Good morning! Last week, Hubby and I took the first of our in Canada summer vations. We love travelling with Jolly Tours, and if you’ve never taken a bus tour vacation, don’t knock it. Our guide, Rosemary, did all of the heavy lifting, in that she made sure we got where we needed to be on time and Dan, our driver, got us there safely.
To be honest, the trip didn’t begin well when our overweight suitcase, broke a wheel before we even started. Hubby hit a pothole pushing it to the curb from the taxi, and the bag went one way, while one wheel broke off, taking a chunk of the fiberglass bag with it. Then, unaccustomed to just standing as I am, we had to wait for the bus. It was a few minutes late, but all’s well that end’s well. We left only twenty minutes behind schedule.
Disaster comes in threes. right? Well, our first rest stop was at a new service center. Unfortunately, they had a water problem that day–they had none, and while there were chemical toilets, the guys were there to drain them at the same time we needed to use them. You get the picture, or rather the stench! But everything improved once we negotiated the parking lot and got back on the road.
I should mention that our trip consisted of 50 seniors from Ontario, specifically Ottawa and Cornwall, travelling into Eastern Quebec. They were a lively group–don’t roll your eyes. We can still have fun. Our first official tour activity was lunch at a sugar shack in Trois Rivieres, PQ. The people are friendly, the music is inviting–fiddles, accordions, drums, and spoons, the crowd jovial, and the food delicious and plentiful. Did you know that a maple tree has to be 40 years old to start producing sap for syrop? It doesn’t reach peak performace until it’s over 140! You see? Some things do improve with age.
Our next stop was the Jean Chretien Museum. Every head of state gets gifts from other countries, and Prime-Minister Chretien donated all of his to a museum in Shawinigan, PQ, the place where he was born and the riding he represented for all the years he was in politics. We watched a newsreel of his career, present in English just for us, and then we toured the exhibits. I was particularly fascinated by the items from Madame Chretien’s wardrobe. She was one classy lady!
From there, we went on to our first hotel stop and Quebec City. We stayed within the walls of the old town. Lots of construction, but as beautiful as ever.
The Manoir Victoria Hotel is beautifully appointed with a friendly staff who managed to find us some tape to repair the broken suitcase. John taped the wheel in place; all four of them sported green tape by the time we left. The bag survived, working perfectly for the rest of the vacation. He claims it’s fine to use now, but I bought a new suitcase for our upcoming trip to Newfoundland coming up in August. Anyone looking for a used suitcase whose wheels might just fall off?
The hotel provided a delicious dinner with a choice of entrees. John had the beef, I had the chicken. The meal was fantastic, the portions more than generous. After dinner, we went for a walk along the Rue St. Jean and stopped for a couple of pints at The St Alexander Pub, one of our favorites, before heading back to the hotel. There was a bit of a rainshower, but we were fine and didn’t have far to go! The beds were cozy and I was asleep in no time. Day 1? A resounding success.
The following morning, after a wonderful self-serve buffet breakfast, we boarded the bus for our trip to Tadoussac and our whale watching tour. I’d seen Humpback whales on previous tours and Orcas and Belugas at Marineland, but seeing Minke, Fin, and Belugas in the wild, and enjoying the beauty of the St. Lawrence Estuary, well, there’s nothing like it.
The camera doesn’t do it justice, but it was an incredible three hour cruise. After the cruise, we drove to our second hotel of the trip, the century old Hotel Tadoussac. The place was gorgeous, but there was no air conditioning in the rooms, and while you could open your window, without a breeze, it didn’t help much. A second problem was sharing a double bed when you’re used to a King. I’ve had more comfortable nights. Still, if I had a chance to go there again, I would. Dinner, anoter group one, this time, a trememndous baked salmon, was delicious. Day 2?Another success.
In the morning, after another buffet breakfast, we headed north, following the Saguenay waterway to Chicoutimi. Our first stop was La Pulperie de Chicoutimi, a former pulp mill closed years ago and now converted into a cultural museum. We spent most of our time learning about Arthur Villeneuve, a barber who decided that God had given him an unused talent, the ability to paint, and he felt called to do just that. In his sixtes, he decided to become an artist. His canvass? His home, inside and out! We weren’t allowed to take pictures, but it was really interesting to see, although talk about over stimulation! If you would like to learn about the barber-artist, you can check out this website. The middle image below is from what would’ve been the kitchen. https://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/articles/arthur-villeneuve-house-testimony-artists-life-and-work
There were six full scale paper dresses created by other artists. The detail is incredible. Unfortunately, this was the first day of the museum’s season, and the gift shop wasn’t open.
After a light lunch, teen burgers and onion rings from A & W, we drove to the town of La Baie and visited the Fjord Discovery Museum where we learned how the Saguenay Fjord had been created, how fresh and salt water don’t always fully mix, and the type of fish found near the bottom of the river … cod, flat fish, shellfish, and those found in the fresh water farther north where the brackish water ends. Finally, we stopped at a cheese factory for fresh curds. Ours were still warm! Yummy!
The Montagnais Hotel in Chicoutimi was terrific and highly entertaining as there were high school proms in the hotel both nights that we were there. The girls looked like cupcakes, or those toilet paper roll covers everyone’s grandmother crocheted, you know the one’s with a doll’s torso in the centre, with their large, crinolined dresses, reminiscent of Gone with the Wind. Most of the young ladies had difficulty naviagating the washrooms and steps. Remember that wedding dress with all the extra material? You get the idea. They didn’t quite know how to hold them up to avoid tripping on them, struggled to walk on high heels for what was probably the first time, but still looked absolutely lovely in what I’m sure were ridiculously expensive dresses in every color imaginable. The boys, wearing suits some salmon, some mauve, some blue, some ivory, while most were black, looked handsome. Oh to be that young again!
The meals were incredible. We watched the Canada-Qatar football game in the bar. Dinner that night was filet mignon and a side of conversation with a handsome young local. I’m always thrilled to meet new people and discuss my writing with them. Max was quite interested, and we had a lively discussion over wine and beer. We exchanged emails and I hope to hear from him again. He plans to move to Ottawa in the fall for school.
Day 3? Another success.
The next morning, we didn’t have to put our bags out in the hall to be collected since we spent two nights in Chicoutimi. We got to sleep in and laze around before meeting for a continental breakfast of fresh bread toasted, crossants, and fruit. We left the hotel under heavy skies, but our activities didn’t suffer. We returned to La Baie and boarded a boat for a 3-hour cruise down the fjord. The hotel provided box lunches which we ate on board. Despite the rain, we saw a lot. The cruise was narrated, so we got to learn about the statue high above the water. Since the fresh water freezes, people in the old days went across from one side to the other over the ice. One man was doing so when the ice broke and he, his horse, and the sleigh went into the water. He prayed to the Virgin Mary to save him, and when he survived, he commisioned the statue Notre Dame de Saguenay to be built and placed on the cliff above where the incident had occurred. It must’ve been quite the job to get it up there in the late 1800s! There were many beautiful waterfalls, too.
After the cruise, we returned for Prom, take 2, and dinner. That night, I had Coquilles St. Jacques, and it was the best I’ve ever had. Day 4? Another success.
Following a continental breakfast, we and our luggage boarded the bus for a ride to Hebertville and a visit to a seed oil farm. This link will tell you about them. https://tournevent.ca/pages/a-propos We got to learn how the grains and legumes are oraganically grown, how they are harvested for seeds, and how the seeds are turned into cold-pressed oils. Then we got to taste a few of them. I came home with a bottle of garlic-infuded canola and hemp vegetable oil. It’s good for cooking and dipping. Best thing, if I want more, I can order online.
When the tour and the tasting ended, we boarded the bus for a trek around Lac St Jean to the reconstructed town of Val Jalbert, a town built at the turn of the twentieth century for the men and women who worked in the pulp mill. The company owned everything, and when the mill closed in 1926, people left in search of work elsewhere but the vilage stayed. As one would expect, the deserted village became the basis of many ghost stories. Now, one hundred years later, it’s been brought back to life.
We had lunch in the mill and got ice cream from the general store. Our trolly ride included a delightful storyteller who told us about a feud settled by the local priest. It seemed one man tended to encroach on the property of the other. The priest planted a tree on the property line and each man was required to stay on his own side of the tree. It seems the priest carried a lot of power in the town–God on his side and all. Almost a hundred years later, that’s some tree! Lots of walking, but the day was sunny and warm. All in all, it was a grand adventure.
From there, we travelled to the Hotel du Jardin in St. Felicien for our last stay. The hotel was lovely, although the beds in the room consisted of one bed and one sofa bed — Hubby was nice enough to give me the bed. Tonight, we had our last group dinner and some interesting skies to admire. The cuisine prepared a lovely fruit cup for me since the dessert of the day contained nuts.
We met a lot od intersting people on the trip and had our meals with different couples each night. Day 5 was definitely a success. You can expect a Val Jalbert story in the future.
Watching my husband try to put the bed back the way it had been provided delightful morning entertainment–especially when he didn’t get mad or break it, and after another buffet breakfast, we boarded the bus for home. The drive took all day, but we did stop a few times. The roads took us through some incredible wilderness, with lots of trees, fields, and lakes, but surprisingly few pasture animals. Given how much farther north we were, we noticed that crops weren’t as advanced as at home. Lunch at McDonald’s was okay, but to be fair, this car and trailer in La Tuque had to be the highlight of the drive home.
It’s nice to travel and see new things, but it’s nice to sleep in your own bed again! Next trip? Mid-July for a couple of Blue Jays’ games. Hope you’re enjoying summer!
Living the Dream 