Category: Travel

Quebec City one last time

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Today was a beautiful sunny day in Quebec City. The plan was to simply load our luggage into the car in preparation for tomorrow’s start homeward. It was a simple plan but the rest of the story comes under the heading “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up”

Our departure 19 days ago was from berth 22 and we parked the car nearby the port with only minor difficulties described earlier. We returned to the port but to berth 30. When I looked at the map as I planned the trip, it looked like it was a simple walk along the dock westward to rue Dalhousie followed by a 10 minute walk to the parking structure. The Port of Quebec had a different version.

The first issue was getting off the ship. In most of our ports there were 2 gangways for disembarkation but not today. Today about 2000 travellers had to exit single file through a single gangway. We managed to leave the ship about an hour after the gangway opened. We then traversed a serpentine walkway to the terminal exit. Walking to the west was not permitted. We had two choices. A shuttle to somewhere undetermined or a walking tour to the east to exit the terminal following a GPS track back to the west resulting in a 30 minute 6,000 plus step trip across the Quebec waterfront.

On our way out of the port at berth 30 we managed to find a king security person who confirmed that there was a parking lot immediately outside the terminal. It was not, however, clear how to access it. We could see only busses and taxis in the area and no private vehicles. When we found our car we were pleased that it started immediately but some settings such as temperature units needed to be reset. I set the GPS to the published address of the Terminal for berth 30 and we crossed our fingers. The route retraced our walking path right back to the terminal. Our cruise ID medallions were our ticket past port security and we parked within 50 metres of the ship.

We boarded the ship easily enough returned to our rooms and disembarked again with our two largest suitcases, happy again for wheels on suitcases. As I opened the trunk of the car we noticed that a spider had taken up residence and seemed displeased that we had destroyed his home. He skittered off while we packed our luggage away. The morning experience over, we rebounded the ship just in time for lunch. Hopefully our final disembarkation tomorrow morning will be uneventful.

Mark Twain

One must travel to learn.

Saguenay again

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It is a cold, rainy day in La Baie today but we are back on Eastern Time. This is the final port before Quebec City and the start of our return home. I had expected to see more colour after 16 days but not much has changed. Here are a few photos for comparison.

This will probably be the final post of this trip. We expect to be home by Friday and back to a regular routine again by Monday. Thanks to all who followed along and to those who contributed comments. We have often told fellow travellers that we were members of the SKI club, meaning Spending Kids Inheritance.Yesterday we found people who were members of the KING club, meaning Kids Inheritance Nearly Gone.

Charlotte Eriksson, Empty Roads & Broken Bottles; in search for The Great Perhaps

There’s something about arriving in new cities, wandering empty streets with no destination. I will never lose the love for the arriving, but I’m born to leave.

Boston Turnaround

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No, you haven’t missed a post. Sydney, Halifax, St John to Boston and barely a leaf changed colour. Those who came specifically to find fall colours must be terribly disappointed. One can’t rush mother nature. Having visited most places in the region on previous trips we have not repeated tours.

Our stop in St John should have been good for tours of the bay since a low tide coincided with our arrival and we remained long enough to see a full change. Even at our berth in St John the ship must have risen at least 20 feet over the tide cycle.

This morning Boston is bleak. Fog shrouds the city such that only the profiles of tall buildings defines the horizon. The rain is falling sometimes harder than others. In the open areas staff are busy mopping up rain water or pushing it toward drains.

We will need to visit US Immigration at some point today but on the basis of announcements we have heard the process is running about two hours behind schedule. Meanwhile room stewards on five decks are busy recycling cabins to receive passengers boarding. Until every arriving passenger and crew has been processed through US officials no-one will be boarding. Turnaround days are always interesting.

I will post a few more photos and hope to share some colour change with you on the return trip.

Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.

Edmunston, first stop in the Maritimes

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We started the day too early. Somehow the first day of travel is more tiring than it should be so we fell asleep too early and Gail was awake before 5 AM which meant I would be awakened not long after. That made it easy to get to the 6:30 breakfast. After a refuelling stop we were on Highway 20 by 7:15. Highway 20 does not have the same kind of service centres as on Ontario 401 but the services were regular and well advertised. Today we shared the driving whereas yesterday I did it all.

After we passed Montreal traffic eased and once passed Quebec City, or Levis, the scenery became more interesting. There were farms and forests and eventually we could see mountainous terrain across the St Lawrence which was occasionally in sight. Gail took her second shift in the driver’s seat as we approached Rivière-du-Loup and I navigated the transfer to Quebec highway 85. Almost as soon as we started south on 85 things became strange and we found ourselves navigating country roads which seemed to take us further from Highway 85. I had some awareness of a construction project on 85 but was unable to find any information about detours before we left home. While Gail drove I began consulting both Apple maps and Google maps only to discover that their detour routes were not identical. When we finally reached Highway 85 again both Apple and Google located us in the middle of nowhere since the newly constructed highway was not up to date for either system. My solution was simple, follow that truck. That seemed to work. At our last rest stop before Edmunston we found a Quebec Information Centre where the attendant was only too pleased to show me how to avoid all the construction. The secret, he said, was to aim for Pohénégamook, Quebec then take Highway 289 north to Highway 20. We shall try that on our return trip.

I’m adding a few more photos today which can be viewed in the sidebar or in the East Coast and Maritime Cruise 2024 Photo Gallery. We will undoubtedly find a few more photo opportunities in days to come.

George Carlin

Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas and take your next trip in kilometers.