Week 3 - Off to New France :D

Hello dear ones,

It's time for a new update and it's hard to believe, but three weeks have already passed.

We were just talking today about how this week seemed to go by extra fast compared to the first two. And our time in eastern Canada is coming to an end.

What happened this week?

The start of the week wasn't great. Firstly, the weather was just miserable and freezing cold. On top of that, we drove towards Quebec, which was a long drive and was interrupted by a stopover in Louiseville. Unfortunately, we had to take a two-day break there because Martin caught a cold. Not surprising with the temperature fluctuations and the annoying air conditioning in the car during long drives.

So Christina had to explore Louiseville alone, but it was rather uneventful for her and she ended up joining Martin in bed after two hours of exploring, sleeping or watching series all day :D It was actually quite nice to just hang out in the motel for two days :) However, we would have preferred one of the previous motels, as this one was really below average. But Martin was able to recover a bit and gather new strength and energy for the continued drive to Quebec.

On the morning of our departure from Louiseville, we started the day leisurely with our usual breakfast and a cup of coffee (Martin with peppermint tea) and then headed directly to Quebec.

When we arrived, we were thrilled with our hotel. Yes, you read that right, we stayed in a hotel instead of a motel, and at the price of a motel, even with a pool *.* :) We were very happy :D

But one thing at a time. Since we arrived early in the afternoon, we packed our backpack with supplies and started exploring. Quebec is a cute little town with typical French narrow streets. It feels like walking through a labyrinth at times. Another thing we didn't realize is that Quebec is actually a mountain town, divided into the upper and lower town. We didn't expect that at all. Since the weather on the day of our arrival was still quite cloudy and rainy, we focused on exploring the lower town - also known as Basse-Ville, which covers a large part of the Old Quebec. The lower town is really pretty with its beautiful old facades and cobblestone streets. You also come across some murals here and there, which are also very nice to look at.

After getting an overview of the area, with a short stop on the famous shopping street Rue du Petit Champlain, at Place Royale and on the Terrasse Dufferin with a view of the lower town and the impressive Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, we headed back to our accommodation. Once there, we jumped into our swimwear and went straight to the pool :) For dinner, we had delicious chili sin carne, which we enjoyed while watching baseball and ice hockey on TV.

The next day, the weather finally cooperated. It was a bit chilly, but we were able to enjoy the city under almost perfect sunshine. We walked to the city center along rue Saint-Joseph O, which felt vibrant and lively. There were many small boutiques, bakeries, and cafes. It was a delight to see. On our way back, we even stopped at one of the cafes and enjoyed a break :) but let's go back to the way there. Once in the city center, we walked through all the sights that this city has to offer. You can't really make a list like in Toronto or Ottawa because just walking through the city center is the attraction itself. Walking along beautiful facades, glimpsing into courtyards. Wandering through narrow streets that go up and down. Standing on lovingly paved old squares, observing the surroundings and people. Getting an overview from Terrasse Dufferin while listening to street musicians and enjoying the sun. It was simply a beautiful day that we will surely never forget, and it was a much-needed break from the rainy weather and the disappointment of closed national parks. We fell into bed that night feeling relaxed and satisfied :)

The next morning, we headed further east. Our next destination was the small town of Baie-Saint-Paul by the water. As it turned out, it was a great choice :) The drive there was relatively uneventful with only a brief stop behind Quebec at Montmorency Falls, which are very impressive and worth seeing. There is a great park surrounding the falls, so we were able to take a short but beautiful walk.

But then we arrived in Baie-Saint-Paul. A small town in eastern Canada, or should I say eastern France :D Whatever you want to call it. We were greeted by a wonderful downhill road. On the right side, we had a view of the St. Lawrence River, and on the left side, we had a view of a mountainous landscape that made us feel like we were in southern Germany. You could almost say it's the perfect place for all kinds of vacations. And as you will see in the pictures, we are still by a river. I think I have to keep mentioning this because the river is so big that it looks like a sea. And there are even waves, the Baltic Sea could learn a thing or two from it :D

After checking in at our very cozy and charming accommodation, a former monastery, we went out to explore once again. Fortunately, it's not a big place, so we quickly found the "pedestrian zone." Interestingly, our tour was interrupted after about 20 minutes because we saw a sign for a winery and thought, let's check it out :D And as luck would have it, we were presented with four small wine glasses filled with mead and next to it, as a finale, a glass of gin. Also homemade by the producer. Normally, we're not big fans of mead because in Germany it's usually a very very sweet drink. But here we were proven wrong and had a very stimulating and interesting little wine tasting, accompanied by the host. He was a very nice man who had definitely found his passion. In the end, he let us try seven different glasses and for the actual finale, the gin, he also served a glass of absinthe with the words - only for the taste, with 62% alcohol by volume :D It was truly the best absinthe we have ever had, and despite its high alcohol content, it was very mild and flavorful.....delicious :P :)

After the impromptu wine tasting, which was also the cheapest we've ever done (15$, which is only about €11), we continued exploring the town and decided to take a short evening walk, Christina and Martin style. Here's how it went :D Of course, slightly tipsy, we took the longest detour possible to the water. Once we arrived at the water, we realized that there was an official pedestrian path (which we discovered cross-country) directly to our accommodation - what a coincidence. And it was only a fraction of the distance we had covered. We really are pros at this, and no, it definitely wasn't because of the little bit of alcohol from the wine tasting, that's just how we always are -.- :D :D

Completely happy to have found our way back to the accommodation, we prepared ourselves a celebratory dinner - chicken curry with cabbage and rice. We enjoyed this delicious meal in the lounge of this wonderful accommodation. We actually liked it here from the very first moment, so on the first evening, we decided to stay for two more nights, a total of three nights. This accommodation gives us a feeling of comfort and home that we haven't experienced anywhere else in the past three weeks since we started this adventure. And that's even though this place is more like a hostel and everything is very simple, old-fashioned, and without any frills. Maybe that's what makes it special. Plus, we can walk barefoot like at home, which adds a massive level of comfort. We highly recommend it, and if any of you who are reading this ever come to Baie-Saint-Paul in eastern Canada, check out Auberge des Balcons :)

The next day in Baie-Saint-Paul, we started our planned hike in Parc National des Grands-Jardins. This park is about 30 minutes from the town and is located up in the mountains. We hiked the Mont du Lac des Cygnes trail. Just like in Algonquin National Park, it was a fun snow hike in t-shirts :D..except here, the snow was soft instead of hard and frozen. So it was a real snow hike with a few falls into the snow. It was always funny in a new way because we sank at least halfway into the snow with every step. Snowshoes would have made the hike much easier, but you can't have everything. The trail up to the summit was truly beautiful. We walked through birch-like forests, then through coniferous forests (filled with unusual firs and pines), and encountered small streams here and there. The weather was perfect with not a cloud in the sky. So the view from the summit was breathtaking. We proudly and joyfully took a little break until we dared to start the descent. It was even more fun than the ascent because it was like sliding down the path :D Christina had pretty good grip, but unfortunately, Martin chose the wrong pair of shoes and slid almost the entire way down to the parking lot. But he enjoyed it a lot, even though he fell several times, but it was no problem with the soft snow :D We definitely didn't feel any negativity during this snowy fun :D:D Back at the accommodation, we had another delicious dinner and then went to bed early because we were simply exhausted.

The next morning, we took a car tour of the surrounding area of Baie-Saint-Paul. We were recommended the Rue du Fleuve 362, which runs close to the water towards La Malbaie and is perfect for a day trip. We drove through beautiful landscapes and enjoyed fantastic views of the St. Lawrence River. Our first stop was the ferry to Île aux Coudres, a very picturesque island in the middle of the river. It's best to explore it by car because it's bigger than you might think. While driving around the island, we found a beautiful spot by the water where we enjoyed coffee and bread. It was a wonderful place to relax, with a gentle breeze, sunshine, and a picturesque view.

After visiting the island, we continued to La Malbaie, where we made a quick stop at Boulangerie Pains D'exclamation for coffee and a sweet pastry on the sunny terrace. That's the life :)

On our way back, we drove along Rue 138, passing through Clermont and Saint Hilarion, through more beautiful landscapes and with great views of the towering mountain peaks in the distance. It was a really nice and relaxing day trip, almost like a traditional Sunday drive :D

In the evening at the accommodation, we did our laundry, relaxed in the lounge, wrote or read some of this blog, and enjoyed another delicious meal :) Unfortunately, this was our last evening in this wonderful place :(

This morning, with heavy hearts, of course in proper rainy weather (irony ;)), we left to slowly make our way back towards Montreal. Baie-Saint-Paul and La Malbaie are the easternmost places we visited in eastern Canada.

The route took us past Quebec, and now we find ourselves in Lyster, a town with just under 1,700 inhabitants. It's really quiet and rural here, but also quite beautiful :) Our hosts are really friendly and welcomed us with open arms, which gave us a wonderful feeling. They also recommended a small national park just around the corner, which we decided to check out since we'll be leaving tomorrow and won't have much time to spend here. In short, it was a nice walk with some great wildlife sightings. The highlight was seeing a cute little squirrel crossing our path on a branch right in front of us :)

Now we're just hanging out here, about to prepare dinner. Tomorrow, we'll continue towards Montreal. We'll see where we end up. There isn't much to see here in the southern part of the province of Quebec, as far as we know. The landscape is also not significantly different, so it's pretty much the same as what we've already seen.

That's all for the third week :) We're doing well, swinging our hats :D

We hope you enjoyed reading and found it somewhat entertaining.

Until the next entry :)

Lots of love - Christina & Martin