often impassable for bikes.Once at the top, our rescuer continued explaining things, then left us to our hike. I took a wrong turn due to poor signage and a useless map, but we managed to get back on track with a bit of help from the iPhone GPS and some athletic detours.We’d opted for the three-lake loop, but we only ended up seeing two. Still, the hike was really nice, and we didn’t see a single person on the trail.Back at the base, we had fish and chips at the station’s restaurant—seriously, they were amazing and better than any I’ve had elsewhere (Scotland included).On the way back, we stopped at Walmart, took a nap at the hotel, and then went for another stroll around town before a light dinner with drinks. If you’ve got another stopover option, don’t hesitate—this town is pretty dull. Not much to do here.Photos HERE

We left Campbellton without regret to head toward Rivière-du-Loup and see the St. Lawrence River again. We passed through the small town of Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac and had a second poutine (with bolognese sauce) to keep us going.Two nights in a decent hotel in Rivière-du-Loup, nothing more. There was a really fun atmosphere with the breakfast staff and the French locals who’ve settled in Québec. DAYS INN by Wyndham, 82 rue Fraser, G5R 1C8 Rivière-du-Loup.In the evening, after checking out a few shops and a really nice IGA, we went to dinner at the restaurant La Griffe de l’Hôtel Levesque. My wife wanted lobster. $42 for 300/350 grams—it wasn’t expensive at all.
The next day, we left early for the Canyon des Portes de l’Enfer near Rimouski. A 1.5-hour drive through the Québec countryside on some pretty fun roads.Once at the canyon, we stopped at the Visitor Center to pay the fee and then parked at a site ready for hiking. The place is amazing. It’s partially under construction, but it was fine for my old legs. On the way back, we stopped to buy hot- and cold-smoked salmon and enjoyed it in our room!Photos HERE.

Wednesday, August 14th, it's time to head back and make our way (and our suitcases) toward Quebec City.Before that, I decided to take a stroll in the Rivière-du-Loup Community Park. A pleasant spot by the river with a few amenities for kids. The weather isn't exceptional, and the city noises are starting to pick up. Let's go.Images HERE.

On the road again! Yep, it's time to head to Quebec, the beautiful sleeping beauty. The drive is gorgeous, and we arrive at the hotel pretty early. Well located, maybe a bit large, with lots of tourists from all over and very helpful, super-friendly staff. Parking at the hotel’s garage costs 25 € for 3 days, and the room is amazing—30 m²!Château Laurier
1220 Place George V, G1R 5B8 Quebec City, CanadaAfter unpacking, we start exploring the city, which is right nearby.As mentioned earlier, Quebec is the beautiful sleeping beauty—a very clean, calm, and upscale city.Tonight, we’re heading to the upper part of Old Quebec. We’ll stop at a fantastic pub/restaurant—I highly recommend it! Once you’re inside, ask for a spot at the bar counter. With a bit of luck, you’ll have Line serving you. A truly relaxing moment, and the bill isn’t too steep.Le Dorsay: www.dorsayrestaurant.com/Let’s explore this city with quite a few tourists around.Photos HERE.

Thursday, August 15th! Montmorency Falls on the agenda!Free bus/metro tickets for 3 days at the hotel desk! Nice, right? We’ll have about a 50-minute ride on an articulated bus to reach the falls’ terminus. Just enough time to find the entrance, the ticket booth—whose computer just crashed—and here we are, wandering around this beautiful park. The waterfall is truly impressive, despite the pretty warm weather causing a slight lack of water.The funicular is out of order, and the only way to get down to the base of the falls is to take the 487-step staircase!! Oh yeah! And then we’ll have to climb back up. I’ll only do a third of it for the photos.The place is quite nice, except—yep, there’s an "except." Right across the falls, there’s a tourist zipline! A long line (and we won’t even talk about the price) and then a 30-second max "slide" on the cable. I’ll spare you the "Oh my God" from the made-in-USA tourists and other screams from around the world. What’s that zipline doing here? Apparently, it’s not bothersome. Okay, I’ll take their word for it.Let’s focus on the falls instead.Photos HERE.

Back by bus again, refreshment at the hotel, laundry at the "laundromat" downtown, found a store online, and then a stroll around the city. A tightly packed schedule for this afternoon and evening.
Still just as many people. Makes sense—it’s a pretty nice city.

Friday, August 16, 2024.The plan for the day is simple. Visit the Citadelle with the outdoor concert by the Regiment’s brass band, followed by the Champlain district, which I’ve heard great things about.The Citadelle, built on the Plains of Abraham, is in the Vauban style. It has everything needed to defend against any attack.These days, it’s occupied by a Regiment where the official—and only—language allowed is French. For the tour (available in French or English), don’t hesitate to book for the first slot at 10:00 AM. After that, it gets crowded. After the short visit, you’ll get to enjoy (from June 26 to September 1) the brass band’s morning concert on Place d’Armes.Once that’s done, we head into town.Photos HERE.

After our escapade at the Citadel, we walked down to the Champlain district. We’ll head back up via the funicular.So, Champlain—what can I say? At the risk of making enemies (and I already have a few), Champlain is nice, but it’s basically just a big souvenir shop for tourists, with (sometimes luxury) products that are pretty expensive and restaurants that are more or less local.The giant Michelin Man decorations were designed by the same artist behind the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. It’s fun to see. Anyway, the buildings are very old, the alleys too. Everyone will find something they like here.Photos HERE.

Last night in Quebec City. Still at Pub Dorsay for dinner and some night shots of the city. Quick and dirty photos—there’s some grain.

Saturday, August 17th, my wife's birthday and our departure for Montreal, where we'll be staying for three days.The hotel is great. Mostly frequented by Hispanic tourists. Good vibe.Le Nouvel Hôtel, 1740 Boulevard René Lévesque West, MontrealBefore arriving in Montreal, we stopped in Trois-Rivières for a quick visit and a decent pizza at a small restaurant.

Settling into the hotel and heading out for a quick exploration of Montreal and its downtown core. It almost feels like we're in the Big Apple!Photos HERE.