31 Days to Acadia

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Will be interesting to see if we visited the same places

 

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More Ottawa

My wife's distant relative distributed cigars in the late 19th Century. A collection of cigar boxes from that era are in the Canadian Museum of Civilization. A small group of us got a backroom tour of the museum to see the boxes. Apparently each worth from about $250 upwards. His company was the Berlin Cigar Co





The tour included free admission to the museum which some fabulous "first nations" exhibits





View back from the museum side of the river towards the Rideau Canal locks

 

[OZDUCK]

Ottawa again

As part of the re-union there was a visit to Victoria Island in the Ottawa River for a "First Nations" experience.



Meal of Bison, Native Rice and Native beans










Colourful Beer

 

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Montreal

After 4 nights in Ottawa we took the train (ViaRail) to Montreal. The train was comfortable and by buying ahead only cost C$80 for the 2 of us. It is not a particularly scenic trip with the line mostly going through flat farmland with stops at a few small towns with one nice river crossing.

Between Ottawa & Montreal



The bathroom floor in our B & B certainly woke up the eyes in the mornings



My wife loved these little fellows in the parks



My first ever "Reuben Sandwich" (on a roll)



As we found all through Canada there was little chance of being hungry after a restaurant meal.(Southern Crisp Chicken Tender Salad)

 

[OZDUCK]

More Montreal

We only spent 2 nights in Montreal The CBD is pretty much a generic big city The oldest part of the city is "The Old Port of Montreal" which is an easy walk from the centre of town. Unfortunately for us, a lot of this area was being "refreshed" for the sesquicentenary of Canada's nationhood in 2017. There was still plenty to see and do but a lot of areas were fenced off. We found this area a lot livelier at night.

The "Old Port area in day & night

 

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Montreal Again

We were interested to see if our tourist French was adequate for our travels in Quebec Province. We had no problems whatsoever. We always said bonjour, bonsoir etc first up - with our horrible accents - they instantly replied in English. We often tried to use our French and they listened politely and tried not to show their dismay at our mispronunciations. We didn't travel to the deepest parts of Quebec Province but in Quebec City & Montreal it was perfectly easy.

We had a couple meals in Rue Saint-Denis, which starts off near the "Latin Quarter"

Great food - terribly slow service



A shared Charcuterie platter - really tasty and filling



As per the restaurant name Chocolate Crepes - hers 70% dark & mine milk



A revival of Mary Poppins was on.



Further down the street the next day.

 

[OZDUCK]

Last of Montreal

We purchased a 24 hour travel pass (not just a calendar day but good for 24 hours after purchase) for the Metro/Bus system which was good value and took the bus to the Parc-du-Mont-Royal for the expansive views over Montreal. Afterwards we wandered around suburban Montreal looking at some lovely parks and Parisian style houses. It was here that we first noticed the lack of good French style Boulangerie's & Patisseries - we only found a couple in all our travels. In fact we found the standard of bread in Canada to be relatively poor and the range very restricted. There didn't seem to be any of the artisanal or even franchise bakeries we are used to here.


Montreal from the Parc-du-Mont-Royal excuse the head on the left)






Housing on Rue Laval - the "recommended" area for gracious housing



Square saint-Louis (on its side)



Another small (!) meal - basic Steak Frites with mushroom sauce - but very nicely cooked.
Served properly with complimentary bread and water. The beer was a local "dark" style.
The proprietress ran 100 metres to return my camera which I had dropped under the table.
This restaurant was near the red street furniture in the previous post - and would not be'
out of place in any large French town I have visited.

 

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After our two nights in Montreal we again took ViaRail to Quebec City. Once more it was a pleasant and comfortable trip but with no particular scenic highlights except for the crossing of the St Lawrence. When we got to Quebec City, in my ignorance, I convinced my wife that it was an easy walk to our B&B in the Upper Town - WRONG. The first part up to the battlements was ok but I hadn't realised how steep the extra climb inside the walls was after that. A few , warranted, disparaging comments were thrown my way.

Our B&B was almost at the top of the old town just inside the walls, on rue Sainte-Ursule.

View from the battlements showing the lower town - where the railway station is located. Clearly an easy walk - with luggage.



The street outside our B&B - certainly had a "French" feel.



View of Chateau Frontenac from our room



View at night - with added fireworks



View of Chateau Frontenac from the Terrasse Dufferin. Now that is what I call a Railway Hotel. Those old railway companies had vision.

 

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More Quebec City

around town

On Terasse Dufferin



The streets got very busy in the evenings when they were closed to traffic



Outside the walls looking back into town



I was thrilled to see this plaque -Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry Author of "The Little Prince" (classic children's story), "Night Flight" - made into a Clark Gable film and aviator (the AFF connection).

Killed in July 1944, at the age of 44, flying a F-5B (a specially configured P-38 reconnaissance variant) out of Corsica.

 

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Chute Montmorency (Montmorency Falls)

A short distance out of Quebec City these falls are 30 metres higher than those at Niagara, but nowhere near as big. They are about 12K out of town and on a city bus route - about 30 minutes.


Walking across the suspension bridge at the top gave me a few butterflies in the stomach


Taken out of the cab of the "aerial tram"


My knee was playing up so I declined the chance to walk down this stairway



Guess what was on in August this year?



View looking back towards Quebec City

 

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Back around Quebec City

The places on this signpost took me back to my history lessons.



Looking east down the St Lawrence



City Walls



Looking back at Quebec City. We took the commuter ferry across the river - well worth the few dollars.



The streets of the lower city seemed even busier than the upper.

 

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New Brunswick

We picked up our next rental car in Quebec City. I had ordered a Chrysler 200C - Camry size. We were actually given a Jeep Cherokee with only 4,000K on the clock.The car had not been cleaned at all since the previous hire but the AVIS depot was frantically busy on the Saturday morning so I just made my complaints and left - we received a C$48 refund when we handed the car back in Halifax so I assumed they removed the in-built cleaning fee. The Jeep had a 2.4L 4 cylinder petrol engine and a 9 speed auto gearbox - the last 2 speeds of which are basically pointless. I managed to manually change into 8th at 130K/hr downhill for a few seconds but could never get into 9th gear. It was a fair car but with very sensitive electric steering that didn't give any feedback. The fuel consumption was only ok - in the mid 7Ls/100km - no better than my 3rd hand 2005 V6 WL Statesman gets on long drives and not half as comfortable a cruiser.

We mostly drove down the Trans-Canada Highway, which in this area was the same as the US Interstate Highways you see on film . Usually 4 lanes separated by a ditch or fence and no intersecting roads - very good for cruising. However we did go off the main road for some sightseeing. The trip to Prince Edward Island took 2 days because of our wanderings, but you could do it in one very long day. It is about 920km. Our first night was spent in Fredericton (capital of New Brunswick province) and the second in Moncton - as a centre to see the Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy.

Hartland Bridge - just before Fredericton. as the sign says - longest covered bridge in the world.



Side view. It is single lane and there is no traffic control, just stop signs at each end. Which seem to work fine.



Typical Victorian house in Fredericton. Which is a lovely city that is worth more than the 1 night we gave it.




More Victorian buildings


My wife ensconced in front of old British army buildings - now the local museum.

 

[drron]

Getting to the interesting bit.In 2019(yes we plan ahead) we are getting of a cruise in Quebec and driving to PEI.So very interested to see the next few posts.

 

[OZDUCK]

Getting to the interesting bit.In 2019(yes we plan ahead) we are getting of a cruise in Quebec and driving to PEI.So very interested to see the next few posts.

Hopefully will give you some ideas. To be honest this is not the most exciting drive in Canada, There is a lot of forest and rolling hills which is pleasant but not fabulous.I am glad I did it but would not be rushing back to this drive. There are a few diversions off the main road which are excellent.

 

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New Brunswick

After a nice night at the best B & B I have ever stayed in we headed towards Hopewell Rocks (flowerpot rock formations). We mostly drove on the backroads going via Cape Enrage and Alma on the Bay of Fundy - a lovely drive - if very wet on the day we were there.


This is just the landing of the Fredericton B & B there was also a sitting room, dining room and library for the guests use - furnished in the same manner. It was built
in the 1840's and has been beautifully restored. Just C$144 per night

http://www.quartermainhouse.com/



This is about 1/3 of the bathroom. There was also a shower big enough for 4 people, with a rainfall shower head and a normal shower head. Heated floor etc etc.
(Luckily I took the photo before I undressed)



This is another, much smaller, covered bridge. There are a lot of them scattered around the southern parts of New Brunswick


Fredericton's historic cemetery - 1784. Commemorating the "Empire Loyalists" who stayed loyal to Britain
at the time of the American Revolution and who were forced to flee to Canada. This graveyard also has the
graves of British soldiers who garrisoned the town from 1786 -1834. It was a fascinating and slightly eerie place.



On the way to the Hopewell Rocks we stopped at the Cape Enrage Lighthouse -on the Bay of Fundy. It is now maintained by a volunteer group
who run the historic site and has a nice small restaurant. This style of lighthouse is very common on the east coast.
(It was also the start of my wife's battle to find a fish chowder she liked.)

 

[OZDUCK]

New Brunswick

It is recommended that you visit Hopewell Rocks twice in your visit. Once at high tide and then again at low tide. This is what we did. The entrance ticket is good for 24 hours to allow for this. We went one afternoon and then the next morning. In between we stopped the night in Moncton - about 30 minutes drive from the rocks. It appears to be a "service" city for the area and seemed to be full of discount shops, fast food restaurants etc.

Driving on the Trans-Canada Highway was a very easy cruise but, like the autobahns, you miss a lot of scenic highlights in the search for speed. It is mostly signposted at 110k/hr but the average speed was about 115 - 120. I never saw a speed trap on the highway in about 3,000km. The secondary roads are usually ok but never faster than 90k/hr and often 80k/hr. They are similar in construction and width to secondary roads in Western Australia but much less well maintained. They were often bumpy with poor signposting (signs pointing to places of interest off the road rarely had distances indicated), almost no use of cats-eye markers, little use of reflector guide posts to mark bends etc, rare use off rumble strips and faded or non-existent paint strips.

At low tide




At high tide



From the beach



You can walk a fair way out on the beach at low tide


The maximum high tides were a few weeks away from our visit

 

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Last of New Brunswick

Moncton to Prince Edward Island (PEI) is an easy drive. Once more we went off-piste and drove through the "Acadian" areas of Shediac & Cap Pele before we rejoined the main road to cross the Confederation Bridge to PEI.

You can only take a vehicle to PEI by the Confederation Bridge or the car ferry further down the coast. There is no charge for the bridge or ferry going to the island but you either pay a bridge toll or ferry fare (alliterative hey) to get off the island.The bridge toll is the cheaper option if your route out works that way.

The New Brunswick (on the left) & Acadian Flags. In the "Acadian" areas the Acadain flag is flown
just as often as the provincial or national flags. All the various flags are flown much more often than in Oz.



The 12.9 km Confederation Bridge to PEI.



It is an impressive structure. The drive across it is not very scenic as the high concrete side barriers
(necessary because of high winds, snow storms etc) restrict the view from cars.



TransCanada Highway



Secondary road - to the Hartland Bridge

 

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Random New Brunswick Photos


Some photos to finish off the new Brunswick part before moving onto PEI.

The entrance to the historic Fredericton Cemetery



PEI is in the background of this photo - across the Bay of Fundy



An "only in Canada" photo



Insid the graveyard - in wet and cold conditions sent a chill down your spine in more ways than one.





The cliffs around Cape Enrage

 

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Prince Edward Island

We spent 4 nights on PEI and could have easily spent 4 more. It as an absolutely lovely spot with beautiful seascapes and rolling lush landscapes.
The food is generally excellent with fresh seafood readily available and excellent local vegetable & meat products in abundance. The quality of the
food is enhanced by the fact that Charlottetown, the capital of the province, hosts the Culinary Institute of Canada and you often run across
enthusiastic young restaurant workers - both cooks and wait staff.

First of a few photos of Charlottetown which has a population of around 35,000.
The central area contains lots of restored Victorian buildings and is easy, and pleasant, to walk around.


Lots of little side streets



Victoria Row - again lovely restored Victorian buildings with very nice restaurants.
It gets very busy, for Charlottetown, at night



These colourful wooden buildings occur fairly frequently in 'The Maritimes"
and were always nice to look at.



Charlottetown City hall




This a word of advice for anyone going to PEI. Be aware that "Anne of Green Gables" is a major industry on the island. You will come across kitsch souvenir & chocolate shops, Musicals & Non-Musical plays, a National Heritage Place featuring a re-creation of the "Green Gables" building that never existed etc etc. In our B & B we met 2 Japanese girls who had came for 2 nights just to do the "Anne" tours. So put your whimsy detector on high alert.

 

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Around PEI​

The roads are usually very good but there are no 4 lane highways - the best are 3 lanes with alternating directions in the middle lane. I don't remember a speed limit above 90k/hr and the traffic is not heavy but often persistent. This means that you have to allow time to tour around the island - but it is so attractive that this is not a chore. We rarely used the GPS there but often followed one or other of the well-signposted tourists drives. These were called - "North Cape Coastal Drive", "Points East Coastal Drive" etc. They were identified by colourful signs which are usually easy to follow.

I would recommend that if you are thinking of going there you read up the local tourism site https://www.tourismpei.com/ . It is well laid out with very useful maps, advice and so on. We also used this site to receive maps, guidebooks etc. Amusingly enough these were actually posted from Romford UK, a suburb of London.

A major road on PEI



Various shots from the car around PEI. You got beautiful scenery on almost every road. There are tons of little pull-offs along these roads which are usually worthwhile using. In the end there are probably more sights than you could handle in a month. The next few posts I post will display some of the ones I liked best.