Rob-n-Hild, Eastward Ho!

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Rimouski to Montreal 539 km. 5:44 hours. Elevation maximum 145 metres.

This was a very efficient day: we had some plans and we did them all! We searched and found Bonnehomme Carnaval, we ate rabbit and venison in Quebec City, and we made it to Montreal in good time. On top of that we got a surprise "dance of the sugar plum ferries".

With last year's visit to Quebec City quite fresh in our minds, we had a very planned route in mind for Quebec City. Well, Hild had made a plan while Rob did most of the driving from Rimouski. We wanted traditional Quebec food for lunch including rabbit and venison, if possible. And we wanted to find a Bonhomme Carnaval - mascot of the city's winter festival. It was also important that Mary Jane stayed behind on the south side of the river to make our Eastward Ho! drive a complete loop. So we had to take the ferry across the St. Lawrence River as pedestrians. Yes, we are that nerdy!

We made it in good time for lunch and were lucky to find our way through to the ferry parking lot in Levis even if the harbour area looked closed down by construction. Another repeat lesson: sometimes one has to ignore Google Maps.

Since we had visited Quebec City and done the Levis ferry with JR last July we were quite knowledgable about what to do and where to go. So we quickly got our return tickets - Rob politely turned down the suggestion that he may be eligible for the senior rate (tee-hee) - and the ferry left not long after. To Quebec City we sailed on N.M. Lomer-Gouin and on our way back after lunch we sailed on N.M. Alphonse Dejardins. They cross the river at the same time, so the map of their tracks looks like a fun "Dance of the Sugar Plum Ferries" - fun although different from the Nutcracker ballet.

On our race through the city we caught snap shots of the traditional tourist sights: Fairmont Le Château Frontenac towering over everything, the umbrella alley (Rue du Cul-de-Sac), Rob skipping down the Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps), and the famous L'École des Ursulines de Québec - one of the oldest schools in North America founded in 1639.

Hild's extensive research while Rob was driving revealed that our planned restaurant for rabbit poutine, Le Lapin Sauté, did not open until 4 pm on Tuesdays. Ugh that is unlucky. So further research lead us to La Buche (the Log) to see if they have rabbit on the menu or if what we had read online was just a joke: "Rabbit Wings". The staff said it was not a joke so we settled in ordering both rabbit wings and venison tourtiere (a traditional meat pie). The food was excellent and the restaurant was decorated as if it was a log cabin complete with old skis, sleighs, and snow shoes in the ceiling.

They also made Taffy-in-the-snow right next to our table - so that was additional entertainment. And to finish off the fun, we discovered that the washroom was just one room with multiple cubicles for anyone to use, the walls were covered in grafitti by guests, and in the middle of the room an old bathtub with 3 taps was were you wash your hands and use a real towel to dry afterwards. Fun!

After having enjoyed lunch - and beaten the crowds - we took the shortest route to La Boutique de Noel (Christmas store) where Hild figured our best (and final?) chance was to find a Bonhomme Carnaval. We found it at the end of a construction zone - most people giving up thinking it was closed. But we were not discouraged and pushed on, and wouldn't you know it: Rob found a perfect Bonhomme for our collection. Hooray!

Coming up: Biking in Montreal

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