Bonjour from Quebec! This week’s post is a brief update from my current road trip to the province of Quebec, Canada. It’s primarily photos with a little context ― the abbreviated format allows me to share this adventure while its underway.
We visited the Baker Brook No. 2 Covered Bridge en route to Quebec ― it’s actually located near Edmundston, New Brunswick.
Shown below is the Métis River which is an estuary leading into the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. The photo was taken from the Reford Garden/ Jardins de Métis. See my previous blog post, Three Provinces: Three Gardens, to learn more about this spectacular botanical destination.
Next up is Tadoussac and the Saguenay–St Lawrence Marine Park. This is the evening view from the Pointe-de-l’Islet Trail in Tadoussac.
Elevated boardwalks make up much of the Pointe-de-l’Islet Trail. It’s a great place for spotting whales out in the Saguenay–St Lawrence Marine Park. We did spot a few beluga whales off in the distance.
Six primary species are regularly observed in the Saguenay–St Lawrence Marine Park including the beluga whale, minke whale, humpback whale, blue whale and harbour porpoise. We booked a whale watching tour nearby in the hopes of seeing whales a little closer ― we were not disappointed! We had some great sightings of humpback whales.
To learn more about these amazing creatures, see my previous blog post Watching Humpbacks on the Bay of Fundy.
We saw whales spouting, aka blowing, as well as a few amazing tail rolls.
Next, we traded the magic of the natural world for the energy of Québec City. Here are a few shots of the city’s famous landmarks including the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace and a view of Lower Town with the St Lawrence River.
One of the highlights of our visit was a walking tour of the Fortifications de Québec National Historic Site which included a peek into the Citadelle de Québec where the Royal 22e Régiment was practicing.
A visit to Québec City wouldn’t be complete without a strenuous climb. Shown below are the Cap-Blanc Stairs ― known as the longest staircase in the city with 398 steps guaranteed to get your heart pounding!
The nearby Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec) was featuring the Ilippunga (I Have Learned) exhibition of Inuit Art.
This piece, titled Reflecting Bear, was carved by Pauloosie Tukpanie from Kinngait, Qikiqtaaluk (Nunavut).
l’Île d’Orléans, a 34-kilometre-long island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, is an easy commute away and a world apart from downtown Québec City. It’s covered in rolling hills, lush farms, vibrant vineyards, charming villages and a terrific lavender farm called La Seigneurie de l’Île d’Orléans.
The Jardin Botanique Roger-Van den Hende, located at Université Laval in Quebec, is an excellent educational garden spanning 6 hectares which “serves as both a research facility for students and a recreational space for visitors”.
There’s a 234-kilometer multi-use pathway in the beautiful Laurentians running from Mont-Laurier (in the north) to Bois-des-Filion (in the south). My sister Marian biked more than 170 kilometers of the trail over two days.
There’s an outstanding ceramics exhibition, called 1001 Pots, held in Val-David, Quebec every year. Their website reports it is the “largest outdoor ceramics exhibition in North America”. Over 120 talented artisan potters, primarily from Quebec, participated this year. Shown below are a few of the spectacular pieces I had the pleasure to see.
Miels d’Anicet is an outstanding apiary located in Ferme-Neuve, Quebec. I had the opportunity to visit one morning.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this mini-blog post from Quebec, Canada! Check back next week for more photos from our road trip adventure.
