to Fredericton
2011/09/10
Drove from Quebec City to Fredericton today. Bit of a long haul, but it was a fast, easy road most of the way.
No pictures today – there was no place I really felt like stopping to take photos, so other than snack breaks I just drove through.
I rather like the landscape I’ve seen in New Brunswick. It’s a lot like the foothills around Calgary, with rolling hills, a few large hills and the occasional rock outcrop, but there are a lot more trees here.
In lieu of pictures, let me fill in some comments I meant to post on previous days but forgot.
Comparing the cores of Quebec City and Montreal: The old buildings downtown Quebec are really nice – they’re kept in good shape and very clean, but it’s very clearly a tourist zone. Montreal has as many interesting buildings and as old, but they’re much more lived in; they actually see use outside of tourism. I was surprised to find that the basilicae in Quebec mostly seemed smaller and less ornate than those in Montreal. Quebec is definitely gorgeous to visit, and feels like what I imagine some European cities must be like, but I think I like Montreal more.
I was asked if I still think Montreal drivers are insane, and I do. Vancouverites are speedy; going 10km/h over the speed limit is universal. People across the country do generally speed a bit, but not as uniformly as Vancouverites, and in other provinces the speeders tend to go much more over the limit. Torontonians are generally pretty sane, except when they’re on the freeway – then they speed excessively, and change lanes rapidly with inches of clearance. Torontonians also seem unable to understand the consequences of their own impatience, leading to universal gridlock at rush hours. Torontonians also use their horns more than anyone else, and usually in situations where it does no good – ie as a means of expressing frustration rather than the intended function. Montrealers speed everywhere, make dangerous lane changes everywhere, and do this to avoid traffic jams – usually successfully from what I’ve seen. They’re less respectful of traffic rules than anywhere else I’ve been – though given the complex rules on the island of Montreal, I can’t say I blame them. They’re also more given to shouting and gesticulating at each other.
When I was in Niagara Falls, one morning when I checked my oil I found a dead praying mantis in my engine compartment. I had no idea mantids lived in Canada.
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to Quebec City
2011/09/08
No photos today, and not a whole lot to comment on.
I drove to Quebec City via the old Chemaine du Roy highway, which is slower but more scenic as it hugs the St. Lawrence river more closely than the express highway.
Some nice areas along here – a few so reeking of picturesque quaintness that I can’t imagine actually living there. You know, the ancient barn beside colorful farmhouse sort of thing.
Every town has a gorgeous stone church that you know took them many years to build. I was thinking about that a bit – looking at shared religion as a security blanket, what does it say about the times these towns were founded that they invested such a huge effort in erecting the place to house said security blanket?
I saw a crazy number of Spyder roadsters today. I’ve seen the occasional one on other days of this journey, but I saw over a dozen on the road today, and not all at once either. I wonder why they’re more popular here. Perhaps because they resemble skidoos, which are hugely popular in winter here? Actually, someone should invent one that can be converted to a skidoo. I don’t get the appeal of these roadsters though – they offer less freedom and excitement than motorcycles, and less stability and protection than cars.
On arrival in QC I just looked for a room, did my laundry and settled in to catch up on my accounting and blogging. Tomorrow is the big tourism day.
Speaking of tourism – I am now east of Montreal for the first time since I was four years old. I only have memories of two places east of here. One I don’t know the location of, and the other I will be attempting to find in a couple of days. Other than that, I’m fully a tourist until I reach the end of the country.
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PSA too
Thanks to Frink for covering my absence – I was staying with relatives for a few days in Montreal, and they didn’t have net access – or rather they did, but not in a way I could easily hook up my laptop.
Back in hotels now, so I should be good for at least the next few days.
Backlogged posts will be coming through soon.
to Montreal
2011/09/04
Continued on from Belleville to Montreal today, with a couple of stops along the way.
First stop, the SkyDeck observation tower on Hill Island, in the midst of the Thousand Islands. The Thousand Islands really strike my fancy because you get what looks like a nice upscale suburban neighborhood, only with a river instead of roads, and instead of freight trains you get cargo ships passing by your back yard. Nice neighborhood if you can afford it:
Next stop, Upper Canada Village. My parents tell me I was here once before, but I don’t remember it. We were on a trip to evaluate a nearby hippy commune (I vaguely remember that part) and also did a boat tour of the Thousand Islands, which I also don’t remember.
I spent two hours at the Village but could have spent more. It’s the biggest heritage village I’ve seen in Canada so far. Lots to see. I enjoyed it a bunch. I’ve rarely seen so much quaint packed into such a localized area. But one thing about these heritage villages that most other people can’t say: I can honestly say I’ve lived in a place that makes these farmhouses look modern and luxurious.
Assorted Village pics follow.
Concluded the day by driving into Montreal and meeting up with my aunt Claudette and her boyfriend Gaëtan. I haven’t seen Claudette since the last time I was in Montreal, in 1985. Gaëtan is a new meet.
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Leaving Niagara
2011/09/03
Heading toward Montreal now. I took a side trip to check out Niagara-On-The-Lake, which turns out to be a really nice little town. On the way this small hydro facility caught my eye:
But for some reason I like the view towards the lake more:
The rest of the day was just driving. I took the superhighways through Hamilton and Toronto. In the morning I thought to make a reservation at my intended destination, Kingston. However, everything there was full up – I guess this being a moving weekend, a long weekend, just before back-to-school AND Kingston being near the Thousand Islands made it a popular spot.
So I drove as close as I thought I could get a room and ended up staying in Belleville. It was pretty crowded there too, and I didn’t get an ideal room.
Along the way I stopped at The Big Apple, a roadside dessert shop my friend Winston had recommended:
and got an apple pie to go. It was pretty good. I’m not a pie connoisseur (more of a cake person) but it was definitely worth a bite.
I haven’t been east of Toronto since 1985. I’m moving out of familiar territory and into dimly, distantly remembered areas and new lands now.
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