Day 13 - a car, two lighthouses, five pins and a whole lot of rain

It’s our last day.

We had to have the van back to the airport by 11am, but our flight isn’t until midnight, so given we have a whole day spare, and there were some important stops on our St John’s list that we didn’t have time for at the start of our time here, we decided to hire a car. So we spent the morning packing and cleaning the van. We left behind spare toiletries in the washrooms at the camp for anyone to take.

We met the RV man at the airport and then picked up our car. We loaded in our bags and set off for St.John’s - Andrew amazed at how easy it was to drive a car!

The weather started off with blue skies and sunshine, but by the time we arrived at cute little Quidi Vidi (pronounced "Kitty Viddy"), the wind picked up and the skies turned grey. Quidi Vidi is a tiny fishing village with a brewery now well established in one of the old fishing buildings. We had a short walk around and then set off to Signal Hill.

Signal Hill overlooks St John’s harbour and has been a lookout since the 1700s. It has a tower called Cabot Tower which was built to celebrate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee and the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's landfall on the continent. But it is probably best known for Marconi receiving the first transatlantic wireless transmission from Cornwall. Most believed that due to the earth’s curvature it couldn’t be done, but due to some science that I don’t really understand, he did it. Clever fella.

We walked back down the hill and by now it was sooo windy.

At this point the rain started, but we pressed on to our next stop - Cape Spear.

Cape Spear is the most easterly point of North America. It also has two lighthouses - win win.

The weather was AWFUL, but we don’t ever let that stop us. We walked down to a viewing point and made sure to note that we were standing on the edge of the ocean that divides us from this beautiful province. Then we walked up the hill to the lighthouses - the first, a more traditional looking one was built in 1955 and had it’s light (and foghorn) going, and the second built in 1836. We went into the older one which was set out as the original lightkeepers would have lived.

We were now wet and cold, so we decided to go back to Bigs and have a late lunch and watch USA play Australia.

Clutching for the next thing to do we suddenly fell upon the idea of bowling! A nice, dry, indoor activity. We found the Paradise Bowl alley that was a five pin bowling lane. They have a smaller ball too. The good thing is that you pay for the hour rather than the number of games you play, so you get a good amount of play. It was lots of fun.

Now it was time to go back to the airport and drop off the car.

We have had the most wonderful time. Quebec seems like a lifetime ago. It’s been an experiment with the RV, and we have enjoyed that a lot. It’s not going to be something we do regularly, but we can imagine doing it again someday. Newfoundland has exceeded all expectations. Have you ever seen the show ‘Come From Away’ which tells the story of the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport? The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travellers they housed and fed. The residents were kind and welcoming and just accepted these scared people into their homes. It is an excellent show and now I can really imagine how wonderful the people of Newfoundland were at that time. It’s just a little sad that we found this kindness so surprising.

From another wonderful Three Bryan trip - this is over and out x

Day 12 - a trail and back to the start

We didn’t hear a bear or a moose in the dark night at Terra Nova. Today is a nothing day in terms of plans - we just need to make our way back to Pippy Park (the first campsite we stayed at).

The Terra Nova campsite claimed to have a restaurant, snack bar, shop (and even theatre) on site, but as we are a week earlier than peak season, nothing was open. So we set off in search of breakfast. We found the most amazing motel that was also a restaurant about ten minutes along the TCH (Trans Canada Highway). It was a real throwback to the 1980s with blue floral wallpaper and orange pine wall cladding. What a wonderful welcome from the hostess - she was so friendly. In fact, that will be one of the overriding memories of this holiday - just how kind and genuinely friendly the Newfoundlanders are. Everyone in a shop, gas station, restaurant, camp site, park - all so happy to see you and interested in where you’re from and why you are visiting. The kindest people on earth.

The check

We were leaving behind the drizzle and rain and driving into sunshine. Just as we started along the highway Andrew spotted a big brown bear wandering along by the side of the road. He was huge and looked so lovely (especially from the safety of the van).

We had our eye on trails called the Salmon Trail and the Dunphy Trail to walk. We stopped at the Salmon Trail only to find it was only 1km long, so we were back at the van in ten minutes! We couldn’t get into the (two) parking spaces at Dunphys so had to drive on. Oliver noted another called Butter Pot Hill trail. The start of this trail was in a campsite, which was beautiful. There a lot of annoying black flies buzzing around in the trails, which means although the campsites look great, you can’t sit outside from dusk unless you want to be bombarded!

We walked for an hour, through pine trees and beautiful ponds with clear water, not seeing another person. It was just us and some birds (and the occasional frog).

The views from the top were spectacular. Well worth the climb. We stopped at a bench and two Canada Jays came to see what we up to. They got so close to us. We walked the hour back and got in the van - tired but happy.

We drove the next 80 minutes chatting and listening to music and laughing at the road signs with funny names, until we arrived back at Pippy Park. We were given our pitch and then I went for a shower and the boys stayed in the van. We then left again to go a diner called Bigs as they were showing the Canada vs Qatar football match.

It was called Bigs for a reason - everything was HUGE. You even needed two hands to pick up the glass of water. We had a great meal and Canada won 6 v 0.

This is the first time we have driven in the dark. We had been told that moose get attracted to car headlights, so can easily get into trouble on the road, so it was best not to drive at night. This was just a short distance and it was fine.

It’s nice to be back at Pippy Park.

Day 11 - bright lights and dark nights

We woke to a really cold, misty, damp morning. We were back to having heating in the van. We set off early and back into Bonavista where we found a lovely cafe for breakfast called The Quintal. A Quintal is a hundredweight of cod fish, of course. There was no such thing on the menu, thankfully. Andrew and I had eggs and toast with hash brown. Oliver had french toast. It was delicious. And the coffee was sooo good. Proper coffee.

After that we set off for our final destination today - the Terra Nova National Park. The park is owned by the Candian National Parks service and is a Dark Sky Preserve. Today is very cloudy so it might not be as starry as hoped.

The roads in Newfoundland are terrible. When we were on the boat earlier in the week, the captain joked ‘The English drive on the left, we drive on what’s left’ - not such a funny joke when you are in a 24 foot camper van. Poor Andrew has been avoiding potholes every few feet. So it takes a while to get anywhere!

We stopped at the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse which is the only lighthouse where you can view the same seal oil fuelled light used in the 1800s. The lighthouse is still used today but it now has an LED electric light instead. Today’s weather meant it also had it’s foghorn sounding. Quite wonderful. We paid CAD 6.00 each and had a tour of the lighthouse which has been restored to how it would have looked in 1872.

It was very rainy and bitterly cold, so we got back in the van and drove the coastal path. Lots of desolate towns and nothing remarkable to see. Other than a place called Tickle Cove!

Eventually we arrived at the park. Signs warning of moose greeted us. The man at the entrance spoke to us about bears and how we were not to leave any food out. Scary!

It’s been a long, grey drive today but we had music on so we had a nice time anyway.

The RV park is huge. The shower blocks are so clean and the water is hot. We had dinner in the van - pasta and sauce and ice cream sandwiches.

Day 10 - a bay, more puffins and a peninsula

We had a slow morning, ate breakfast in the RV and braved the part of the RV life where you empty the waste. We had not been looking forward to this! We had decided not to go to the loo in the RV, but in reality that’s not just easy. So we followed Glen’s instructions and plugged into the waste (the dump). Super easy and now the RV is a little lighter.

Off we went to the Placentia Bay lookout. We had to leave the RV at the bottom of a hill as it was quite a dirt track and we hiked our way up (I say hike, it was a 15 minute up hill walk). At the top we were rewarded with 360 degree views of the bay. The view was beautiful - trees and trees and trees and also the power plant.

We trekked back down and started the long drive to Trinity Bay. Trinity Bay is a fishing village and has the most beautiful clapboard houses. It even has a theatre. We ate at the restaurant on the water called Dock Marina. The weather has started to change somewhat - more fog and getting a little colder.

The food choices here have been tricky for a vegetarian. There are only side salads as a choice. So, I’ve had to resort to being a carnivore - I had the local delicacy, which is very odd. It’s a turkey sandwich in white bread, served with chips and thick gravy poured over it. Not recommended! Andrew had fish and chips and Oliver had quesadillas and fries. There’s an odd amount of Mexican food here.

Also - the Newfoundlanders are very round. Montreal was full of slim healthy types, the Newfoundlanders are much shorter and wider. The menus may explain why.

We had a walk around the town with an ice cream.

We got back to the RV and took a longish drive to Elliston Point. This is a nesting site for puffins. Given the weather we were hopeful that the puffins would not be out at sea feeding. It did not disappoint. The wind was picking up now, but the puffins didn’t seem to mind. There were thousands of them. They are the cutest thing ever! You could get really close to some of them and they didn’t mind a bit. There was a roped area to stop the public getting too close, and everyone there respected that.

We spent an hour looking at the funny little birds through the binoculars (the ones on the cliff top) and with the naked eye (the ones in front of us). Then we found our way back to the van, cold to our bones, but so amazed at what we had seen. So lucky. We also saw a small wedding taking place on the cliff!

Our final drive took us to Foodland in the town of Bonavista. Foodland was such a cute supermarket, like in every 1980s film you’d ever seen - but this one stocked fruit and veg!!! We got some hot dogs for tea (they even did veggie ones) and some carrots (what a combo) and then headed for campsite no 4- Paradise Park. It overlooks a lake, but the mist made that just a haze. It actually looked beautiful in the fog. The shower block is huge and clean, so I had a nice hot shower and a hair wash and we settled down for dinner in the nice warm van.

When one hood is not enough

Day 9 - an iceberg and three hearts ❤️❤️❤️

After a long sleep in the lovely, welcoming Crow’s Hill RV park, we had a breakfast of Walmart’s finest cereals in the van. We set off on the Baccalieu Coastal Drive, on the Eastern side of the peninsula. This is said to be the most beautiful scenic drive in the whole of Labrador & Newfoundland. It is one of the earliest European-settled parts of the island and it has lots of historic towns with delightful names like Cupids, Brigus, Harbour Grace, Old Perlican and Dildo (snigger).

Our first stop was a Walmart (so glamourous) for new drinking water and washing up liquid. We knew we were going to quite a remote site tonight, so we had to make sure we had dinner. This Walmart had NO FRESH fruit, veg or meat. Very very odd. We got what we needed and left. We passed so many breath-taking views - the bluest ocean and so many pine trees.

We carried along the route, marvelling at every turn. Suddenly Oliver shouted ‘ICEBERG!’ and there in front of us in the bluest water was a pure white iceberg. We caught a few more glimpses of it before we were able to pull in to really get a good look. A few others had stopped to take photos too. We gazed at her and looked at her through the binoculars, before setting off. We had a few things we really hoped to see on this trip: whales; puffins; moose and icebergs. Three out of four now seen!

We then needed a lunch stop, so we stopped at a place called the Jungle Jim’s Eatery in Old Perlican. They had a very very extensive menu - so much choice! I had a sandwich with a side of french onion soup, Oliver had three starters (taquinos, mozarella sticks and thai sticky chicken) and Andrew had a TexMex platter with a side of shrimp. Amazing service with a smile.

We set off again down the west coast of the peninsular, climbing hills on very straight roads and some sharp bends, and we came to our next stop - Heart’s Content. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live here? It’s claim to fame is that it was the westerly landing point of the first transatlantic cable in 1866, transforming communication across the Pond, but is now a very quiet, tiny town. We dropped into the Post Office to buy some stamps.

Continuing on, we passed through Heart’s Desire and Heart’s Delight. So sweet! The houses are all wooden, mainly painted in beautiful colours all looking out to the water. The weather was sunny and we had the bluest sky - which obviously made everything look even more wonderful.

We got to our next RV park, ‘The Island Pond’ which was on a long road hidden behind tall pine trees. There was nobody around, but there was a number to call, so we called and spoke to someone who said they were now closed up (it was 4:45pm), so we couldn’t access the showers. Just as well we have a hook up for water and electricity. So we hooked up and walked around the site. The RVs here look more permanent - they are massive and have outbuildings and verandas and firepits. We are really hooked up in the car park, but it is close to the toilet!

The evening is beautiful and we are going to enjoy the late evening sunshine and play cards.

Day 8 - pales and whuffins

We woke up with our alarms after going to bed very very late because we watched the NBA basketball final. We had managed to sleep through the night, despite it being really cold.

Our first stop was the Bay Bulls area where we had a boat trip booked. I am not a huge fan of boats and this was quite a big deal, as we would be out in the Atlantic. We were blessed with a sunny day and still waters and set off in search of whales. The skipper of the boat sang us some traditional Newfoundlander songs (which were very Irish). After about 40 minutes we were alerted to a sighting of a Hump-backed Whale. It was blowing huge sprays of water into the air. We waited near it for a long time, and it came to the surface many times before diving down again to feed.

Although we didn’t see a flick of the tail, it was still very beautiful to see this majestic creature so closely.

Our next stop on the boat was a nearby island (us remaining on the boat) which is a dedicated reserve for birds. There were thousands of them nesting. They did pong a bit and were also very noisy. The birds we saw were Murres and … Puffins. The Puffins are way smaller than we expected (6-8”) and they were quite hard to spot. They mate for life and live around 25 years. They come back to Newfoundland to nest each year - to the same nest and lay one egg. They spend eight months of the year in the ocean, but it’s nesting time June to September.

They are quite hard to distinguish from the Common Murre (a relative of the Guillemot) but we did spot many in the water and a few flying.

After two hours on the boat we made it safely back to the dock and went to a local fish restaurant called The Captains Table, proudly claiming ‘the World’s Best Fish and Chips’, for lunch. It was really nice but hard to verify that claim.

We made our way to our RV home for the night near Brigus, which is an old fishing village known for it’s historic buildings. The RV park was quite a long way from the town, but we hadn’t done too much so we decided to walk it.

With it being Sunday, everything was a bit closed up, but the sun was out and we had a lovely walk around the lovely wooden houses, and saw the ‘historic’ tunnel.

In the evening we settled in the van, and cooked hotdogs for dinner. It’s been a lovely day - much less cold and even some blue skies!

Day 7 - on the road again

Today we got up early to head to Montreal airport for the next part of our adventure. We are taking a two hour flight to Newfoundland.

Newfoundland and Labrador are part of Canada and the most easterly province. Labrador is connected to the mainland, Newfoundland is a large island, though much smaller than Labrador.

There are two time zones - Newfoundland time is 3.5 hours behind the UK and Labrador is 4 hours behind the UK.

Newfoundland has 94% of the province’s population. Which is bonkers!

We arrived and met Glenn and Steve from the RV rental company and they took us to the Holiday Inn car park to show us around the Jayco 24’ motor home. This will be our home for the next week. It’s our first time trying this, so we need luck!

What followed from Glenn was a list of this switch does this and don’t turn that - he definitely assumed we had some prior knowledge!

Off he went and left us in the car park feeling a bit nervous. Andrew, the driving legend, took a few laps of the car park and then we were on the road.

Ten minutes later we were parked outside a Walmart where we shopped for emergency dinner rations and breakfast food.

Twenty minutes down the road and we arrived at our first campsite, Pippy Park. A lovely young guy named Ben let us in, and gave us a map of the park. We pulled up next to some absolutely monstrous motorhomes with fairy lights, outdoor rugs, outdoor kitchens - we are total newbs.

We found our pitch, hooked up to electricity and unpacked our bags into the very clever cupboards perfectly designed for a snug space and set off into the little shopping area 20 minutes walk away.

We went to Pop’s Diner, which was a really cute 1960s style diner where a very smiley man named Brendon served us burgers, sandwiches and milkshakes. Very much like we were in Happy Days.

Back to the van and despite getting the power correctly hooked up (there’s a switch?!) we were still feeling pretty cold, so we wrapped up and watched another leg of the Nicks vs Spurs basketball game on Oliver’s laptop.

Wish us luck for a warm night and a peaceful sleep!

Day 6 - a grave, grand prix and graffiti

We started the day with a bike ride. Andrew was going to see the grave of Leonard Cohen so he said he would go alone as Oliver was still sleepy in bed. It was quite a walk, so I offered to join him but only if we cycled. So we got ready and went to the park to hire some of the Montreal public bikes. A bit of fiddling around and before long we were whizzing along the dedicated bike lanes up the hill to the cemetery.

Montreal has so many bike lanes. They are separated from the road but a concrete kerb and they are really well used. Obviously Canada benefits from having lots of land and wide roads, meaning adding bike lanes is quite easy. We passed joggers and cyclists and local people on their way to work.

It took around twenty minutes to get to the cemetery and the grave was just inside the gates. There were lots of kisses on it! I left a stone on the top of the grave and we cycled back to wake up Oliver and start the rest of the day.

We had seen a cafe the previous evening that we wanted to go back to and they had amazing pastries. I chose almond & chocolate croissant, Oliver had a pain au chocolat and Andrew had a beef empanada (!). It turns out they are a gluten free cafe and the food tasted nice, but was very claggy! We took the metro in to the old port and picked up some more bikes. Yesterday’s tour told us that there were bike lanes along the old canals, so we decided to give them a try. It was so so hot, and walking just zapped our energy, so bikes (and electric ones at that) seemed much easier. We had a wonderful time. Most of the cyclists were very respectful of those of us hiring the city bikes. We cycled all the way through the newer areas and ended at the site of the Expo held in 1967. The only thing left is a huge sphere which is spectacular.

Andrew taking in the Montreal skyline

As we looked for a new path around the sphere we stumbled upon a track with lots of cyclists. It had lots of stadium style seating and we quickly realised we were cycling on the actual Formula One track! That was a bit of a thrill - we passed the pit lanes, lots of tyre skids and had a thrilling time racing around!

So after 2 hours and 22 minutes (and 20.2 km) we docked the bikes and took the metro back to the centra where we had a light lunch in the shopping mall.

The final thing we wanted to see were ‘The Two Snobs’ statues. These were created by a Candian artist in 2013. They are huge bronze statues They are ten feet tall and stand on two corners of a square. One is an Englishman holding a pug, he has a huge fake nose and is stares condescendingly at the Basilica of Notre Dame (symbol of French dominance), the other is a French lady holding a poodle, and she is staring in the same manner at the Bank of Monteal (a symbol of English power). The dogs are staring at each other - because clearly, animals aren’t as petty!

We were very tried now, so we took the metro back to Mont-Royal, and walked back via the ‘Mural Festival’. This was a main street in the area closed to traffic with lots of stalls selling hand made items and vintage clothes and lots of murals on the walls. Some still being painted! We stopped for a beer at a bar (where Canada were playing their first match of the World Cup) and then limped back to the room.

We have all loved Montreal. So much more than Quebec City. Quebec City seemed a bit staged for me - almost a town made for the instagrammers, while Montreal seems a more grown up city.

Tomorrow we fly to St John’s and we are so excited!

Day 5 - pastures new

Last night we had a later night than usual. We got back to the apartment and got changed and decided to explore our odd little neighbourhood. We had seen a retro games bar and went to check it out, and opposite there was a Cambodian restaurant. So we gave that a go. The lady serving was so sweet and so pretty and she was interested in our trip. We ate the most delicious food and then went to the retro bar. Most of the games were free to play, so we bought a drink each and had loads of fun playing pinball, shooting zombies and playing PacMan.

We were up early the next day as we had a train to catch back to Montreal. We boarded the train on time, and then had a delicious breakfast on board of eggs and asparagus. Three and a half hours later we arrived in a baking hot Montreal. We took a taxi to the hotel we are staying in, which is in the Mont-Royal area. There are so many bikes whizzing around, which is great. Very few cars and traffic jams.

We walked the short, ten minute walk to Mont-Royal metro station and bought a 24 hour pass each. We were soon in Bonaventure, which is where we are meeting today’s guide, Alex. Alex was a very quiet young man from Edmonton, Alberta - an English teacher. We had a small group of only 5 (us three, a man from Gloucestershire and a French girl). He took us on a two hour walk around Montreal, telling us the history. It’s very similar to Quebec city in that the French took over, and the English came along and spoiled the fun.

There were lots of statues that were symbolic of the tensions between the English and French. Montreal was briefly the capital of Canada. In fact, for a long time it was the financial capital of Canada, until laws were passed that all government offices and officials had to speak French, so many of the non-Canadian and French banks left and took themselves to Toronto instead.

We went to the dock area where Alex explained the importance of the fur trade, initially, and then grain, but now the docks are a place for cruise ships and recreation only. The reason Montreal is so famous for it’s bagels (we didn’t know it was) is the grain.

We took a walk through Chinatown, the only French speaking Chinatown in the world. It was quite grubby.

Like Toronto, Montreal has it’s own underground city (the RESO). It was nice to walk around under it to get out of the heat and very hot sun.

We bade farewell to Alex after two and a half hours and sat getting our legs back with a coffee and then took the metro back to the hotel. The hotel is very old and there are lots of stairs. The room is huge and the hotel is opposite La Fontaine park.

There is an amazing selection of local and international food in the area. We chose Afghan food for dinner, which was incredibly tasty. On the way back we heard some music coming from the park, and stumbled upon a live concert. It was a singer playing the piano. We listened for a while and then slowly walked back to the room.

Montreal has a really nice feel to it. Definitely less French, but still with a slight Euro vibe to it.

Day 4 - exploring the old town

We have nothing much planned for today. Quebec city is actually very compact and easy to navigate. It is VERY hilly, so you need to pace yourself, even in such a small area. We had a few things we wanted to see, so we had a lazy walk into the old town (about 20 minutes from our apartment) and went to a really nice crepe restaurant. We had walked past this a few times, and breakfast seemed the perfect time to go in.

Andrew had ham and asparagus, I had mushroom and onion and Oliver had Oreo and chocolate sauce. Very filling and very delicious.

We walked to the lovely Frontenac Hotel (supposedly the most photographed hotel in the world) and decided to go in for a look around. The rooms here are super expensive, but it was easy to walk in and use the nice loos and explore the main common areas.

We then walked around the cobbled streets of the lower part of the old town. The streets are so cute, lovely independent shops and sweet houses. We found umbrella alley which was getting busy with people posing for photos,

It was getting hot now, so we walked into a small cave like room to find that it was a place where you wear a VR headset and get a history of Quebec. It was cool in there, so we did that and then played some games after which were questions based on the film. I came last (should have listened) and Andrew won (as always).

We then wandered around doing a little shopping and taking photos. I think we have seen all this little city has to offer. It’s been really nice.

Day 3 - waterfalls, islands and sore bottoms

After a wonderful sleep (despite the chatting from the homeless fellas that sleep under our window) we had a slow morning in the apartment and then set off to catch a bus.

We are catching the 800 bus which will take us to Montmorency Falls. The bus whisked us out of the city and through the most beautiful suburbs of Quebec City. We got off and saw a McDonalds. We had already eaten AND we try not to go to a McDonald's when on holiday (bit lame), but I needed a wee and we wanted to see what special things they were serving. They had a World Cup special which Andrew ordered and some combo of sausage, egg, bacon and cheese thing which Oliver ordered. I had a coffee and a hash brown.

We then walked across a beautiful little bridge to the visitor entrance of Montmorency Falls (Chute Montmorency). In Quebec, the first language is French. And they are proud of that and a little reluctant to speak in English (don’t blame them). Outside of the city many residents don’t speak any English, We met a lovely young man who patiently waited for Andrew to use his (excellent) French to order two adult passes and one Senior pass to the falls. He then kindly asked if we’d like him to explain the layout in English.

The falls were made from a fault in the continental margin and are 99 feet taller than Niagara Falls at 272 feet. You can view them from the side, or you can walk across a suspension bridge to view them from above. Andrew is not the best with heights, but he was very brave and walked across. The noise was deafening and it was a spectacular sight.

After walking across the suspension bridge, we had to walk back again! There is very long staircase (483 steps) that lead down to the base of the falls and the official visitor centre. At the very bottom you can get really close (and really wet) to the base of the falls. It was a hot day, so we decided to get close. We got rather wet!

We walked to the visitor centre and waited for a taxi. The next part of our trip takes us across the river to the Ile d’Orleans. We had some bikes booked. Our taxi dropped us off at a tiny motel, and there we met our happy bike owner. We had the bikes for 4 hours and there’s a recommended circular tour.

There are relatively very few cars on the island, and one set of traffic lights, so it was quite safe, and the bikes were electric, so nice and easy on the hills.

We spent two and a half hours cycling through the most beautiful trees and houses. The houses are spaced so far apart and many have views over the river. What a place to live. We covered 26km.

We had a stop at a chocolate shop where we ate huge square marshmallows on a stick, caked in dark chocolate, and also a stop at a sandwich shop for lunch. I had veggie pate with cornichons, Andrew had a ham croissant and Oliver had a croque monsieur. We had the most delicious home made lemonade too.

This bike ride was honestly one of the best things we have ever done. Such freedom, such beautiful scenery and fresh air.

We had to wait quite a long time for a taxi back (there’s no ferry off the island and no public transport) so we sat and chatted to the lovely lady working at the motel. She explained how hard it is to learn the Quebecois French that they speak as they have completely different words to French French.

We eventually got a taxi back to the bus stop on the mainland and then two buses back to Old Quebec.

We had a delicious Italian meal and then a slow walk back to the apartment,

Today has been a perfect day.

Day 2 - a tour

We woke after a great sleep before the alarm. Reviews of the apartment mentioned the noisy bar underneath, but we didn’t hear a thing. We aren’t in the nicest of areas, so we are looking forward to seeing what the rest of Quebec City has to offer.

First though, we were logging online to watch the funeral of my dear dear friend Cheryl. After almost 5 years of fighting cancer, her life ended on 2nd May. Much to my upset, her funeral fell today, which meant I wasn’t able to attend. Thankfully, it was live streamed and I was able to watch, with my boys by my side. It was a beautiful service and perfectly summed up how special she was. I was very upset, but managed to get out and off to meet our tour group.

We met Juan in a small park in the centre of the old town. This was a free walking tour, where you tip the tour guide at the end, rather than pay in advance.

We had quite a big group, mainly made up of Americans, one Canadian, two Germans and two Italians and us three. Juan started out by explaining how the French wanted more land and found part of Canada that was only inhabited by indigenous people, Quebec City was founded in 1608 and became the heart of what was called New France. It was Samuel de Champlain who established a permanent trading post. He named it "Quebec," derived from the Algonquin word kebec, meaning "where the river narrows", which is exactly what the river St Lawrence River does here.

It’s good to know it’s not just the English to bulldoze through land we’ve wanted in history.

The weather was beautiful as we set off walking inside the walls of the old town. Our next stop was the Château Frontenac hotel. Built between 1892–1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, it’s a huge château style hotel. It is one of the world’s most photographed hotels and it’s easy to see why. It’s beautiful.

Man checking out his hair before his selfie

By 1763, the British had decided they wanted a piece of this Canadian action and they invaded this beautiful city. It took them seven years, but eventually they defeated the French. They did erect many buildings in the old town, and Juan was very keen to point out the differences, with the French style way more beautiful every time. It wasn’t the best time to be British as we didn’t come off too well in Juan’s commentary! Two generals were killed in the famous battle which saw the British overcome the French; Montcalm (French) and Wolfe (British) and the are both commemorated on a beautiful obelisk,

We walked through lots of beautiful cobbled streets. Quebec is actually very compact, spotlessly clean and not very busy. It’s HILLY!

We visited the Parliament building and the university (outside only) and then three hours later we were back to the beginning. A very nice tour indeed.

We decided to have some lunch and found a cute restaurant. Oliver had a chicken burger, I had a veggie burger and Andrew tried poutine. Poutine is a traditional Quebec dish made of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. It was huge! The meal was nice - Andrew ending by saying he didn’t need to eat poutine again!

After lunch we went to the dock and took the ferry across the river to another part of Quebec described by Juan as ‘more modern’. After ten minutes of walking around we felt like were in some kind of strange scientific experiment. Nobody around, very large buildings with no windows and houses locked up. We walked around past two very ornate churches and then decided to go back to the old town again

Just need Marty McFly here

After disembarking the return ferry we walked back to the old town and took the funicular up the hill to save our legs. We walked another twenty minutes to the citadel (that the British defeated). Like any good castle it’s at the highest point and we were rewarded with beautiful views across the old town and the river.

We were pooped now. We stopped for a cold drink in Tim Hortons and then made our way back to the apartment. We were too tired to go out, so we ate pizza from Nina’s pizza. Delicious. We watched the Spurs vs Knicks basketball game on TV. It was a big game and great to watch.

It’s been an emotional day, but we made the best of it.

Day 1 - travel

We set off to Gatwick at 7:15am and had a good journey. We are flying with Transat Air, a budget airline, so it’s anyone’s guess what we get!

Check in was smooth and so was security, and Andrew had treated us to a lounge pass, so we were soon tucking in to a complimentary breakfast. We boarded on time, and were very pleased to see that the extra legroom seats we had paid for were EXTRA! So much legroom. Very much needed for two tall people for 7 hours 40 minutes. The flight was actually really good - nice food, nice staff and before we knew it we were landing in a grey, but warm Montreal. We took a taxi to the central station and then waited 90 minutes before boarding a train to Quebec City.

Montreal station

The train tickets included a meal and drinks. What an amazing meal - all served on real plates with real cutlery. The boys had lasagne and I had cod. The train chugged (not sped) past green forests and huge rivers.

Three hours later we arrived at Quebec City station and caught a taxi to our AirBnb in the Saint Roche area. There was a very tall flight of stairs and our bags are HEAVY, but we got in, looked around the huge apartment and poured ourselves into bed.