Bonjour from Quebec City, Quebec
Camping Transit- Levis, Quebec
June 25-30

I wish I knew more about Canadian History- because this city is just full of fascinating history. Other than the history it has to be the most charming city I have ever been in. There are outdoor cafes lined up so close to each other you can't tell one cafe from the other, plazas with fountains or statues. We did several walking tours of the city- that is really the only way to go -seeing Quebec from a bus it just too confining. The city is very easy to get around other than it is built on hillside and the streets can be very steep. The city of Quebec was founded in 1608 and in 1985 Old Quebec City was named a world heritage site by UNSECO. (UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Today there is a population of 638,000 and 95% of the population is French Speaking and very proud of it. Below is a picture of Chateau Frontenac it is owned by the Fairmont Hotel Corp. Construction started on the hotel in 1893 and was completed in 1924. It is as amazing inside as it is outside. The other picture is of the downtown street of the Old Port of Quebec City. Since this is the year that Quebec is celebrating 400 year anniversary there are a lot of parades outdoor entertainment thru out the summer.



Below is Montmorency Falls Park these falls are 30 meters (98 ft) higher than Niagara Falls. We spent a lot of time walking the trails and climbing the stairs for the best views of the falls.



Next stop was the Sainte Anne De Beaupre Basillica they are celebrating their 350th anniversary.
The church hosts a million visitors each year and is also known for being the healing church there have been miraculous healings for years. Unlike the other churches we have seen this was all stone. Very beautiful!!



The citadel was constructed in 1820 to protect Quebec from the United States (we never attacked) Now the citadel is an active military base where the governor general lives. There is a changing of the guard ceremony daily and it is very impressive as is the grounds of the citadel.

Quebec City Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Quebec

Day 2 in Montreal

Since day 1 went pretty well with the subway- feeling much braver now- we decided to drive into Montreal. We are headed to the the farmers market- we get the GPS ready and Peabody (our GPS) can't find the market or the street- we improvise and put in an address near the market at least we will be in the general area off we go..... We found it and what a find it was I could not believe all the flowers, fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, breads,and of course French Pastries OooLaLa!!


I bought the raspberrys and strawberrys for breakfast. I also decide to be brave and bought some goat milk yogurt to go over my berries. Well the berries are fantastic, but the yogurt YUCK!



Mount Royal Park is the highest peak in Montreal at about 850 feet what a fabulous view we had at the top. Can you see the cross at the very top. This crossed was placed here in 1924 and it stands 98 feet tall.


View of Montreal from the observation area

I have added more pictures of the farmers market and Mount Royal to the Montreal album click the link below

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Montreal

Montreal, Quebec
Camping Alouette June 19-25

Our First day in Montreal!! I have to admit this is the first time we have been somewhere where English is the second language. We decided to go into town and do a couple of walking tours. First we had to find the subway station with a wrong turn here and there -we did find it. As we entered the station I was at a loss couldn't read anything everything was in French !! Luckily we knew how to navigate the subway system by color/pictures so off we went on the subway with no problems. We thought New York trains were fast- these were much faster. We stopped at the tourist center when we crossed into Quebec we were given a great tour book it was in English we followed it did two walking tours of the downtown and below are some of the sights we saw.


This is city hall the building was built between 1872-1878.












One of the side streets in the old town area called Place Jacques Cartier. Here you will find lots of sidewalk cafes, artists, strolling musicians and of course lots of shopping. Streets are lined with Victorian street lights really nice place to watch tourists mill around.
This area was built in 1809 as the main market place.

















Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal what a fantastic and beautiful church. The church is of the Gothic Revival architecture built between 1824-1829 I had to cross the street in order to get a full shot of the church it is massive.







This is the magnificent alter all the wood inside is walnut with gold leaf swirls. I am not even sure the camera can capture its beauty. The church holds over 3000 people and the mass is all done in French. One interesting note- the architect was from New York and wanted to be buried beneath the church- But, he was Protestant and had to convert to Catholic in order to buried beneath his masterpiece.















For more pictures of our walking tour of Old Montreal click the link below

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Montreal

Kingston, Ontario
Rideau Acres Campground June 16-19

We left Toronto and headed east on the 401 to Kingston. We will spend a couple of days touring the area. We took a 3.5-hour boat cruise of the Thousand Islands. Over 1000 islands all privately owned some have very small houses to very large, there are some islands that are large enough to have small villages. Electric, water and phone are all done underground- in this instance it would be under the river . And - Yes, this is where 1000 Island dressing got is name.

Below is a picture of the Boldt Castle on Heart Island- George Boldt the owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York wanted to build a “summer home” for his wife. Construction started in 1900 it was to be a 120 room, 6 story a replica of the Rhine Castle- unfortunately she died in 1904 before the castle was finished. The building stopped and the castle was abandoned no one has ever lived in the castle. In 1977 the Thousand Island Bridge District took over the restoration and opened it up to the public.

Fort Henry- What a great fort very entertaining and educational. This fort was built to protect Kingston against the Americans- but we never came and the fort was never under attack. One interesting note- if you wanted to be an officer in the British Military you could buy your rank the more money you had the higher up you could go. Thankfully this was changed and you moved up the ranks because of ability not money. Enlisted soldiers were paid daily at 12 cents a day and 6 cents a day had to be paid back to the military for their food and clothing- didn’t leave much left over and if they wanted to go into town they had to pay 1 cent each way to cross the bridge. Didn’t leave much left- this was intentional so the soldiers wouldn’t go into town and get drunk .

We attended the sunset ceremonies it was a spectacular show. It was a 90-minute event that depicted life for the soldiers in 1860 with drill and artillery maneuvers, military music and ended with the song God Save the Queen and fireworks show.

For more pictures of our time in Kingston click the link below

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Kingston

Next stop Montreal, Quebec- where French is the main language- gosh hope I don’t get my Sivou Plea mixed up with my Por Favors……

Toronto, Ontario

Glen Rouge Campground June 12-15

Toronto is the capital of Ontario with a population of over 2 million. We did a double decker bus tour of the city for two days and saw some wonderful and amazing places. Toronto really reminds me of a smaller version of New York City.

Notice the narrow looking building that is the Flat Iron Building- According to the Canadians it came first and NYC copied it and made it much taller!

Before we started this trip I purchased a coupon book and it has proved to be a real money saver for us. We have been able to eat in some fantastic restaurants for half price. Most of the restaurants are all outside dining what they call “Patio seating”. We had some great weather days so sitting outside was wonderful.

The St Lawrence Market is by far one the best farmers markets I have seen. There are cheese shops with literally hundreds of different cheeses from all over the world. Fish and shellfish are flown in from all over the world. The breads and baguettes all made fresh and usually sell out within hours of the opening of the market. The produce looked so good most of it local some imported in from the US. Most of the locals shop daily and I can understand why.

The Distillery District is a unique area it is 10 city blocks wide and over 40 buildings with all sorts of artists all of them are one of kind. No franchises are allowed to rent a space in the district keeping it very unique and very local!! (more pictures in the web album link below)





What really amazed us is the underground city Path it is 27 Kilometers. There are over 1200 stores, 50 office-building towers, 20 parking garages all underground and the subway is built within the underground city. Path hold the Guinness book of world records as being the largest shopping complex underground.

We have really enjoyed our time here in Toronto the locals are friendly and the city was really easy to navigate once you figure out how its all laid out public transportation is very good. I have discovered that even tho the ocean, mountains, and all our national parks are wonderful- put me in the middle of a city and I am one slap happy woman!!! For me there is just nothing like the sound and the excitement of the City!! Next Stop Kingston, Ontario

More Pictures click on this link http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Ontario

Travel Day 1 Entering Canada
London, Ontario, River View Campground June 6-13

We crossed into Canada over the Blue Water Bridge from Port Huron, Michigan. It was uneventful and a pleasant crossing into Canada no problems. We noticed that there was only one other motorhome. No other RV’s actually RV travel has been scarce the truck stops are empty. We took the 402 to 401 into London we will be staying at an ROD park until June 13.

Just as we are getting all settled in to watch the evening news we discover that we are here for the first heat wave with record breaking temps, so if that is not enough we find out that fuel prices in Canada are at an all time high in fact the price of fuel will jump 6 cents per liter at midnight tonight- We wonder should we head to the Flying J!!

Canada really prides themselves on their farmers markets- I was not expecting much when we walked into the first farmers market- wow was I surprised the produce looked wonderful and the price was right we stocked up on some corn, multi color-peppers and tomatoes. They were wonderful. We have found some wineries, craft breweries and LaBatt brewery all close to us. We will be checking them out this week.

Our camping spot at River View Campground


Hey these prices don't look too bad- wait that price is for liters it takes 3.75 liters to equal 1 gallon- oh my you do the math I am scared!!!

Hello from Charlotte, MI

We have had a great time at the Spartan Homecoming Rally!! This is one of John's favorite rallys . He is busy going to all the maintenance seminars by Cummins, Allison Transmissions, Onan, Meritor Brakes, buying a years supply of filters, and whatever else he can find that we just have to have!!! I usually spend my time shopping, and for the most part I did- but this time they had a great seminar for "Women Only" it was a lot of fun and very good technical information. The only man allowed in was the fellow who poured us our apple cider in wine glasses and waited on us with cheese & crackers, picked up after us and of course a lot of teasing went on. Spartan does a great job of hosting the Rally you are provided six meals so there is no need to cook- more time to shop and we also had plenty of to meet some great folks!!


Our last night dinner theme was a Luau complete with roasted pork and a Tiki Bar where one could get tropical drinks. YUMMO


this was one of three parking areas.

Canada Here we Come.......
Now its time to start our trip into Canada. Our plans for the summer are;
Ontario, Montreal, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island.
I don't know how much internet I am going to have and will update as often as I can as I will be dependent on wifi.