Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces

[Quebec Gen]

My guess is your first stop in Montreal will be Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Notre-Dame Island? Bring your rollerblades, it's a rollerbladers' haven. Your first stop after N-D Island should definitely be the Newtown on Crescent St. Its owner is no other than Gilles Villeneuve's famous son, Jacques. "Newtown" is "Villeneuve" translated in English. The scenery on Crescent St. is always stunning. Of course, I'm talking about the ladies here. This establishment has a club, a lounge and a restaurant. The martinis and the bouchées are not half bad. Try out the smoked salmon sushi pizza. If you're a jazz afficionado, go one block south and two blocks west to Upstairs on MacKay St. Most major art museums are located near Downtown. My favourite is the Musée d'Art Contemporain at Place des Arts. They have a nice collection of visual arts by Refus Global artists, an avant-garde art mouvement that started in the mid. 20th century in Quebec. The other big one is the Musée des Beaux Arts on Sherbrooke St. west.

If you want trendy clubs and upscale restaurants, browse St. Laurent blvd (between Mont-Royal and Sherbrooke). A lot of 5 stars restaurants are scattered accross western downtown all the way to Westmount on Sherbrooke St., Ste. Catherine St. or other side streets. If you want to mix with the locals, have a beer on one of the many outdoor terraces on St. Denis St. in the Latin Quarter or head to Plateau Mont-Royal and dine in one of their funky restaurants. Upper St. Laurent blvd offers some interesting alternatives to the louder crowds of the club scene : you can find many lounges with smooth electronica music in the Mile-End. If you continue north, you'll eventually end up in Little Italy : great cafés and bistros. For your groceries, go to Milano and Marché Jean-Talon. After Hours Clubs are spreaded out everywhere and they move around a lot, it's kind of hard to keep track of them, except for the most popular ones. There's a strong underground current in Montreal and I guess you really need to get in touch with people who are familiar with that kind of scene to be up to date. There are a few cool solitary clubs and pubs that don't seem to belong where they are like the Jell-O Bar on Ontario St. that offers about 200 different kinds of martinis, the Casa Obscura on Papineau that is a totally unpretentious, bad looking rented apartment turned into an art diffusion center that sells beer without a permit, shows indie movies and has the best actual music jams in the city, the Lion d'Or on Ontario St., a small, intimate concert hall that presents excellent concerts, the Whisky Café on the corner of Bernard and St. Laurent has the best cigars and cognac -- beautiful people too.

Montreal is also a multi-ethnic city it has a Chinatown (St. Laurent blvd. below René-Lévesque), Greek Town, Portuguese, Jewishtown (Cote-des-Neiges and Outremont), Italian (Little Italy and St. Leonard), Melting pot of every possible ethny (Cote-des-Neiges), Haitan quarter (Montreal Nord), Arabtown (West Island), and so on. Traditionnally, St. Laurent blvd separated the French (east) speaking people from the English (west). There is still a vast majority of French speaking people in Eastern Montreal (Hochelaga, Rosemont) while Westmount and Outremont remain English speaking communities. If you don't speak French at all, you won't have any trouble getting around in Montreal, more than 60% of the population is bilingual to some extent. It might be a trick or two in Quebec City though if you don't stick to touristy places.

In my opinion, there are no areas to avoid at all costs in Montreal but Montreal Nord is supposively where the street gangs hang out. It is pretty far from downtown or any interesting part of town or attraction, so I'm sure you won't be tempted to go there anyway.:o) The subway system a.k.a. metro is a good way to move through the city. The bus system sucks in my opinion. I hate public transportation personally, I always use my own car, but I don't recommend it, especially for tourists. Even native Montrealers have a hard time finding parking spaces. The parking signs might as well be written in Chinese even though I understand French perfectly. If I were you, I'd park my car somewhere in the east, near Olympic Stadium where it's easier to find parking and take the subway at Pie IX station. Drivers can get pretty agressive, but I guess we can blame that on our latin origins.:o) We shout and make gestures but we rarely act on them so don't worry about it. Also, remember that drivers are not allowed to turn right on a red light everywhere on the island.

If you're a fauna and flora buff, you'll be right beside the Botanical Garden and the Biodome. Also the view from the Stadium tower is not half bad, even though you have cheaper observatory options like the Westmount Belvidere (if you can find it) or Parc du Mont-Royal which is free (small parking fee if you stay for a few hours). Parc du Mont-Royal is accessible via bus, car or by foot. It's a huge mountain park in the middle of the city and a popular hangout all year-round : cross-country skiing, ice skating, biking, walking, pic-nics, people-watching...and a few persistent and inevitable pot smokers. Every Sunday there's a tam-tam jam beside the statue at the bottom of the mountain on Park Ave. Located on the west side of the mountain, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetary is a peaceful place to take a walk where you can find many of our famous historic characters. On the north side of the mountain lies the majestic Oratoire St. Joseph , an architectural jewel which apparently has the second biggest dome of its kind after St. Pierre de Rome.

Bording the St. Lawrence River, you will find Old Montreal and the Old Port. As the name suggests, there are a lot of historical buildings --at least for us, they'll seem pretty recent compared to what you guys have on the old continent -- in that area such as the Marché Bonsecours, Chateau Ramezay, Notre-Dame Basilica, but also some more recent additions like the IMAX theater. Pointe-à-Callières Museum offers a captivating journey through Montreal's history and architecture. Place Jacques-Cartier is a fun tourist-trap with lots of pub and restaurants. You can rent rollerblades or a bicycle in the Old Port area and ride all the way to Notre-Dame Island. En route, you'll pass old grain silos (notice the Five Roses neon sign -- that's one of Montreal's typical landmark) and go through some semi-industrial neighborhoods. They are currently revitalizing these forgotten parts of towns. For the moment they consists mostly of occupied and abandonned old brick buildings, trendy restaurants alternate with factories and art galleries. It's a strange melting pot of old and new. I just love it. The bicycle path that follows Lachine canal is a little more conventionnal : you go through green spaces while following the canal.

If you like rollercoasters and rides, you can go to La Ronde on Ste. Helene Island. While you're there, you should visit Ft. Stewart and the Biosphere, which used to be the USA Pavillion at Expo 67. If you plan on going to the Casino and use your car, be sure not to miss Habitat 67 on the way. It's about 1 km before the casino building, it'll be on your right. To me, this is a chef d'oeuvre of modern architecture, event though it was highly criticized when it was built.

I hope this will help you getting started. I'll tell you more once you provide me some info about your interests.:) I also have plenty of suggestions for Quebec City. I'll leave out Ontario if you don't mind since I'm not a big fan and I don't want to prejudice you. A few places I like in Ontario include The Parliament building in Ottawa, some vineyards in the Niagara area, the Thousand Islands, Ivy Lea State Park and Sandbanks near Picton. As for the Maritimes provinces, I don't know them that much, but I can give you some common suggestions on must-sees like the Louisbourg Fortress and Cabot Trail in NS, the Shediac beach in NB, The Acadian Historical Village in Bathurst, NB. Stay over at Porter's House B&B in Antigonish, they have nice cheap rooms in a farm house and the owners are sweethearts. Are you sure you want to skip NFL?

More to come. I'm going to Quebec City this weekend, but I'll provide some more info when I get back.

Gen

[Quebec Gen]

About lodging -- the cheapest option within the province of Quebec is usually Bed and Breakfasts. It is also and excellent way to hook up with other people and get local advice.

To my knowledge, Montreal has very few inexpensive motels. Hotel St-André is probably one of the cheaper options on the island, it's one of the rare establishments in that part of town thats offers a parking spaces for guests. I don't know more about it, I've never been there personally. Some of my friends have. It is located right between the Latin Quarter and the Gay Village in a lively neighborhood, just a short walk to the subway (green line).

If you want the Mom & Pop Motels like in the States, you need to go to the South Shore on the well-known-for-its-kitchiness Taschereau blvd in Brossard (use either Jacques-Cartier bridge and follow the sign or Champlain Bridge and take the Taschereau exit. You'll find plenty of clean and unclean establishments offering rooms for travelers, workers or people who enjoy siestas...if you know what I mean. There's also a plethora of such motels west of Montreal near I-20 around Vaudreuil-Dorion. Some might be ok but I've never been to any of them. There are no such thing as nice campgrounds in the Montreal area, you need to get off the island and drive for a while.

Another option would be to get a room at university residences (Universite de Montreal or Oratoire St-Joseph. I heard they both have basic rooms for 30-40$/night. Bathrooms are shared of course. They're not located downtown, but you can easily reach it via metro using the blue line.

More later...

[Mark Sedenquist]

Gen,

A couple of great posts -- thanks for all of that wonderful trip intel.

Mark

[UKCraig]

Once again, Gen, many many thanks. And thanks for adding the info on accomodation as well - very very helpful!

I have handed in my notice at work now -- leave on Friday 25th April. Can't wait - all of a sudden it all seems so real!

[Quebec Gen]

Warning : this is an extensive post. I hope it'll satisfy your curiosity Craig:o)

Quebec City was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1985. It’s probably the closest you can get to Europe in North America in terms of architecture and culture It is also the only city that is still walled up with its original fortifications in North America. The best way to explore the walls (remparts) is to walk on them! You can access the fortifications at Gate St. John (Porte St-Jean) on St-Jean-Baptiste St. beside Palais Montcalm and walk all the way to the Citadel using Gate St. Louis and passing the Parliament building on the way. The views are breathtaking. You can get a free guided tour of the Parliament in English. The Citadel is located on Cap Diamant, a cliff that leans over the magnificient St. Lawrence River and overs great views of Lévis and the South Shore. The Plains of Abraham Battlefield Park is a historical and scenic green space that runs east from the Citadel all the way to Musée National des Beaux-Arts de Québec which present exhibitions emphasizing on Quebec arts scene from the 17th to the 21st century. If you stick closely to the riverfront, you’ll pass several signs explaining historical highlights of the City such as the Battle of the Plains of Abraham that took place in 1759 between the French and British Armies that eventualy lead to the Treaty of Paris, a document in which France disposed of New France in favor of Great Britain.

Quebec City was founded in 1608 so we’ll be celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. Many celebrations are to be expected next summer such as free concerts, exhibitions, etc. Keep an eye on this website for updates about the 400th. Quebecers are party people and there is always something happening. The best way to get to know locals and be up to date on current events is to sit at one of the many outdoor terraces and try to join a conversation. Not a lot of locals are bilingual but if they can see that you’re making an effort they’ll integrate you in no time. Things are not that easy in Montreal unfortunately.

One of my favourite place for drinks and restaurants is St. Roch. It’s a part of Lower town that has historically always been poor and untighty. They’ve been revitalizing it and they’ve been doing quite a nice job in my opinion. There are still certain areas that need to be “cleaned up”. It resembles in some ways the Plateau Mont-Royal in Montreal. I particularly like St-Joseph, du Parvis St. and St-Vallier Streets. Rue du Parvis is a short and narrow street located between Charest and St. Joseph. There are a couple of excellent restaurants/bars along that street. First, the Versa which offers an extensive list of drinks, cocktails and appetizing fingerfood that you can enjoy on one of their outdoors sofas – beautiful crowd too Then the Yuzu, an excellent creative cuisine restaurant that combines japanese food and fresh farm produce. And infally the Boudoir Lounge which is a little less trendy than the Versa but has a friendlier crowd, good snacks and a nice terrace. For live jazz music and fine cuisine, head to Largo further east, on St. Joseph just passed the St-Roch Church. For a funkier and cheaper alternative, try out restaurant La Cuisine on St. Vallier which offers comfort food in a 60’s kitsch décor. You can buy anything they have in that restaurant including the furniture, the paintings and the books. Also, the Salons d’Edgar is a local favourite.

To access Upper City, you can either ride the free elevator (Ascenseur du Faubourg) at the corner of Côte d’Abraham and St. Vallier, go up the staircase that is right beside it (great view) or do like the locals : take d’Arago street and climb Cote Badouillard by foot. Some of Quebec’s staircases are famous. Many of them were specially designed by architect Charles Baillargé, the oldest being the Escalier Casse-cou (Breakneck staircase) leading to Petit Champlain. Once you’re on top of the cliff, you need to go south for a couple of blocks and you’ll eventually end up on St. Jean Baptiste St., one of the main commercial drags in the City, the most touristic part being east of René-Lévesque. On St. Jean Baptiste, you have to make a quick stop at Tutto Gelato. It has the best italian gelato I have ever tasted. On St-Jean-Baptiste and Cartier Streets, you’ll find a variety of cozy pubs and restaurants such as Bonnet d’Âne, the Hobbit (try the Wapiti bavette), Au petit coin Breton (crepes bretonnes), Tatum (coffee and dessert), St. James, Pointe des Amériques (next to the Capitole – great pizza), Sonar (tapas bar), Java Pub (try the café Milano).

Also, you will find in that area several boutiques and interesting services and features such as Pulcinella (italian grocery store) on Cartier, Izba Spa on René-Levesque (massage, spa and oxygen bar), Poissonerie Unimer (seafood and sushi to take out), Palais Montcalm with its share of street performers and jewelry makers, etc.

Be sure to stop at one of the many Ashton snack bars to fill on poutine, a Quebec’s typical junk food meal made of french fried, gravy and curd cheese. Another very popular artery is Grande Allée. It is a favourite for nightlife. One of the most popular spots is Maurice Nightclub, PM Maurice Duplessis’ former office. It has been turned into a trendy restaurant, dance club and cigar room, perfect for people-watching. O’Zone has a nice terrace in the summer and is a little more casual. Dagobert is an overly popular dance club with a younger crowd. There are a couple of microbreweries and pubs along Grande Allée, but since I don’t like beer, I can’t recommend you any of them. Rivoli has good italian food. Cosmos restaurant is the place to go for breakfast.

Some of the most prominent tourist attractions are to be found in the area of Chateau Frontenac. The Chateau itself, built for the Canadian Pacific Railway is famous ever since the Quebec conference of 1943 was held there, a conference in which Churchill and Roosevelt met to discuss WWII strategy. It is now owned by Fairmount Hotels. It overlooks the beautiful St. Lawrence and the Terrasse Dufferin, a long wooden plateform with a stunning view. Unfortunately, they are currently doing extensive archeological research works that disturb the usually peaceful and quiet and the natural beauty of the terrasse but I bet they’ll be over by the summer because of the 400th Anniversary. The Citadel and Plains of Abraham are just a short walk from the Chateau using the marvellous Promenade des Gouverneurs. Across the street from the Chateau, are rues du Trésor, de Buade and Ste. Anne which are totally taken over by painters, street performers and musicians during the summer. At the end of the Terrasse, there’s an access to the Funiculaire, an outdoor elevator leading to the Petit Champlain (~2,50$ CAD). Don’t use it if you’re afraid of heights. It follows closely the steep Diamond Cape.

The nicest way to get to Petit Champlain in my opinion is to take the Break-neck staircase, the oldest staircase in the city dating from around 1660 or the Passage du Roi that goes directly through the Hazeur and Smith Houses, a lovely urban concept that is part of the Interpretation Center of Place Royale. You can also go all the way down Côte de la Montagne to admire La Fresque des Québécois, a trompe-l’oeil mural depicting several important figures of our Province history such as Champlain, Frontenac and Papineau.

Petit Champlain is one of Quebec City’s most celebrated quarters. The first settlers established their homes at Place Royale. You can learn all about it at Musée de la Civilisation. That public place was used as décor for the final scene of the American movie Catch me if you Can. One of the best restaurants in that area is the Cochon Dingue (Mad Pig), not to be confused with the Petit Cochon Dingue. Petit Champlain offers a lot in terms of lodging options too. B&B’s and small auberges line up the side streets, some fancy, some casual. Auberge St-Pierre is one of the most charming establishment. It has a certain country look yet is still totally urban. Since you travel on a budget, you might prefer The Belley Hotel’s prices. They have 8 rooms, each with a different look for less than 100$ CAD, which is pretty reasonable for the downtown area. Art galleries and typical restaurants, casual pubs (ex.: Dunn, L’Inox) and pizzerias (Pizza Mag) abund in that area, especially on St. Paul St, Quai St-André, Champlain Ave. and Dalhousie. Along the waterfront, Marché du Vieux-Port near Gare du Palais offers fresh fruits, veggies and other produce. You can also treat yourself to an evening cruise in the St. Lawrence and dance the night away or simply access the south shore via Quebec-Lévis ferry for a walk or a bicycle ride on Lévis’ bicycle path followed by a visit to Chocolat Favoris, a neat chocolaterie.

Of course, there are a couple of curiosities outside of the City and downtown area. Orleans Island is a country escape from the City noise and crowd. Lac Beauport is a 4 season great vacation spot. It is located just north of Quebec city (exit Lac Beauport from I-73) and a few miles south of the mighty Laurentian Provincial Wildlife Reserve a protected area of nearly 7800 km2 that goes all the way to the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean area. Lac-Beauport is nestled on the lake of the same name and has some very nice resorts, the most famous being the Manoir St-Castin. Lodging and dining are overly expensive but dining is definitely worth the money. One of my favourite nightspot in that area is Archibald. It’s a unique concept of rustic and trendy located in a huge wooden building that operates a microbrewery and restaurant. In the summertime, the terrace is decorated with sofas, small campfires in stone fireboxes are spreaded here and there and it is jam-packed with beautiful people.

A few miles east of Quebec City on route 138 is the Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré Shrine, that attracts thousands of pilgrims each year and Cyclorama of Jerusalem, the world’s largest panorama displaying bits of religious history. En route, you’ll pass the impressive Montmorency Falls . Unfortunately, route 138 in the Beaupré area is not exactly scenic even though it follows the River closely. The New France route (QC 360) is far more interesting.

Lodging -- no doubt Bed & Breakfasts are still your best option for cheap and clean. Look for Stoneham, Beauport and Charlesbourg areas.

[UKCraig]

Gen, once again you are an absolute angel! Thank you so much for all of that information. Of course there is no way that I'll be able to digest that all in one go so I plan on printing it out and reading it whilst lounging on the floor with a large map and a travel guide in front of me. Thanks again!

[Quebec Gen]

A couple of great posts -- thanks for all of that wonderful trip intel.

Thanks Mark.

The most direct routes between Montreal and Quebec City are I-20 and I-40. Both are pretty bland in terms of scenery. The most exciting and stunning sceneries, are to be found in extreme regions such as tip of the Gaspe Peninsula (Percé, Forillon National Park, Parc de la Gaspésie Provincial Park) and the North Shore (Tadoussac, Mingan Archipelago, Saguenay fjord) You could follow Chemin du Roy on the north shore of the St. Lawrence which goes through several small town and larger cities such as Trois-Riviere the second oldest city founded a few years after Quebec City by Laviolette. Needless to say this is not a fast route.
Not too far out of the way, Mauricie National Park is a vast, peaceful place where you can canoe, hike, swim (maybe not in May) have picnics, etc.

If you plan on getting to QC from the South Shore, you should make a detour via the Eastern Townships. It is an agricultural paradise with mountains, vineyards, great architecture, apple orchards, berry picking farms, good restaurants, lakes, Provincial and National Parks such as Mont Orford and Mont Megantic and much more. Many of the most beautiful villages and towns of Quebec are located in the Townships such as Stanbridge East, Dunham, Frelighsburg, Knowlton, all quaint, picturesque villages with loyalist architecture and a large artistic colony. Dunham has the best chocolaterie (Hansel & Gretel), brulerie (Couleur Café), boulangerie & grocery store (Rumeur affamée). Knowlton has many art galleries, antiques stores and an interesting museum. The Brome County Historical Society Museum owns an original DVII Fokker bi-plane from WWI. There are only 3 left in the world.

If you want to explore a little further on your way to the Maritimes, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, check out the Pointe-au-Père Maritime Museum dedicated to the Empress of Ireland, a passengers ship that sank it the St. Lawrence on May 29, 1914 with more than 1010 casualties. Also, Parc National du Bic is a great place for light hiking, wildlife-watching (seals, birds), swimming and canoeing. Le Bic Village is home to a great restaurant - a bit pricey though - Le Mange-Grenouille. The best seafood restaurant in the whole Lower St. Lawrence area is Le Matelot. It is located in Baie-des-Sables, a small village east of Métis. It doesn't look too good from the outside, it's a bright orange building, it is far from being fancy, but the food is excellent. It is not touristy, but very popular with locals. Have a cod filet and pudding chomeur for dessert. Pudding chomeur (trans. : unemployment pudding) is a traditionnal Quebec dessert that was invented during the Great Depression. It's traditionally made with brown sugar, but a lot of people use maple syrup which makes the pudding even more tasty. While you're there, pay a visit to the magnificien Jardins de Métis (flower gardens).

The best cheap accomodations (35-40$) are to be found at B&B Chez Choinière in St-Simon (10 km east of Trois-Pistoles). The owner, Alain, is a friend of mine. He bought this vernacular 1820 house and restored it very nicely using original materials. He put old fashioned bathtubs in every room and has an access to the beach. He has his own chicken and comestible flowers and veggie garden. His breakfasts are awesome : fresh eggs, bio veggies, strong coffee, homemade bread and jams and he makes the best blueberry pancakes. He's a nice granola-type guy with an edgy sense of humour.

If you want to learn more about the Lower St. Lawrence, Eastern Townships, Gaspe Peninsula or any other region, just let me know. I've been pretty much all over the Province except Nunavik and the James Bay.

Upcoming post : The Maritimes!
Gen

[UKCraig]

Gen, once again you come up trumps! I thank you hugely but I am now struggling to squeeze everything that I want to in - even with the extra three days that I now have to play with!

I'd heard about the Gaspe Peninsular previously and was planning on visiting but it adds an extra 450 miles or so to the route. Is is worth that amount of travelling? Might I be better off spending a little more time in Nova Scotia or maybe on the Cabot Trail? Maybe I should keep it for the return leg and then decide how much time that I have to play with on the day?

Presuming that I 'did' the peninsular then I would definately look to take you up on your suggestion of accomodation at Chez Choiniere - excellent looking tips!

[Quebec Gen]

Hey Craig,

The Gaspe Peninsula is definitely worth it although it might become a little redundant after a while; another seaside cliff, another fishermen village. Funny fact : When you get to Ste-Flavie, QC 132 splits up in two and you get to choose between 132 east...and 132 east! If you turn right, you're going to the Matapedia Valley and if you go straight, you're going to Ste. Anne des Monts. The most scenic stretch of route 132 is the one on the north east side all the way to Percé and Bonaventure.

In Ste-Flavie, there are some cute art galleries, like the Centre d'art Marcel Gagnon which also has a nice restaurant. Check out the outdoor sculpture at the back that extends into the sea (St. Lawrence is sometimes called the sea in these parts). Don't miss the windmill park at Cap Chat, it has the highest vertical-axis wind turbine in the world. North of Ste-Anne-des-Monts, Parc de la Gaspésie is one of my favourite places. Over the years I have hiked 4 mountains within the park, the most impressive being Mt. Albert. Mt Xalibu is more accessible and easy and is also very interesting with its top covered with medium sized stones.

At the tip of the peninsula, In Gaspe, you can visit the Gaspesie Museum and the site where Jacques Cartier erected a tall wooden cross in 1534 in order to claim the territory as France's own. Parc National Forillon is a nice park on the seaside with nice lighthouses (Cap des rosiers) and neat villages. Percé is probably among the most popular tourist destinations within the Province. It is very crowded in the summer. Its main attraction is the 433 meters long Rocher Percé (trans. : Pierced Rock), a natural limestone arch located in the ocean, just a short walk from the village at low tide. Before you go, just ask locals about tides to avoid getting stuck there in the afternoon. Millions of fossils have been found on it and many local legends are associated to that mighty monument.. The other main attraction is Bonaventure Island, a migratory birds sanctuary. It attracts more than 290 species annually.

In the Chaleur Bay area, you'll come accross New Carlisle, the birthplace of former Quebec Prime Minister, Rene Levesque. New Richmond, one of the few English-speaking villages left on the peninsula is quite charming with quite a few historical british-influenced buildings. Gesgapegiaq is a friendly Mic-Mac Indian community with an one-of-its-kind Wig-Wam-shaped church (Kateri-Tekakwitha). A great number of locals speak English, French and the Mic-Mac dialect fluently. You will eventually come accross Nouvelle and a bridge that will bring you to New Brunswick.

Here is the last part!

During your stay in NB, you should sample a few of these suggestions and if you have a few extra days, here are some more. Just so you know, some so-called Acadian attractions or experiences are not necessarily that authentic. Some are very enjoyable and others tourist traps. Personnally, I really enjoyed the Acadian Museum in Caraquet, Fundy NP, Bouctouche, Bathurst and Shediac. I always thought central NB was a little tedious and Fredericton and Moncton a little overrated as compared to the coastal towns, but as I said earlier, I haven't been to NB very often. They're not exactly boring, but they are not as thrilling as some other cities to me that's all. According to the office of tourism, there are 4 possible scenic drives in NB : the great outdoors, the acadian culture, the seafood and the natural wonders. I'm sure I've driven a few stretches of each but I'm not sure exactly when and where.

Nova Scotia also offers several options in term on scenic drives, the most popular being of course, the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to explore that beautiful part of NS yet. Ditto for the Louisbourg Fortress. My latest trip to the Maritimes was pretty strenuous and I didn't have any energy left after my journey to NewFoundland to visit NS, not to mention I was accompanied by someone who doesn't care much about military or war history and is afraid of heights. I have been told that Cape Breton Island has an incredible amount of waterfalls and awesome hiking trails. Lobsterpalooza is a lobster festival held in the Cabot Trail that begins at the end of May and features several lobster-related and unrelated events such as Puffin boat tours, Acadian village visits, live entertainment, lobster suppers, etc. Sounds fun.

Halifax is an exciting city. Perhaps the most recognizable monument of the city, the Town Clock was erected in 1800 by Prince Edward, commandant of the British army in NS, who apparently regarded punctuality as a very important asset. From what I recall from my last visit, Argyle Street, Citadel hill, the Province House and Point Pleasant Park are not to be missed. The best view of the skyline is from Dartmouth.

I'm going to skip PEI since I've never been there and I don't know much about it.

NewFoundland and Labrador -- NewFoundland is just awesome, picturesque, bucolic, incredible. And Labrador is even better! I know you might not have enough time to make it to Labrador, but NewFoundland is mandatory. I've been there in 2006. You can take the ferry from North Sydney, NS to Port-aux-Basques, NFL. Once you're on the island, don't follow all the tourists who will head west to get to Gros Morne. Go east instead on highway 470. You'll come accross some of the most picturesque fishermen villages I've ever seen : Burnt Island, Diamond Cove and Rose Blanche. Rose Blanche has the most charming tiny granite lighthouse. The landscape is incredible. I took several postcard shots down there. You need to pay a small fee to get on the site (3$!). The road eventually ends and you have to go back. On your way back, stop at the Barachois Falls sign. It's only a short walk to the waterfalls. Just watch your step on the wooden sidewalks, there are a lot of rotten planks. Pay attention to the flora : moss, flowers, tiny trees (tuckamore). BTW, if I'm not mistaken, Barachois means salted swamp in English.

Port aux Basques was our only bad lodging experience for the whole trip so I won't recommend any place. The drive from Port aux Basques is pretty but extremely windy. I've heard of truck drivers whose loaded trucks flipped on the side on that very highway so watch yourself! Gros Morne NP and the Tablelands are absolutely stunning. There is no word to describe the beauty of such a geological transformation. It is said that the colorful rocks of the Tablelands were once part of the Earth's mantle. It just makes you feel as if you are in Utah or Arizona...but colder. In areas of high grass, if you watch and listen carefully, you'll detect the presence of animals : birds, hares, porcupines, etc. Moose are to Newfies what dogs are to some of us. They don't even slow down when they see one hanging on the side of the road. Watch out they're everywhere.

We stayed at Shears House in Rocky Harbour : a very pleasant experience. Newfies are famous for their friendliness. They also have peculiar accents. Every B&B in NewFoundland offers homemade bread and jams : squash berries, indigenous blackberries, partridge berries, blueberries, bake apple. Delicious. Actually, there's a company named Dark Tickle that specializes in making jams, teas, drinks and chocolates out of NF's unique wild berries. You can visit their factory and store in Lunaire-Griquet on the Northern Peninsula.

The Arches Provincial Park is another beautiful place to visit. In addition to its wonderful 3 natural arches, it has a strange-looking birch forest that looks like an enchanted (or haunted?) forest. Port au Choix is a point of interest that has nasty and muddy roads but great views. Look for the weird bent trees along the road and the seaside.

A little further north, St. Barbe is the Gateway to Labrador. The ferry ride is only 1,5 hour long and you usually get to see some whales. A short detour from the Viking Trail will bring you to the town of St. Anthony's. While being panoramic, this middle-sized community has also the advantage of offering a few practical services such as grocery stores, hospital and a few restaurant chains. Fill up on groceries while you're there. Make a few quick stop at the hospital to take a look at Jordi Bonet's mural about the everyday life of different inhabitants of Newfoundland : Inuits and caucasian fishermen among others and also at the town hall where you'll be welcomed by a huge polar bear that has once been wandering around in the village and accidentaly fell over a cliff -- that's what they told us anyway. There is also a park called Fishing Point which is perfect for a campfire, a picnic, reading or just enjoying the quietness and the view.

The road along the northern peninsula is also known as the Viking Trail. The history behind this designation is to be discovered at L'Anse-aux-Meadows N.H.S., an intriguing park with educated and polite young people who can entertain you as they guide you through this adventure through time and archeological research.

Okay, enough for tonight. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to help you to the best of my knowledge.

Gen

[UKCraig]

I'm not quite what to say - once again you have come through with an enormous amount of information which will be, I am certain, a huge help to me and other travellers in the future - I am sure that this thread will be well referenced in the future. Top top work! Trying to research a trip through an unfamiliar area is usually quite tricky - there's just so much information out there - so to have a huge wealth of information from someone who has been there and seen it to help get us underway is fantastic.

I always was - and I most definately still am - very interested in seeing the Gaspe Peninsular and Forillon National Park but it really does depend upon how much time that I take to travel the rest of the route. However suggestions such as Éole Cap-Chat make me want to find a way!

One thing that I am really starting to appreciate is that I'm not even gonna come close to starting to scratch the surface when it comes to getting a real feel for the place. My old boss moved to Rockport MA and bought a guesthouse which I would love to visit someday. I think that maybe I should aim to just get a feel for the Maritime Provinces this time around and then return in a year or two to spend a little more time there and along the Atlantic coast of the US...

I think that one place that I'm going to miss out this time around in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is just going to be a little too much to bite off in the limited time that I have and I really would want to do it justice if I were to do it at all.

I am slowly starting to piece together a route for this leg of my journey and I will post it up here when I have finalised that. I am now just a matter of weeks away from leaving the UK for my eight month trip and I am feeling a strange mix of excitement and something else that I just can't put my finger on. Am I supposed to be scared or freaking out? Cos I'm not. Not in the slightest... yet!