Quebec City, September 13-17, 2013

We don’t have far to travel so we have a relaxing morning with coffee and breakfast and checking email.  The weather is cloudy but clear and we have no problems finding all the roads and connections we need to get on 20 which leads straight to our campground in Levis, Quebec.  We will be camping at Camping Transit.  Hoping we have better luck with the power and WiFi than we did at the Montreal South KOA.  The skies are clearing more as we get further away from Montreal.  We should be having better weather in Quebec.

We made it to the campground around 1 PM and check in with no problems.  I had found a coupon for the campground on the website and got 50% one day’s fee.  There was a nice man who lead us through the campground to our site in the back…#213.  Nice pull-thru with full 50 amp hookups….which actually works!  The WiFi is extra…$2.00 per day.  We paid for two days and found it’s good for two computers!  The reception for the WiFi is very good so we check emails and investigated the area and Quebec City for our trip into the city tomorrow.

After putting out the roadside slide in the back I saw a strange mechanical looking piece of metal.  We pondered about what it could be and decided to remove the floor of the underbed storage cabinet to investigate.  It was a job removing all the screws and pulling up the board.  Underneath we found a long metal pole and wondered what it could be…part of the slide mechanism?  After checking it out we finally recognized it as the other slide brace for the front slide.  We’ve been missing that one since we purchased the rig.  The previous owners must have stored it under the foot of the bed and then closed the slide over it.  That thing must have been under there moving back and forth for a long time.  We took it out and started putting the floor back down.  To help Jim screw it back down I needed to lift the bracket holding the sleep number bed motor.  Unfortunately I leaned a little too hard against the wooden frame and popped a rib again.  OUCH!  That will not make the remainder of our trip a lot of fun. L  Lot of pain so I put some ice on it hoping to keep any swelling down.

Montreal, September 9-13, 2013

Beautiful day to travel.  Drove along PH 17 until we connected with 417 and then 40 the Trans Canada Highway.  From there we are looking for the exit for 30 which doesn’t show on the navigation program.  It is a new road which allows us to bypass downtown Montreal.  Checked it out on RV information internet sites and the other RVers are praising this route.  It does cross the St. Lawrence River with a new toll bridge.  We made all the connections and cross the river with no problems and no traffic.  Found our KOA campground easily.  The only problem is electricity.  We booked 30 amps but tried two sites before upgrading to 50 amps.  Still having problems with low voltage.  We have a safety plug which shuts everything off if voltage is too low….which is all the time!  Our final site is next to some people from New Orleans.  They have been traveling since January and will not get back home until December.  They actually left the day after we arrived. 

The first day touring Montreal was rainy.  The Hop On Hop Off sightseeing offered a shuttle from our campground.  They picked us up at about 11 am.  It was a very dreary morning and there was not much to see on the trip into the city.  We purchased one of the Hop On Hop Off tours (only two days for almost $50 per person!).  First day we were stuck inside the bus and didn’t get to see everything like we wanted.  After once around the city we got off and found a place for lunch…a pub right near the tourist center.  The waitress looked like a wrestler (sorry!) and asked “What do ya want to eat?”  We had beer with our lunch.

We hopped back on the bus and rode to Notre Dame Basilica.  The area around the church was beautiful…a big square with a fountain and cobblestone streets.  The church inside was magnificent.  It cost $5 pp to get in.  They offer French or English tours of the church and the chapel.  Well worth the $10 for both of us.  The church boasts of a 7,000-pipe organ.  The organist has been playing there for 40 odd years and also practices on Friday.  We would love to come and hear but we will be leaving the area on Thursday.  Once we left the church we walked back through the downtown to meet our shuttle back to the campground.

Next day was better…sunny day most of the time.  We rode the shuttle into Montreal with two other couples.  One of the couples was from Germany and driving a pickup truck with bed camper.  They were very friendly and gave us some advice about our next stop, Quebec City.  Today we wanted to walk around the Old Port area of Montreal.  The weather is perfect for that.  We rode the bus to the first stop and got off…walked several blocks and up hills and down to the Old Montreal area.  Stopped in the visitor information center for walking tour map and set off.  Right outside is City Hall, a magnificent building with a large square and fountain on the side.  Walking through the square you find the area with the only remaining piece of the fortification wall of the old city.  The park area overlooks downtown Montreal.  The streets in this area are cobblestone and look very old.  Need good shoes and sure footing to walk here.  The streets are narrow and have rows and rows of restaurants, homes and shops.  We happened on to the Notre Dame Chapel and went inside to see the chapel and to also hear an organ recital taking place during the lunch hour.  It was lovely to hear and to be in such a beautiful place.  We walked down to the Clock Tower quay and all along the dock area beside the St. Lawrence River.  The current was very fast.  We watched a tour boat motor from the dock and just get carried away by the river’s current.  Across the water on an island (Ile Saint-Helene) in the river we could see an amusement park and also the Biosphere.  There is also a beautiful pavilion and park in the dock area.  Right across the street from the dock is a large square surrounded by restaurants and cafes.  There was a group of musicians playing there so we stopped to have lunch on the patio of one of the cafes.  The sandwiches were delicious and the ones we chose were specials and came with a beer!  It was sunny, warm and relaxing sitting there watching all the people go by and listen to the music.  After lunch with explored the other section of Old Montreal and finally made our way back to another pick up point for the bus.  When we got back on it was early in the tour so we rode all the way back around Montreal on the open deck of the bus.  We again went to Mont Royal but this time we got out and walked to the observation point.  It was actually the location of a scene from “The Whole Nine Yards”.  Great overlook of the city and the river.  There was a piano sitting out on the patio area and a couple of people went to play.  It was beautiful.  We walked back down to the pick up place stopping first for an ice cream cone in the little house nearby.  Today was the perfect day to see Montreal.

The last day of our stay here we took off in the car and did some exploring around the area where we camped.  We found the local shopping area and even found a Wal-mart…one of the older places which only carry limited food.  We stocked up on some things and found what else we needed at the local grocery.  We planned to have a big dinner tonight cooking out at the campground.  Steaks, baked potatoes and garlic mushrooms…with some wine, of course.  I love these kinds of days as much as seeing all the tourist sights. 

Tomorrow we set off down the road to Quebec City about 170 miles northeast.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 5-9, 2013

Short trip to Ottawa this morning.  Only 122 miles from campground to campground.  This campground is actually on the outskirts of Ottawa in a town called Cumberland.  It is the Recreationland Campground and we found it with a recommendation from the man who sold us our first motorhome.  We had site #113 at the front of the campgrounds.  It actually backs up with the road passing right behind us.  Some noise but nothing unbearable.

Anyway, we got there and set up camp as always and planned our time in Ottawa.  Believe it or not, Ottawa has no local trains just buses.  We found the closest park and ride with a direct bus into the city center.  The buses have their own roads so it’s almost like a train except more bumpy!  We never had a problem getting in and out of the city.

We rode into the city every day and had tickets for the Hop on/Hop Off Sightseeing bus.  The first day we made the full trip to see the whole city.  Ottawa is the capital of Canada and has all the government buildings.  We saw the Parliament which is actually three separate buildings which sit up on a hill right over the Ottawa River.  The west and east buildings are the original construction from 1859 but the center building burned down in 1916 and was rebuilt in 1929.  We saw all the museums, Notre Dame Basilica Cathedral, several foreign embassy buildings, homes of ambassadors, city parks, Rideau Canal and the market area.  Once our full tour was done we were starving.  Right near the tour stop is a pub so we had lunch there.  I had a huge club sandwich and a beer!  Nice to sit and relax and eat!!

After lunch we took a boat tour of the Ottawa River.  We were able to see all the sights from the river and some extra things as well.  It is a big river and is just used now for pleasure boating.  The Rideau Canal connects with the Ottawa River and we saw the falls.  It was a beautiful day.  Sunny and cool but sometimes a little breezy.  We had to hold on to our hats on the upper deck of the bus and also the boat.  So happy to have great weather.

Second day we took the bus into the city and hopped back on the bus.  We hopped off the bus at the Canadian Museum of Civilization which is actually across the river in Quebec province.  We spent about three hours in there looking at all the exhibits about early Canada and its transformation through the years.  It is a beautiful museum and has a great view of Parliament right across the river.  We hopped back on the bus and rode it to the National Gallery of Canada which is right across the street from Notre Dame Basilica Cathedral.  The Cathedral is closed because of a wedding so we went to the National Gallery first.  No backpacks allowed so I had to check mine.  Feels nice not carrying that around.  This museum is also beautiful and very well laid out.  There are some important artists’ work here and Jim and I enjoyed the old art the best.  Unbelievable how beautifully people painted back 400 years ago or even more.  There was some contemporary art as well but not much that I was interested in.  One room had a pile of what looked like heavy woolen felt cut into strips.  One piece we had seen other like at other galleries…just white canvas with black splotches.  One of those similar pieces I remember was called 3+2+2 because it had seven splotches of black.  Anyway…not really my style.

Once we finished at the gallery we went outside and saw that the wedding was still going on….not really the same wedding but another one.  Seems Saturday has one wedding after the other and the cathedral is booked years in advance.  Well we decided to wait since it looked like it was almost done.  We met the chauffeur of the limousine out on the steps and had a chat until the bride and groom came out.  After everyone was out we were admitted into the sanctuary.  Absolutely beautiful.  No way to describe in words but I took some pics to try and capture the beauty.

After seeing the church we decided we had time to walk to the market area and catch the bus there.  We set off down the street sure of where we were going.  Problem was we couldn’t exactly remember where the pick up spot was so, after walking all the way to the market we turned around and walked all the way back to the pick up spot near the church.  We are definitely getting our exercise.  Once back at the starting spot we stopped in the pub and had a little nourishment in the form of a beer before we found our bus home.

Third day we did the same…took the bus into town and hopped back on the bus.  This morning is freezing!  I’m not exactly dressed for this cold windy weather but I’m hoping the brilliant sun will heat things up later.  We take the second stop off the bus at the Canadian War Museum.  This museum is so good looking….it is designed to look like a bunker.  Hard angles, gray concrete and low profile.  There is an angled roof jetting out with tiny windows on the side.  The windows are morse code which spells out “Lest we forget”.  Well designed.  Inside you feel like you’re in a bomb shelter…low ceilings (at least felt that way).  The cafeteria is called “Mess”…everything looks military.  This museum is very well laid out to follow in timely order.  It all begins with the beginning….first nation people, first explorers, first battles…then through WWI and WWII, Korea, the Cold War and through until today.  Highlights on important Canadians who served their country.  I would definitely recommend seeing this if ever in Ottawa.

We left the museum and walked down the path beside the river to the Mill Street Brew Pub…an old sawmill now a brewery and restaurant.  We had some great beer and shared a smoked chicken flatbread.  I even saw a man nearby who looked just like Tim Conway from the old Carol Burnett show. 

Time to call it a day so we walked down the biking/walking path along the river back to the Rideau Locks and up the steps to the Parliament.  We thought we’d try and take a tour of the building but they had already given away all the free tickets…no more tours today. 

We walked back to the bus and headed home saying goodbye to Ottawa.  We had a wonderful time in this interesting and beautiful city.  Now on to Montreal tomorrow.