l'ile d'Orleans Island (8/15/2015)

Today was a little different.  We decided we each would be on our own, so we all headed out in separate cars.  However, Dave and Mazie did meet up with us at our first destination, the Changing of the Guards at the Citadel.  We arrived at 9:00, just in time for a guided tour before the ceremonies at 10:00, and learned a lot about the history of the Citadel.  We passed the guards on duty on our way in.

 We had a great tour guide who made it interesting.  The ceremony itself was awesome, and we had talked to some people who had a relative playing in the band, so we watched for that.  And the mascot, the goat, of course.

The beaver is Canada's national emblem, along with the maple leaf I guess.  Anyhow, it was part of the Citadel and even incorporated into the landscaping.

Part of the tour took us to the highest point in Quebec, and we could see a boat in the harbor that might be the one the Brundiges are taking. 

The parade lasted about 45 minutes and we really enjoyed it.

And the goat behaved too, although Mazie said it was about to lose its blanket.

We left the Johnsons here and headed off to the l'ile d'Orleans, an island out in the middle of the St. Lawrence River hear.  It is 21 miles long and 4 miles wide, with lots of shops, markets, restaurants and ice cream shops, produce stands, and agriculture.  We stopped at the Visitor Center and got a map, then drove the entire island, with a few stops here and there, including lunch with a view.

We shared a 10-inch pizza and some overcooked french fries, so of course we had to make an ice cream stop later.

Quebec has mountains, and we got a good view from the island.  We could see the ski runs, but it was pretty hazy today so they weren't very clear.

The south end of the island is fairly densely populated, but the north end is where the agriculture is, and some pretty good-sized farms.  We saw fields of strawberries, corn, potatoes, green onions and sunflowers, to name a few.

strawberries

green onions

sunflowers

We also stopped at a cheese shop, where the sellers were in period costume.  We thought we would see someone making cheese, but they were only selling it.

We passed one strawberry field where pickers were working to load a semi-trailer.

It was a narrow, busy highway, with lots of bicyclists, but it was a nice drive with a nice view.  An enjoyable trip.  Marilyn and Collins had set off for a boat cruise on the River, but after they got back from that, they too drove the island, although we never ran into each other. 

Marilyn had a funny story to tell.  She stopped to ask the price of blueberries.  The lady, of course, did not speak English, but they somehow communicated that the basket of blueberries cost $20.  Marilyn "explained" that that was too much and the basket was too big because they were traveling and only wanted a small amount.  So the seller said $3.  Marilyn thought that was ok.  The seller gave Marilyn the little basket, and Marilyn gave her the $3, but the basket was empty. The seller waved her hand toward the blueberry bushes and sent Marilyn out to pick her own berries.  So Marilyn had her very first blueberry-picking experience today. 

We came off the island and stopped by the Montmorency Falls, but it apparently cost even to drive into them so we turned around and I didn't get any pictures.  We could see them from the highway, and they are pretty impressive, but we have seen a lot of falls this trip.  I didn't get a picture so I copies this one off the Internet.  "The falls, at 84 meters (275 ft) high and 46 meters (150 ft) wide, are the highest in the province of Quebec and 30 meters (98 ft) higher than Niagara Falls. The basin at the foot of the falls is 17 meters (56 ft) deep. The falls are at the mouth of the Montmorency River where it drops over the cliff shore into the Saint Lawrence River, opposite the western end of the Île d'Orleans."
 

We drove down along the harbor on our way home but never saw any big ships or cruise ships in port.  We worked our way back home shortly after 4:00, so I loaded up my laundry and got that taken care of before we leave here in the morning.  It was after 6:00 when I got back from that, so I thought maybe we would go try this Huberts Chicken we keep seeing, instead of me heating up the RV and having to clean up the dinner dishes.  We had seen a Huberts not far from the campground, but when we put it into the GPS, Lucille took us to one further into town.  We walked in but didn't see anything we were familiar with, even the chicken cuts didn't look like KFC, so we walked back out.  Joe put Mexican food into the GPS, and we headed off to try to find that restaurant.  We missed one turn and went in circles to get back on the freeway, but then the GPS took us into the back side of a mall that appeared to be closed for the day (it was 7:00 by now).  We never did find that restaurant and decided it might have been in the food court inside the mall.  But there was another restaurant there with lots of people sitting outside, so we parked and walked up to check out their menu.  It was pricey, with bottles of wine on most tables, so we decided against that.  Back in the car to the second Mexican restaurant that came up on the GPS.  Well, we ended back in downtown Quebec City for that one.  We did find it, and found a parking spot.  But the restaurant was very busy, and Joe tried to communicate with the waitress about seating, without too much success.  She finally pointed out a very small round table on the patio, with only one chair, and said she would bring out another one.  While Joe waited for his chair, he watched a guy out on the street trying car doors, so he didn't feel too safe about our car.  The waitress finally brought the chair, which was too tall for the patio table and Joe's knees were practically in his chin.  We waited another 5-10 minutes and our waitress never came back, so we got up and left that place too.  We made a few more circles getting back to our route, and ended up eating a balogna/cheese sandwich back at the RV about 8:00.  What a trip!  However, we did catch a couple of pieces of artwork that our earlier travels had missed.

(The second picture is 5-gallon buckets!)


The Johnsons are leaving us tomorrow and heading back to the U.S. tomorrow, first to Portland, Maine for Mazie's lobster dinner, then possibly to Tennessee to visit friends, and then on west.  We hope they have a safe trip.  The Brundiges and Froeschkes will continue on east tomorrow, heading toward New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy (whenever we get there--it won't be tomorrow).