Road Trip Part 5 – New Brunswick and Quebec City

Air Travel Delays and Trip Adjustments

Mom and I managed the ferry ride from Channel-Port Aux Basque back to Sydney, Nova Scotia and the 3.5 hour drive to the Halifax airport only to find out that Carl was delayed by the mass software glitch that affected the air industry. After a day delay and a change in plans we picked up Carl and headed for New Brunswick.

Thanks to the airline issues I missed visiting PEI would have been my last of the 10 provinces. 😥

The World’s Longest Covered Bridge

We had an AirBnb booked in Quebec City and since AirBnb has a much stricter cancellation policy than hotels we changed our plans and decided to stop in Fredericton, New Brunswick on the way from Halifax to Quebec City. Along the way we saw a sign for the Hartland Covered Bridge National Historic Site and apparently the longest covered bridge in the world. You never know what you might see on a road trip! 

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Our visit to Fredericton consisted of seeing only the Delta Hotel Fredericton and its waterfront location. It was a great hotel with appealing indoor and outdoor dining options and very good smoked Old Fashioneds – exactly what we needed to get over the travel delays.

Quebec City

Our two bedroom AirBnb in the heart of the Old Port of Quebec was the perfect location to explore the city from. After the challenge of parking the car in what used to be a carriage yard and carrying our bags up two flights of stairs (thank you Carl) we were set. The cobblestone streets and alleyways were very charming and there were so many places to eat we had a hard time deciding where to go. We ate out for 3 days and enjoyed all the various pastries and cuisines that the city offered. A few of our favourites were:

• L’Échaudé an upscale bistro with great outdoor seating, a nice inside bar and a very good cocktail list. The bartender was very friendly and gave us so many good recommendations we came back to sit at the bar another night.
• Our fav bartender recommended Le Buffet...for breakfast ranging from hearty to coffee and pastry. We sat at the counter top amazed at the large plates of food flying out. The food was so good we went twice!
• The bar at 1640 Bistro also had us coming back for more. Well priced and delicious Old Fashioneds and Boubon Sours were a perfect end to busy days of touring.
• For a truly Québécois experience we were directed to Le Cochon Dingue. The menu was unique including a maple bacon Old Fashioned, maple glazed smoked pork belly and traditional meat pie. The food was not the best of our trip but it was a good experience.
  
  
• Our most disappointing experience was at the bar at Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. We each ordered an Old Fashioned which was not really an Old Fashioned but some frou-frou drink that was $35! Yup before tax and tip. The disappointment was not only because it wasn’t an Old Fashioned, (because I do enjoy all kinds of cocktails) but because it just was not well balanced at all.

Funiculaire (aka elevator up the side of a hill)

The Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec helped us navigate the approximately 350 stairs from our AirBnb in ‘Old’ or Lower Quebec to the Upper Town where the Château and many restaurants/bars are located. The funicular opened on November 17, 1879. On July 2, 1945, a major fire destroyed the structure. It was rebuilt in 1946 with renovations in 1978 and 1998. In 2004, it celebrated 125 years of operating.

The Citadel

The Funiculaire does not go all the way up to the Citadel and the Plains of Abraham. The walk up is fairly steep and includes more stairs but the beautiful views of the St. Lawrence River and back down into Old Town are worth the walk!

Mom Heads Home

After three nights in Quebec City (and 17 total days on tour) Mom was ready to head home to Winnipeg. Carl and I said Bon Voyage at Montreal Airport and started the next leg of the trip – Montreal, Ottawa and Mont-Tremblant.

You don’t have to be location independent to see the world. It just helps. Sometimes it is complicated and sometimes it’s not…but it is ALWAYS worth it!