Quebec - Saint Jerome

For breakfast, I receive a goody bag again at the Hotel du Nord, a surprise bag. I am often asked why I do this. Well, breakfast here is rather disappointing when it comes to hotels. And in that sense, I'm not spoiled. I find it amusing how the hotels make an effort to do something good for their guests. And it's silly to throw it away. So if you get it, you should eat it. Even though it's not particularly good. A croissant in a wrapper is simply not comparable to a fresh one.

Today I drive a large part of the Chemin du Roy, the King's Way. It's a historic road in this province. It follows the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and connects Repentigny near Montreal with the city of Quebec. The road is 280 kilometers long, mainly following route 138. I'm not driving the entire route because the average speed is very slow. That's because of the many small towns along the way, often with a maximum speed of 30 km/h.

Once, this road was the longest north of Mexico. And it replaced the frozen river as a trade route. Today, it has been developed for tourism and many shops bear its name. The journey reminds me a little of my encounter with the Mississippi, which I followed for about 1000 km in 2019. But the Saint Lawrence River is even more majestic here, and no picture can capture its immense width.

Impressive are above all the many churches that have a special presence in the towns. They tower over every building and have such a dominant effect, which is intentional. Actually, you can stop continuously on this route and enjoy the history, but then it would take a whole day. If not longer. It is impressive nonetheless. About 80 km before reaching the end, I turn northwest and bypass Montreal. I will see it again soon enough.

The area from here on is not particularly interesting, the influence of the river is no longer present and there are no proper forests either. Many areas are used for agriculture, and at the moment pumpkins dominate everything. The signs of Halloween are evident everywhere. Hundreds of these fruits are offered for sale at many stands. It's worse than Christmas here.

I arrive in Saint Jerome at a very convenient time for a break. The city is much larger than I thought. And ugly. I'm glad when I can drive through these endless forests again tomorrow and enjoy the trees sprouting in all colors. It seems to get more intense every day. And hopefully, the parks I will ride through are full of this colorful spectacle.

My hotel room is not exactly cheap, but I do actually have a whirlpool in the room. I must have overlooked that somehow. In any case, I make use of it, but underestimate the effect of my shower gel. The whirlpool function combined with it creates a foam party that can only be stopped by pressing the off button. How stupid can one be. Well, then it's a foam bath.