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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