Quebec, Canada (Part 1) - July 4 thru 7, 2006 (Re-run)

 After three months back home in Florida, we were ready to hit the road again and find some cooler weather.  Having visited most parts of Canada before, we chose to plan a route through some areas we had not seen, as well as a few places we had previously enjoyed.  Our first mission was to tour the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec.

You need to look at a map of Quebec to appreciate just how big and remote this province is, and you have to remember that outside the main cities, Montreal and Quebec City, the people speak French almost exclusively.  These factors made it a huge challenge for us, not really knowing what to see and do, or where we might camp, or how to ask for help.  As it turned out, the people of Quebec were both friendly and helpful, obviously appreciating our tourist dollars.  

Since we had visited the two cities a couple times before, we skipped them and went straight to the small villages and forests.  The towns can be characterized as quaint and charming, with beautiful architecture (especially in the churches), lovely gardens and folks who take a lot of pride in their communities.  Despite the language barrier, we were able to communicate enough to get by, mainly because both we and they really made the effort.  It was a lot of fun.

 

 

Driving along the st. Lawrence River, we saw lots of harbor scenes and, more dramatically, the effects of ocean tides on the river and its tributary creeks.