quebec city

i crossed the bridge into quebec city and briefly drove around to check it out...

then i met some really cool people.   my parents new a pastor in the city and had me get in touch with him.   pastor ben thought i'd like to stay with a group of people who were there from michigan for the week to run a childrens vacation bible school called english for kids.   here they are singing a fairly interactive song:

i hung out with them in the evening after they were done the day's program.  it was awkward and fun at the same time because there i was hanging out with a large group of strangers.  they warmly invited me to join them for dinner.  while chatting and laughing with them, i reminisced how much fun i'd had in the past while participating in such groups. i started to get to know their names...  um... ted, eric, peter, scott, brad, betsy, rosie, emily, cheyne, maddie, grace x2, hanna, catherine... and other super friendly people! then we went to an awesome ice cream place called les chocolats favoris

possibly the best ice cream cone i've ever had because i had them dip it in their rich delicious chocolate.  the hardened thick shell made it pretty drip proof too!

so many of us enjoyed it

much fun

we watched a movie back at the house where most of the group was staying.  i stayed the night and the next morning stuck around so i could see exactly what they did for the kids camp.  turns out i ended up staying all day.  this group did an amazing job with the kids, really!  i got to help out just a little bit in the kitchen and chat with eliyah and trina, who were the more permanently involved people at the church there.  then i said farewell to the group of people that i had only just met 24 hours before - but long enough to be sad about saying bye.  but eliyah and trina ended up being my personal guides around old quebec city that evening as we walked all around!

the boardwalk

mural

eliyah and trina introduced me to poutine - french fries with cheese curd chunks and a gravy sauce.

it was really good!  maybe not really healthy...  but putting some fat on My bones is something people always recommend...  so it was perfect : )

that night i slept at a walmart.  on my way out of town, because i love waterfalls, i slipped by one that trina mentioned: montmorency falls

it would be fun to return to quebec city sometime.  it was quite nice.

animals

when driving through canada, i saw a lot less people.  but plenty of wildlife...  including whales, plenty of moose, deer, foxes, a little bear cub toying with some weeds at the edge of the shoulder, turtles, cats, dogs, skunks, rabits, ...  i'll stop there. i snapped photos when i had the chance:

so far i haven't hit anything larger than a squirrel or a crow...

montana vans

my pontiac montana van seemed to be a rare species in the states.  i saw maybe one per month, and always in blue.  however, when i got to southeast canada i saw them all over...  so many that i couldn't wrap my mind around it - like several per hour everywhere i went.  in fact, i think i was seeing more of my type of van than any other kind, and in all sorts of colors too!  thus, my van felt at home in canada.

one on the left and one on the right...

they were even taxis!

french shock

i plunged myself into french - bonjour!

leaving pei at 7am, i drove under clouds and rain for 8 hours straight through new brunswick and into quebec.  it was basically up and over maine - about 500 miles.   

i didn't prepare myself for the prominent french language in quebec.  i don't know french.  the last time i tried using it was during a week in france seven-or-so years ago.   since new brunswick is both english and french, all the traffic signs show both languages.  that at least gave me a little prep.  

at a quebec gas station i payed inside and had that i-have-no-idea-what-to-say culture shock feeling.  managing to pay for the right amount of gas and also find the 'toilette,' i promptly accessed my fantastic rick steve's french, italian & german phrase book.  probably my most favorite book ever. i needed to freshen up...   well, Learn some of the basics of french.   

then at walmart i got greeted with a bonjour!  it was like someone snuck up behind me and stuffed a sock in my mouth.   i think i responded with an unsure 'hi', and moved on.   ok, still needed to get down the basic greetings.  i picked up some water and raisin bran cereal - reversing the box to confirm the english side.  at the checkout i found out it would be helpful to know how to say credit card.   the next morning i was better prepared.  i tried to figure out how to say "hot water" so i could order it at the mcdonalds.  i ordered in french, then english.  when i heard the cashier speak english very clearly, i didn't leave without confirming that my nasally "oh shoh" was understandable, just incase i needed to use it where people didn't know any english.  small progress was better than non.

i continued on toward quebec city in the morning fog.

prince edward island

i took the ferry to prince edward island!

first of all, yes i went to anne's place!  the green gables story brings prince edward island a good portion of its tourism and it's usually the first thing people assume i saw when i say i was in pei.   

unfortunately, there is a fee to see anything on the house and barn property:  almost ten bucks!  not in My budget...  so i didn't see much.   i did take a few pictures, however where i was standing may have technically been past the ticket area.  shhhhh.

i really enjoyed my time on the island - two nights at walmarts and almost two days of driving around.  the most memorable moment was probably when i accidentally drove my front wheels onto sand that was too soft, and got stuck!  yup, stuck.   i couldn't get out by myself, and only spun my front wheels deeper even with the help of another guy who was nice to help.  

another person who was around drove to find someone with a truck and rope who was able to pull me free.   but first we had to shovel some sand away from the tires and underside.

eventually it worked, thanks to shamus, darryl, nancy, matthew, and vicki!  i made sure to have them sign my journal and get in a photo as this was another monumental moment in my trip.  : )    my heroes.

i went to a random church service in charlottetown.  the best perk was their block party with music after the service.  sweet!

the whole island was full of soft rolling farm hills with the lush green grasses rooted in the nutrient-rich red soil.  it was such an enjoyable place to drive through.

lobster!

after the cabot trail, i snuck onto a few more shorter (and final) scenic routes of nova scotia - one went to cape george where there is a cute lighthouse and beautiful view.  i sat there for a while, taking a restful approach to observing the scenery.

after that i spent the evening with scott and sherrill again. they planned a fresh lobster dinner for my arrival!!  their grown up kids aaron and julie and friend dale were there too.  we enjoyed a quiet evening around a fire as the sun slowly set and a bright full moon rose.

i stayed the night on their couch again - so thankful for the best rest i'd had in a while.  they are such great hosts.  i'm glad i got to meet them and have a second visit to enjoy their company. : )   leah, you are allowed to be very jealous.  thanks for sharing your friendly relatives with me!