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Published: October 16th 2008
Oh Canada!
As the number 69 Adirondack train pulled out of New York's Penn Station bound for Canada, excitement levels seemed to rise each mile that we travelled further northwards. Whether this was down to the fact that we would be crossing the border into a new country on our trip, or simply because of what we had read and heard about Canada prior to leaving, neither of us were quite sure. One thing was for sure though, we were both really looking forward to spending time travelling in the worlds second largest country!
Despite the journey to Montreal taking nearly 12 hours, the scenery along the way offset the boredom that may have set in on any other journey. It was probably only an hour or so after leaving New York City that the concrete and glass of the city buildings and apartments disappeared from sight completely. Instead, the views were replaced by scenic landscapes of the Hudson river and shear rock faces that dropped right down to the water level on the opposite bank. As we pulled inland away from the river, it wasn't long before all that we could see was farmland and fields full of
corn.
Crossing the Canadian border was relatively straight forward in comparison to entering the US in Miami. Stopping at the first Canadian station, customs and immigration officers boarded the train to check documentation. Paying slightly more attention to us due to our length of stay (which was well within the allowed number of days mind) they stamped our passports and before long we were on the way again.
The farmland continued for another couple of hours, broken up by the occasional small village or town. One sight that took both of us by surprise was watching 50+ hot air balloons being launched from a field in the early evening. It was quite a sight to see the first two or three go up, followed by more and more until the window we were watching through was filled with a multitude of colours - almost like somebody was blowing multicoloured bubbles up into the sky!
Not too long after seeing the balloons, we finally made it to the station in Montreal.
Combien de pommes de terre?
After a good nights sleep we spent the first day down in the Old Town and port area so that
we could find our bearings and get our first taste of Canada. A lazy afternoon spent casually walking around the historical buildings and learning about some of Montréal’s heritage. That evening we continued with our home cooking streak and decided to make sausage and mash. Whilst in the supermarket it suddenly dawned on Jayne that since we were in the French speaking province of Canada she may in fact be able to put the only but of French she learnt at school into practice - combien de pommes de terres? or in English, how much are the potatoes!!! After she finally pulled herself together we left the supermarket, went back to the hostel and started to make tea. Only then did we realise that we didn’t have a potato pealer or a masher! What fun we had, determined to succeed....... it turned out just fine, albeit with a few lumps here and there.
The following morning we decided to hire bikes so that we could explore some of Montréal’s more distant spots. Little did we know at the time that we would spend the next 10 hours cycling around the city!!! Sounds painful.... it was, but not at the
time, only when we got back to the hostel did it hit us. Anyhow, the pain was well worth it. First stop on the bikes was the two smaller islands to the south of Montreal's main island, Ile Sainte-Helene and Ile Notre Dame. After crossing the Jacques Cartier Bridge to Ile Sainte-Helene we followed one of the cycle paths around the large park that dominates the Island. Little did we know that a children’s carnival was taking place so trying to ride through the centre was impossible. Skipping quickly past the carnival we headed for the biosphere, an environmental museum famed for its huge metal barred sphere in which the museum sits. We didn't go into the museum but just wanted to take a look at the unusual construction. What we did see whilst walking around the outside of the museum was a woodchuck which Jayne quickly christened Willy Woodchuck! Moving on to the next small island, Notre Dame, we immediately found ourselves within the Canadian Grand Prix circuit grounds. We had heard that you could cycle around the track so we looked around for the entrance. Once we made it on to the track we were amazed to find
people walking, cycling, roller skating and even driving around the circuit. Thankfully the track was divided down the middle with bollards so that cars were not too close to the pedestrians; however some of the racing cyclists were going faster than the cars anyway! We were there for a gentle ride and had the rest of the day ahead of us so we took it easy spending nearly half an hour completing a single lap! Moving on from the Grand Prix circuit we left the islands and completed a lap of the city stopping along the way at the docks, the port, Mont royal park and Lafontaine Park. By the time we arrived back at the hostel we were desperately in need of some food.
The following day we took a long, long, long walk down to the Olympic stadium and biodome. The walk seemed to go on and on even though we could see the stadium not long after setting out fro the hostel. When we finally arrived at the stadium we were surprised at how unattractive the stadium is close up. From the distance it looks quite special but the 30+ years of weathering since its construction
is clearly beginning to show. Next to the stadium however is the biodome, an indoor zoo that shows off animals from across the Americas four ecosystems (south american rainforest, north American wilderness, saint laurence marine environments and polar regions). This was well worth stopping at, even more so as it was free on the day we went!!! After finishing at the stadium and biodome we caught the metro to down town for a quick look around before heading up to Mont Royal park. Arriving at the top of the steps feeling pretty breathless our efforts were rewarded with fantastic views out over the city and surrounding area (see pic at top).
Montreal was most enjoyable despite the fact that we exhausted ourselves with all the walking and cycling.
Minced horse, no thanks!
And so the journey continues eastwards to Quebec City. Time to imerse ourselves in Canada's oldest city and further attempts at speaking french!
On arrival at the train station in Quebec the heavens decided to open. For a second we thought we were back in England with the amount of rain that came down. After making a mad dash for the hotel on
foot, (which should have taken no more than 10 minutes but actually took close to an hour due to numerous pitstops to shelter from the relentless rain that was hammering down) we arrived at the hotel well and truly drenched, mid afternoon. The rain did not look like it was going to stop so we spent the rest of the day drying out ourselves and entire backpacks whilst watching the Olympic games and playing Uno!
Thankfully the rain had ceased when we rose the next morning, allowing us to get out into the city and explore. For our first full day we chose to stay in the Upper Old town area of Quebec City. This part of the City has a lot of character with it's old buildings and spectacular hotels, the Fairmont being the most spectacular of them all as it resembles a castle and seems to tell a thousand stories when you look at it. A marching band passed us outside the Fairmont and this really added to Quebec's historical flavour.
Behind the Fairmont Hotel stands the Citadelle which we took a walk up to. This is a military installation and part of the original fortifications
of Quebec. This is a great spot to learn about the history of Quebec and it's wars as it has now been turned into a museum.
The following day we went down to the lower Old Town. We stopped for a bite to eat at the harbour and were just enjoying our picnic when an idiot dressed as a clown decided to squirt water in Chris' face! Suffice, he was not amused and I don't think a clown has ever moved so quickly in such funny shoes! The lower town was just as quaint and cultural as the upper town. On one of the many picturesque, narrow side streets we visited a glass blowing shop and watched the process from start to finish for a vase. It was extremely clever, just a shame we couldn't fit one in our rucksacks!
In all, Quebec was a short but memorable stop. It's such a relaxing city with so much going on, but you can do as much or as little as you desire. One thing that did amaze us was the numbering system on the doors. As you can see from the photo number 9 1/2 is not an unusual
number in Quebec!
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Eileen
non-member comment
Bon jour mes amis
Hi guys, great to read your blog again, hope you managed to use your french, as you can see my spelling leaves a little to be desired. Photos are great keep em coming take care Love Ei and Martin