Quebec - Rimouski

I managed to fall asleep again despite waking up at 4 am. And then I looked at the clock again at 8:30 am. The first step to overcome jet lag. There is no breakfast, as will probably be the case many times on my trip (thanks to Covid), so a dry bagel and a chocolate bar will have to do. To accompany it, coffee from the coffee maker in the room and a glass of root beer. How could the morning start any better?

It's a wonderfully sunny day and I'm heading north. There's traffic around Quebec, so it takes a while before I get to the bridge where the highway crosses the mighty St. Lawrence River. The sight of this mighty river is comparable only to the Mississippi - the Rhine looks like a trickle in comparison. Numerous sailboats dance on the sun-reflecting water, and while driving, I regret not being able to take a photo. Stopping on the bridge would be nice.

Highway 20 is part of the Trans-Canada Highway, and now I'm turning onto it for 20 km before switching to the smaller Route 132, the Navigator's Route. The advantage of this is that the river is closer to me, but of course the disadvantage is that it takes much longer. I don't mind. Even in the USA, I avoided interstates if there was a smaller alternative - you simply see so much more.

Along the road, there are well-kept houses with well-kept gardens, most of which have a direct view of the river. A dream for anyone who wants to live by the water. The river is so wide here that you constantly think it must be a lake. Some place names even have the suffix "sur-mer" (on the sea). The one-lane road leads through many small picturesque villages, and dilapidated houses like in Mississippi are nowhere to be found here. The area seems to be prosperous.

Occasionally, there is an opportunity to turn off to a visitor's viewpoint on the left side of the road, and here too, while there are a few tourists like me, it is far from crowded. It's beautiful to sit in the sun and admire the masses of water peacefully flowing towards the sea. On the opposite side, you can see gentle hills, and the adjacent wetlands are dotted with flocks of birds. Swimming is not possible here, at least not in this part, because there is no beach. Which is also better for the birds.

After a leisurely 5 hours, I reach Rimouski, a larger settlement with almost 50,000 inhabitants. Here too, the sun seems to be shining brightly, and I walk around in a t-shirt. In winter, it's a different story, with an average temperature of -11 degrees Celsius in January and 271.1 cm of snow per year. When refueling for the first time, I ask 4 people if they speak English because I want to know something about the gas pump - I get 4 "no" responses. Well, I'm used to it by now. I read on Wikipedia that 98.2 percent of the population here claim French as their main language, 0.6 percent English, and 0.3 percent speak both English and French. So, I should have asked 100 people, then there would have been one who would have answered me. Next time.

The motel is a bit shabby but it'll do, and unfortunately, the nearby Bic National Park is closed due to overcrowding (Covid rules). The Chinese owner asks me what I'm doing here. Very nice. She didn't realize that Europeans are allowed to enter again. When I tell her that I'm fully vaccinated, she looks relieved.

Dinner at A&W turns out to be a challenge again. I did some research online and downloaded coupons. But they are of no use to me - they say they're out of beef. Huh? At 7:30 pm? I find out that the restaurant closes at 8 pm. 8 pm? On a Saturday? A burger joint? Is there still a war going on here? After wearing out 3 employees due to my lack of French language skills, they finally agree that a Buddy Burger is still available. It's also made with beef, but it doesn't matter. Maybe they just need to get rid of their chicken burgers that Salesperson 1 and Salesperson 2 keep trying to sell to me. Salesperson 3 marks the end of the German-Canadian negotiations. Buddy Burger. With fries. Avec les pommes frites. Works for me.