What can I say to add to this? It's a photograph taken of the place we arrived at this afternoon - Riviere du Loup, about 200 miles further up the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City, and a stunningly beautiful place it is.We've been traveling through Quebec all day and you may not believe it but everybody around here speaks French. Mine is mostly pretty rusty after so many years away but I've been getting along okay at the quickie marts and restaurants as well as here au Hotel Universale (if you consider almost all can speak English when I fail with French). It will be fun to work on being fluent again even if I do speak it with an English accent. My friends used to laugh at my pronunciation when I lived in Montreal years ago.
Speaking of Montreal, we've decided the reason why the US never successfully invaded Canada was because they couldn't make it through the traffic in the city. Now that the place has had 30 extra years to get bigger it also continued to develop a highway system that would defy a team of NASA engineers. It was pretty insane coming through there to say the least.
Up to now we've driven 3250 miles and still have about 500 to go before we get to Halifax. We're both a little wiped out but happy to have made it so far safely and fairly comfortably. Early on we realized that a motel that advertises $40 a night means each so it's just as well to spend $120 for both of us and have a nice place with breakfast included. We needed them even though neither of us generally eats a morning meal.
That's it for tonight. I hope you're all well and rest assured that one of these days soon I'll be able to visit again at leisure.
Peace. Peace. Peace. To you and your traveling companion. So happy for you both.
ReplyDeleteOMG. That is a gorgeous photo. Gorgeous. I hope all your travels are as beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHey, any Crow sightings? I miss him!
Travel safe.xo
spadoman - And to you Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. We are well and planning this morning to avoid being on the road as Hurricane Earl makes its way past. A friend emailed me last night with her letter beginning: Dear Dorothy, Welcome to Kansas :-)
ReplyDeletebelette - Yes, it's yet another my camera didn't capture but it was an essential image of this place.
Crow is still scouting ahead but he left his messengers to guide us. All along HWY 28 in upstate Michigan the crows were on the the Canadian side of the road. Great Crow himself is likely standing watch on an 18th floor balcony :-)
Hi Susan- wonderful photos and scenery along your long journey now drawing to an end. I hope you find friendly yet comfortable accommodation.
ReplyDeleteWe always used to enjoy staying the Bed and breakfast farm houses where that was available.
Best wishes
I laughed because you're so right about the traffic in Montreal. Nobody (drivers and pedestrians) follow the rules. It was the same when I grew up there. You need to be brave to cross a street. You put your arm up and yell, "C'est mon tour!" And run....
ReplyDeleteYou're also right about Rivière-du-Loup. My heart nearly stops breathing whenever I visit. It's impossible to describe. Soyez les bienvenus au Canada!
lindsay - They are wonderful pictures I've been finding of some of the places we've seen. I'm not a bad photographer if I'm standing still but there's been little of that. We have stayed in nice places but the best of all so far was the one in Riviere du Loup.
ReplyDeleteclaude - A naturally crazy situation was made even worse by being stuck on hwy interchanges for over an hour. The roads had been narrowed for construction but there was none to be seen.
I'm glad you found phantsythat - sorry I can't visit in turn.
Call me lazy, Susan: within how many days did you drive 3,250 miles?
ReplyDeleteGood luck for the final 500. And ... don't forget fastening your seat belt. ...
Susan - I found phansythat on the sidebar of Omnium. Amusing that it would be when you arrive in Canada! I don't have a blog but I visit different places. And I say hello, now and again. Ayez un bon voyage!
ReplyDeletesean - That was 7 days. As of today we've gone about 3600 but we're slowing down for a civilized landing. We've also really slowed down because a hurricane is expected to pass between where we are now and our destination sometime tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteclaude - Thanks for letting me know - Sean is cool guy. I hope you'll come back again sometime and if you see this I did write a couple of illustrated stories about Montreal.
I love that photo. I've never been to Montreal. Now I really want to go!
ReplyDeletelisa - I'm not fond of ring roads and superhwy jumble anywhere but if you can find a way past that stuff Montreal is a way cool town. We'll go back by train :-)
ReplyDelete