Nous Avons Adoré la Ville de Québec!

As this post's title says, "We adored Québec City!"  It was the crème de la crème of our Canadian Road Trip.  All the other destinations leading up to our arrival in La Vieille Capitale just stoked our anticipation for this final stop on our trip.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985, this more than 400 years-old citadel, still surrounded by its ramparts and defensive walls, sits on a cliff high above the St. Lawrence River.  Old Québec City is divided into the Upper and Lower Towns with churches, government buildings and residential neighborhoods built within the citadel's walls at top of the cliff while the docks and commercial buildings were constructed below.

The Funicular, two cable cars that counterbalance each other on the cliff's steep incline, serves as a quick alternative to climbing one of the 30 sets of stairs--Breakneck Stairs being a prime example (oh, my aching knees!)--that link the towns.  Purchasing tickets to ride the Funicular was the only time we needed Canadian dollars during our entire trip.  Nearly everywhere else we were able to pay by credit card.

Our Airbnb

We spent five nights at an Airbnb originally built in the early 1700s within the walls of Old Québec City, but renovated with all the modern conveniences.  That was barely enough time to soak in the history and French spirit of the city.  I thought I'd need to brush up on the French vocabulary I learned in college prior to our visit.  After all, French is the official language of the province.  Approximately 80 percent of the city's population are native francophones so you'll hear plenty of French spoken everywhere, but I soon found that fluency in French is not necessary.  Many, if not most, Québécois are bilingual in French and English.  Street signs and restaurant menus almost always are written in both languages.

I'd recently read Bury Your Dead, by Canadian author Louise Penny, one in her series of murder mysteries involving Inspector Armand Gamache.  Most of the series takes place in Three Pines, a fictional rural community in Québec, but this installment had Gamache investigating the murder of an amateur archeologist whose body was found in the cellar of the Québec Literary and Historical Society in Québec City.  Naturally, I wanted to see the places mentioned in the book:

Literary and Historical Society

which is in the Morrin Centre

Notre-Dame de Québec Basilia

with its beautiful interior,

Le Petit Coin Latin restaurant

and the house purportedly owned by Gamache's mentor, Émile Comeau.

I convinced my family that we needed to dine at Cafe Chez Temporel, another restaurant mentioned in the book.

Baguette topped with goat cheese, tomatoes and herbs

Their open-faced baguette sandwiches were absolutely delicious!

La Maison de la littérature

Also high on my list of sights to see were the city's libraries beginning with La Maison de la littérature which was just around the corner from our Airbnb.  In 2015, this circa-1840s neo-gothic church, once a Methodist church, since decommissioned in 1931, opened its doors as a transformed, gleaming public library with a permanent exhibition on Québec literature, a comic book studio, a residency writers program and writing firms.

The interior of La Maison de la littérature

On the day of our visit, sunlight bounced off the bright white walls highlighting the chandelier, itself a resemblance of the sun.

la Bibliothèque Claire Martin

We found another beautiful library on our way to the patisserie where we bought breakfast croissants nearly every day of our stay.  La Bibliothèque Saint-Jean-Baptiste serves its patrons in the former St. Matthew Anglican Church.

The building was purchased for a symbolic $1 by the city of Québec and opened its doors as a public library in May 1980.  When it reopened after recent renovations in June 2017, it was renamed la Bibliothèque Claire Martin after a well-known local author.  I loved its stained glass windows.

But enough of my enthusiasm for Québec City's libraries and literary scene, let's look at the other sights of the city.

Québec City's iconic centerpiece is Le Chateau Frontenac which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.  This historic hotel was built by a familiar name, William Van Horne, the general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, whose summer home we'd visited in St. Andrews-By-the-Sea.  Originally designed as a stopover for railway travelers, it has since hosted a score of famous guests including Charlie Chaplin, Charles Lindbergh, Winston Churchill, Alfred Hitchcock, Princess Grace, Sir Paul McCartney and Céline Dion.  It's arguably the most photographed hotel in the world.

We met a Parks Canada ranger in front of the chateau on the Plaza Champlain where a statue of explorer Samuel de Champlain commemorates his founding of Québec City.  Listening to the ranger talk, we learned that Champlain in 1608 built a trading post here and called it Kebec from the Algonquian word meaning 'the river narrows here.'  As we strolled along the Dufferin Terrace, a promenade that stretches from the chateau to the citadel, our ranger spoke of repeated attacks by the English until in 1759 General James Wolfe led the British to victory over General Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham, land originally owned by farmer Abraham Martin just outside the city.  Four years later, the Treaty of Paris gave Canada to Britain.

Hôtel du Parlement

Despite that transfer to Britain, Québec has made a concerted effort to retain its French heritage.  At least that's what our tour guide at the Hôtel du Parlement (Parliament Building), the provincial capital, told us.

Interior where the National Assembly of Québec meets

Key to retaining that heritage and culture was the preservation of the French language.  It's been over 40 years since Québec adopted its landmark Charter of the French Language--Bill 101--on August 26, 1977.  The contentious piece of legislation required all government, businesses, workplaces and education system to use French exclusively.  English-speaking Québécois struggled to find employment under the new law and many subsequently left the province.  Elementary and secondary students are all taught in French and there is a push to extend that requirement to post-secondary schools.  So, forty years later, the debate continues.

Rue Saint Jean

When we had our fill of tours, we took to the cobbled streets.

Place Royale

Notre Dame Des Victoires

The interior of Notre Dame Des Victoires

We wandered through the city in search of its unexpected charms

 before stopping to people-watch at sidewalk cafes,

underneath the shadow of Le Chateau Frontenac.

We could almost imagine that we were in France.  Ah, la Ville de Québec!  How we adore you!

Princess of Prince Edward Island

It's not a stretch to say that the orphan, Anne (with an E) Shirley, is the princess of Prince Edward Island.  References to this irrepressible fictional character, first a seed in the mind of authoress Lucy Maud Montgomery, have sprouted all over the island just like the isle's principal crop of potatoes.

In fact, the farmhouse in Cavendish that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery's setting for the Anne of Green Gables series has become Green Gables Heritage Place, a national historic site maintained by Parks Canada.

Of course, Jillian and I who have read the series had to visit the site, dragging Tim and Richard along for the ride.

A new visitors center just open in May 2019 with exhibits such as this first edition of Anne of Green Gables published in June 1908 and the typewriter used by Montgomery.

It's hard to believe it took six tries for Montgomery to find a publisher for the beloved classic which now has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Anne la Maison aux Pignons Verts

However, once it was published, the book went through six printings in eighteen months.  In fact, the series of seven sequels gained a readership as wildly popular as the Harry Potter books in our day.

The farmhouse once owned by Montgomery's aunt and uncle is now furnished as if the novel's characters lived there.  Over the closet door in Anne's bedroom hangs the puffed sleeve dress she longed for until Matthew, the taciturn man, who along with his sister Marilla adopted the feisty orphan, purchased it for her as a surprise.

A real-life, red-headed Anne in braids roams the grounds and is more than willing to pose for visitors' photos.  She looks just as I had imagined Anne would.  In fact, when I told her that she seemed real, she offered to let me pinch her, but I told her I believed her.

My portrayal wasn't nearly as convincing.

Tim and Richard were good sports.  They walked with us to the nearby cemetery to see where Lucy Maud Montgomery is buried.

Although the author loved Prince Edward Island, she did not live here as an adult, but made her home in Toronto where her husband was a Presbyterian minister.  She visited Prince Edward Island as frequently as she could so it seems fitting that she wished to be buried here.

Then as if it wasn't enough for Tim and Richard to visit Green Gables Heritage Place with us, I made reservations that night to see "Anne of Green Gables, the Musical" at the Confederation Center of the Arts in Charlottetown where we were staying.  The show in its 55th year is the world's longest-running musical.  Songs such as "The Apology (Oh, Mrs Lynde)" and "Gee, I'm Glad I'm No One Else But Me" brought beloved characters to life.  Jillian and I loved it and walked back to our Airbnb humming,

"So when all is said and done,
imagining's a lot of fun,
but when there's battles to be won,
be what you are, it's best by far.
Gee, I'm glad I'm no one else but me!"

Fun Along Fundy Bay

Perhaps after my last post, you might be wondering if my family's Canadian Road Trip ended up in a roadside ditch despite the diligence of our designated driver.  I'm thankful to say we made it to Fundy Bay National Park without a hitch.

I had reserved a cabin at the Fundy Highlands Inn and Chalets.  The chalets were tiny, but the view of Fundy Bay from the property was breathtaking.  We planned to hike along a promontory of the park the next day, but first--dinner on the back deck of the Tipsy Tails Bar & Grill where we watched the fishermen dock with their day's catch.  Richard ordered his usual lobster roll while the rest of us explored the menu.

(Note:  I took the top photo of the above collage while waiting for our dinner at Tipsy Tails.  Then the next day I returned to snap the bottom photo.  If you look carefully, you'll see the red boat on the left floating in the evening at high tide and beached the next day at low.  It's another example of the famed Bay of Fundy tides.)

The next day we hit the trail, hiking along Matthews Head.  The trail loops through the park's characteristic conifer forest before trailing along the headland.  Disappointingly, we had only a few glimpses of the coast through the trees.  However, we did happen upon some scenic spots where we could view sea stacks, columns of rock standing in the sea that remain after erosion of the cliffs.

All that hiking made us hungry so we headed back to the nearby town of Alma to a restaurant recommended by Richard.  Throughout our trip, Richard took the lead in researching the best restaurants to try.  This time he led us to a real winner--The Alma Lobster Shop--where once again he ordered--you guessed it!--a lobster roll.

In fact, all of us ordered the same and found these freshly-caught (ah, so freshly caught that the day's lobster traps were still floating in the processing shed at the back of the shop) versions of the sandwich delicious.

Returning to the chalet, we spent the night playing games.  We'd located a copy of The Settlers of Catan at a store in Saint John the day before.  In this popular game, players try to become the dominant force on the island of Catan by building roads, then settlements, and finally cities.  Julie and Rick, friends of ours, introduced us to the game last summer when we visited them in Corbin, KY.  Then, during our Thanksgiving holiday in Washington, D.C., we played it again, using the game owned by Richard's roommate.  Now, we are proud owners and--I wish I could also say--winners of the game, but I must confess the strategy often eludes me.  Still, as you can see in the photos above, games are fun to play no matter who wins!

Throwing our suitcases back in the SUV on July 12th, we had plans to reach Prince Edward Island by nightfall.  But first, I persuaded the family to stop at Cape Enrage simply because I had been intrigued by its name when I researched our proposed itinerary.

There a lighthouse warns passing fishing boats to keep away from the rocky shore.

We climbed down to shoreline for a closer look at the rocky cliffs.

On our way back to the highway, we added stones to the cairns left by earlier visitors, leaving our final mark on New Brunswick.  Before the day was done, we crossed the Confederation Bridge, an 8-mile span that links New Brunswick with Prince Edward Island.  Passage is free when crossing to the island, but tolls currently at a rate of $47.75 for 2-axle vehicles are collected when one leaves.  I warned Tim that we'd better have a full tank of gas.  Anyone who runs short of fuel is charged $100.  Yikes!  It's a good thing the toll keeper takes credit cards!

Idyllic Seaside Village Or Gritty Industrial City?

St. Andrews-By-the-Sea, New Brunswick

Our first three days in New Brunswick were a study in opposites.  The magical charm of St. Andrews-By-the-Sea casted its spell over us while the bustling industry of Saint John made us thirsty for its great craft beers.

As I mentioned in my post, Our Canadian Road Trip, I was given the job of planning my family's trip to our neighboring country to the north.  Luckily for me, the list of places we wanted to see fell neatly into three very distinct sections: New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy, Prince Edward Island, and Québec City.

Having spent the last three years living full time in an RV as my husband and I traveled across the United States, I knew we needed to stay at least two nights in one spot if we were going to experience even the slightest introduction to an area.  Richard's schedule was not a problem.  As a middle school teacher, he had the summer off.  Jillian, on the other hand, was limited by the amount of leave time she had and even with that leave, she still needed to spend time logged into her work.  With that in mind, I mapped out our trip.

Leaving Portland, we drove four hours through the sparsely populated north woods of Maine where yellow hazard signs warned of moose crossings.  I hadn't seen such signs before, nor did we actually encounter a moose, much to Jillian's disappointment and Tim's relief.  A run-in with one of Maine's official state animals that weigh nearly 1400 pounds could have put an end to our road trip very quickly.  We crossed the Canadian border with little fanfare at St. Stephen, New Brunswick, our first saintly city.  The guard, after perusing our passports at the little-traveled post, waved us through with a welcoming smile.  Oh, Canada!  We have arrived!

I'd made reservations at a bed-and-breakfast in St. Andrews-By-the-Sea, a quaint seaside village voted Best Destination in Canada in 2017 by USA Today.  Founded by British Loyalists who fled the colonies in 1783, the names of the town's streets--William, Edward, Augustus, Frederick, Adolphus, Elizabeth, Sophia and Mary--are a roll call of the children of then reigning monarch, King George III.

After checking in to our B&B, we walked down to the harbor in search of dinner.  Our B&B host had recommended The Gables Restaurant so we gave that a try, and boy!  Were we glad we did!

With its outdoor patio and delicious menu choices, The Gables served us a scrumptious supper with a spectacular sunset as the backdrop.

Turning in the opposite direction, we could see the Pendlebury Lighthouse at the mouth of the harbor.  It was a good introduction to this charming city by the sea.

The next morning we visited the Algonquin Resort.  With its view of the Passamaquoddy Bay, this historic hotel commands the town's high ground as it has since it was built in 1889.  The Canadian Pacific Railway took over the luxury hotel's management in 1903 and holiday passengers flocked to this terminus.  Uncharacteristically, Tim and Richard passed up a chance to play golf on the resort's links, choosing instead to visit nearby Ministers Island.

Sir William Van Horne built his summer home, Covenhoven, (see above) on Ministers Island.  He was the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway who extended the railroad all across Canada in 1885, a feat he accomplished in half the projected time.

Courtesy of Proptonics
www.ministerisland.net

Visitors to the island have to keep an eagle eye on the tide charts because one must drive across the ocean floor when the tide is low enough to reveal it.  I thought the ocean floor would be muddy and sandy, but just like the biblical parting of the Red Sea, the exposed bar was firm enough for a car's passage.  The trip was worth it to see the "modest" (if you believe that a home that has 50 rooms is modest) manor of Covenhoven and its beautiful grounds.

We were most intrigued by Covenhoven's bathhouse.  This turret allows one to descend from the headland to the changing rooms at beach level.

Later we hiked a portion of the island's circumference, passing Parson Andrew's house for whom Ministers Island is named.  Now that is what I'd call modest!  However, we had to cut our hike short in order to make the trip back across the sea bottom before the tide would overrun the road.  We returned later that evening at high tide to find the causeway buried under 14 feet of ocean water, a good example of the Bay of Funny's renown tides, the highest in the world.

Photo courtesy of Kingsbrae Garden

St. Andrews has other attractions as well.  Kingsbrae Garden at the top of King Street is a beautifully designed masterpiece of perennials and sculpture gardens, made even more amazing when you consider how short the growing season is in New Brunswick.  We also made time to visit the Sheriff Andrews House, Greennock Presbyterian Church and the Loyalist Burying Ground.

After another stunning sunset, we hit the road the following morning with plans to spend the next two nights in Fundy National Park.

Lepreau Falls

Along the way, we stopped at Lepreau Falls and then Saint John, New Brunswick.  Is every town in this sparsely populated province named for a saint?  It certainly seemed that way.  Saint (which is never abbreviated!) John is a gritty industrial city with a reputation for good eats and great craft beers.

Reversing Falls

It's also the location of Reversing Falls, a geological wonder.  Water streaming out of the St. John Gorge is backed up by the incoming tide from the Bay of Fundy, making the river seemingly reverse direction.

Knowing we had time to kill before we could check into the cabins at Fundy National Park, we decided to take a tour of the Moosehead Brewery, Canada's oldest independent brewery.  Susannah Oland began brewing beer here in 1867 and six generations later Oland descendants still own and operate the business.

Throughout the tour, our guide gave us small tastings of the different beers they craft.  My favorite was their version of Radler, a brew that mixed beer and grapefruit soda, a weird combination that nevertheless was tasty.  Richard  liked their small batch Stout while Tim's and Jillian's favorites fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

Thankfully, our designated driver Tim did not sample all the tour's offerings and so he was fit to continue our trip to Fundy National Park.  Goodbye, saintly cities!