East Coast -- Week 2

Here's the rest of our trip (first part here)!

Day 11: Trois-Pistoles, QC

We spent a drizzly foggy morning at Kouchibouguac National Park, an expanse of deciduous forests, marshes, and sand dunes along New Brunswick's east coast. We perused the nice interpretive displays in the visitors' centre, then walked a wooden boardwalk to Kelly's Beach, a long sandbar that parallels the shore. It's a very popular beach in the summer months, but we had it all to ourselves on this October morning.

We continued north through the beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges of the Miramichi River Valley and crossed into Quebec. We stopped at the Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site, where in 1760 a British attack on French naval troops cut off the movement of supplies from France to its North American colonies, leading ultimately to the fall of New France. The interpretive centre is closed for the season, but the former battle grounds are quite pretty, now a park.

We cut across the Gaspé Peninsula to the south shore of the St. Lawrence, where we're staying in an Airbnb in the country, not far from the Trois-Pistoles/Les Escoumins ferry.

Day 12: Quebec City, QC

This morning we took a 90-minute ferry across the St. Lawrence River from Trois-Pistoles to Les Escoumins. It was a pretty ride on a little boat; alas, we didn't spot any whales.

We drove west along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, a hilly area with golden foliage. We stopped at Tadoussac, a sweet village subtended by a bay and a fjord, where we took a windy walk along a beautiful coastal boardwalk before catching a 20-minute car ferry across the fjord.

We next stopped by a little waterfall at Port-au-Persil, a pretty riverside town.

At Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré we paid a visit to the basilica, a beautiful Catholic church with high decorated ceilings and stained glass. It attracts many pilgrims for its purported healing miracles; two pillars by the front door are decorated with crutches, braces, and even radiotherapy shells, left by pilgrims who were reportedly healed.

We continued southwest along a subsidiary road through interesting little villages to reach Montmorency Falls, which at 84-m are the tallest waterfalls in Quebec (30 m higher than Niagara Falls). We walked a footbridge spanning the falls for a front-row seat to the roar and power -- very impressive up-close!

long way down!

We made it into Quebec City in the late afternoon, stopped at a food court in a big mall, and continued on to our hotel.

Day 13: Quebec City, QC
We parked by the Plains of Abraham this morning and set out on foot to see Old Quebec. We followed the Governors' Promenade past the Citadel and down to Dufferin Terrace, a platform by the Chateau Frontenac overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

toboggan course!

We walked down the slope to the Lower Town and followed its cobblestone streets to Place Royal, a charming plaza that looks straight out of France.

cabane a sucre!

Notre-Dame-des-Victoires (1723)

We returned up the slope and walked some more around the Old City, taking in pretty plazas, Notre-Dame Basilica, Artillery Park (closed for the season), and the fortification walls that once defended the city.

Later that afternoon we took the car for an oil change, an interesting glimpse into the residential and industrial parts of the city.

Day 14: Gatineau, QC

We headed west this morning from Quebec City to Montreal for a whirlwind tour that included smoked beef at Schwartz's deli, a walk up Mont Royal, and a drive through the Old Port's cobblestone streets.

such cool street art

napkin notes

quite possibly the best sandwich I've ever eaten

nice day to climb Mont Royal

We continued west, stopping to walk along Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue's canal and locks, and around Hudson, another nice waterfront town.

We made it into Ottawa in the late afternoon and headed across the bridge to Gatineau to spend the night.

Day 15: Kingston, ON

We spent this cloudy morning checking out downtown Ottawa. Although the wait times were unfortunately too long for us to tour Parliament or the Peace Tower, we did have a nice look around the grounds and at the National War Memorial.

We crossed the Rideau Canal, which had a couple of boats waiting in its locks. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Site, the canal was built in 1832 to connect Ottawa and Kingston, providing an alternative to the St. Lawrence River in case of a blockade. In the winter it becomes the world's largest skating rink!

Across the canal we window-shopped in ByWard Market, passing stalls laden with beautiful pumpkins, strings of garlic, chrysanthemums, and maple syrup.

We sat for a bit in Notre-Dame Cathedral (1846), a cavernous hall with beautiful green marbled pillars and a starry indigo ceiling.

Across the street, we took a look at the Maman bronze spider statue and taiga garden of the National Gallery.

We drove down Sussex Drive to see the PM's house (well, his front gate) and Rideau Hall, home and office of the Governor General. Rideau Hall is open to visitors, so we joined their 45-minute tour to see where Julie Payette spends her days.

The hall was originally the house of Thomas McKay, the stonemason who led construction of Rideau Canal in the 1800s. It was purchased by the Crown and expanded over the years to house the monarch's representative and entertain foreign dignitaries. Most formal dinners take place in the Tent Room, which was built to resemble the marquee of an English garden party (and doubled as a tennis court when not in use!).

can't say I love it

the ballroom, less circus-y

The grounds of Rideau Hall are essentially a huge park, open to the public. Many of the trees were planted by honoured guests over the years, and it was interesting to walk around and find ones planted by members of the Royal Family, Nelson Mandela, and John F. Kennedy, amongst others.

Our last stop in Ottawa was the Dominion Arboretum, an expanse of nicely labelled plants, where we took a little walk before continuing on to Kingston.

Day 16: Kingston, ON
We spent a nice Sunday in Kingston with my sister and her boyfriend. After breakfast we took a 20-minute ferry ride to Wolfe Island, the largest of the Thousand Islands, where 1400 people reside. We drove through the countryside, dotted with wind turbines, and took a windy walk at Big Sandy Bay.

We headed home for lunch, then spent the afternoon walking around the beautiful Queen's University campus. A & A made amazing ribs and we enjoyed a cosy evening at their place -- a nice end to the trip!