Quebec, Je Suis Désolé
​(written August 19)
Quebec. It stands out in our country, primarily because French is the dominant language. The architecture, food, and culture seem different as well.
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t the most keen to go. I was nervous about speaking a language I don’t know and being looked at for only knowing English. And yet, maybe I should have been more optimistic, because so far, it’s been nothing but brilliant. ​
(newport ouest)
From Ottawa, we found a nice camping spot by the St. Lawrence River. After a good sleep, we rolled into Montreal. It was a quick visit, with two things on our agenda. Business was first. We were looking to sell our van and we found a couple people that were interested and willing to meet. After meeting them, our next stop was what is said to be a must when you’re here.
Schwartz’s has been in business since the 1920’s, and specializes in smoked meat, which is made with beef brisket. Unlike pastrami, it is made using the entire cut, and is spiced with a mixture of coriander, black pepper, garlic, and other spices. It’s then smoked and steamed. Schwartz’s is known for their 10 day brine on their version and there’s no better way to have it than in the sandwich. It was definitely worth it, with the meat to bread ratio leaning heavily and generously towards the meat side. The smoked meat poutine was also delicious.​
(schwartz's smoked meat sandwich)
(a house on pointe-saint-pierre)
From there, we decided to drive. It was raining, so it was a perfect day to spend time in the van. We wanted to head to the Gaspésie region, and go as far east as we possibly could. With COVID, we have to keep the maritimes out of this trip, but Gaspé is pretty close. It faces the Gulf of the St. Lawrence which connects to the Atlantic, so we will take it as seeing the other coast.
Percé is about 1000 km and over ten hours of driving from Montreal, so we broke it up into a couple days. Along the way, there’s these wonderful small cantinas known for serving casse croute, or snack food. Burgers, fries, fish and chips, and most notably poutine and lobster rolls. ​
(the menu at la cantine du quai, more or less a typical menu at a casse-croûte)
(poutine au homard at poissonnerie du pecheur in bonaventure)
(the food at la cantine du quai)
(casse-croute du quai in petitie.-riviere-saint-francois, where we had the best poutine au crevette and guedille au crevette)
Poutine is arguably the most iconic dish in Canada. It’s hard to argue that fries smothered with gravy with squeaky cheese curds isn’t a good thing. Along our travels through Gaspesie, one of the guilty pleasures has been the poutine au homard, or lobster poutine. With a creamier seafood based gravy, it’s a bit lighter (though definitely still very heavy, dense, and sits like a brick in your stomach). The portion sizes are generous, the lobster is plentiful, and it’s reasonably priced.
Spending time in Percé, seeing the iconic Percé rock, and hiking up Mont Saint-Anne for the stunning views overlooking the town has proven that this part of Canada is among the most beautiful. ​
(taking pictures in percé)
The churches along the way and the beautiful cottages by the beach have a real charm to them.
There’s countless rest areas here. Many of them have flushing toilets and are positioned right along the beach. Being able to stop here and enjoy the sand in our feet and running water through our hands has made this one of the more comfortable legs of our journey.
I can’t help but feel so thankful for this adventure that we have been on. I sometimes forget how lucky I am to be able to take so much time to drive aimlessly and spot little gems along the way, and have the means to stop and hang out for a while. No agenda and no plan, just drive. It’s been incredible.
Quebec, I’m sorry for the preconceived opinions. You’ve blown away my expectations, and I’m honored that we can finish this journey on your soil. The countdown is on. 10 more days left on this trip. We really have to make it count now. ​
