East Coast/Canada - Day 15-16 (Wednesday-Thursday, August 31-September 1, 2016: Montréal to New York City)

Day 15: Wednesday, August 31, 2016
 
Stopped by Fairmount Bagel to grab breakfast before making the long drive back to New York City. Stayed and had a home-cooked meal for dinner at a family friend's house in New York City.

Montreal to New York City: Approximately 370 miles, 6 hours 20 minutes.

Fairmount Bagel. Open 24 hours. Montreal, Canada.

Inside Fairmount Bagel. Hand-rolled bagels baked in a wood-fired oven. Montreal, Canada.

Day 16: Thursday, September 1, 2016

Returned the rental car and flew out of JFK Airport at 9:59 a.m. with American Airlines and arrived back in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 8:03 p.m.

East Coast/Canada - Day 14 (Tuesday, August 30, 2016: Montréal)

Spent the day exploring Montréal: Habitat 67, Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, Belvédère Camillien-Houde (View point), Marché Jean-Talon (Farmer's Market), lunch at Schwartz's Deli, ice cream at Ripples, Underground City, Christ Church Cathedral, dinner at Lawrence, 2nd night at Hôtel WelcomInns.

 Habitat 67. Habitat 67 is a model community and housing complex that was designed to integrate the benefits of a suburban home (gardens, privacy, and fresh air) with the economics and density of a modern urban apartment building. Montréal, Canada.

 View of the city from Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. Montréal, Canada.

 Inside Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine. Saint André Bessette began the construction of St. Joseph and he was believed to have performed miraculous oil healings. Montréal, Canada.

Marché Jean-Talon. One of the oldest public markets in Montréal, opened in May 1933, and is located in Little Italy. Montréal, Canada.

 Fresh fruits. Marché Jean-Talon, Montréal, Canada.

Cheese. Marché Jean-Talon, Montréal, Canada.

Chili and peppers. Marché Jean-Talon, Montréal, Canada.

Schwartz's Deli. Established in 1928, known for their smoked meat. Montréal, Canada.

Smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz's Deli. Montréal, Canada. 

Christ Church Cathedral is an Anglican Gothic Revival cathedral and the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Montréal. Montréal, Canada. 

Inside the Christ Church Cathedral. Montréal, Canada. 

 Dinner at Lawrence. Top left: Grilled zucchini, eggplant, pine nuts and nordic shrimp. Top right: Grilled artic char, new potatoes, mussels and dill. Bottom left: Lamb, cauliflower, and salt lemon. Bottom right: dessert.

East Coast/Canada - Day 13 (Monday, August 29, 2016: Saguenay to Montreal)

Today was mostly a driving day. We stopped for lunch at Bistro La Ferme, had dinner in Montreal at Stash Café, then walked around Old Montreal, and stayed the night at Hôtel WelcomInns.

Saguenay to Montreal: Approximately 286 miles, about 4 hours 45 minutes.

Our lunch view at Bistro La Ferme, located along the St. Lawrence river, has a seasonal menu made with local produce. A farm-to-table establishment that is only open from May to October. The beef comes from their own farm, the Highland Farm, raised naturally, free of antibiotics and hormones. Bistro La Ferme, Deschambault, Canada.

Lunch at Bistro La Ferme. Deschambault, Canada.

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal. A Roman Catholic church dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in 1829, built with Gothic architecture. Montreal, Canada.

Dinner at Stash Cafe. A cafe serving traditional Polish dishes. Not shown: Polish tripe soup. Top left: Dumplings. Top right: Cabbage stew with roasted meats, sausage, and mushrooms. Bottom left: Two polish sausages served with sauerkraut and potatoa salad. Bottom right: Roasted duck with apples, prunes, and white wine. Montreal, Canada.

 Streets of Old Montreal. Scattered along the streets and buildings of Old Montreal are light projections inspired by the history of the city. Montreal, Canada.

Light projections in the streets of Old Montreal. Montreal, Canada.

East Coast/Canada - Day 12 (Sunday, August 28, 2016: Baie Sainte Catherine to Saguenay)

Spent the day at Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay before heading to Saguenay.

Sunrise at Baie Sainte-Catherine, Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay (Viewpoint at Anse de Tabatière, hike to Halte Bellevue), lunch at La Fromagerie Boivin, dinner at La Voie Maltée, stayed the night at Le Montagnais Hotel.

Baie Sainte Catherine to Saguenay: Approximately 111 miles, about 2 hours 10 minutes.

 Sunrise at Baie Sainte-Catherine. The most amazing sunrise colors and there was nobody around. It was surprisingly loud with all the bird and animal sounds, but once the sun rose, all the noise ceased. Baie Sainte-Catherine, Canada.

 

Viewpoint at Anse de Tabatière. Part of Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay. Canada.

 

 

Lunch at La Fromagerie Boivin located right outside the main entrance of Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay at the junction of Rue Principale and Rue Notre Dame. Rivière-Éternité, Canada.

After lunch we entered Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay from the Baie-Éternité Sector and parked at the Discovery and Visitors Centre. This was the trail head for the Sentier de la Statue trail, a 7.6 km round trip trail to a huge statue of the Virgin Mary. We ended up going only half way to Halte Bellavue, which is 3.6 km round trip, due to time constraints. Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay, Canada.

Trail views from the Sentier de la Statue trail. Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay, Canada.

 Trail views from the Sentier de la Statue trail. At the halfway point of Halte Bellavue. Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay, Canada.

East Coast/Canada - Day 11 (Saturday, August 27, 2016: Québec to Baie Sainte Catherine)

Québec to Baie Sainte Catherine: Approximately 130 miles, 2 hours 30 minutes

We made a number of stops along the way: Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, hike at Chute Jean-Larose, lunch at Chez Bouquet Éco Bistro, walked around the art galleries and boutiques of Baie-Saint-Paul, coffee at Café Charlevoix, Emu farm at Centre de l'émeu de Charlevoix, dinner at Café Bohème, stayed the night at À Fleur de Baie.

 Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. This basilica is set along the St. Lawrence river and is dedicated to Saint Anne, the patron saint of Quebec. This basilica is believed to be a site of multiple miracles that has cured the sick and disabled and is an important Catholic pilgrimage site. Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canada.

 Inside the Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canada.

 Chute Jean-Larose. The Jean-Larose waterfalls are located at the base of Mont-Sainte-Anne and consists of 3 cascading waterfalls. At the base of the waterfall is a small pool that you can take a dip in. There are about 400 wooden stairs to make it to the bottom of the waterfall and there are several viewing platforms along the way. Beaupré, Canada.

Between the 2nd and 3rd cascading waterfall of Chute Jean-Larose. Beaupré, Canada.

Lunch at Chez Bouquet Éco Bistro. Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada.

 

 After lunch, we walked around the art galleries, boutiques, small eateries of Baie-Saint-Paul and grabbed coffee at Café Charlevoix. Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada.

 Emu farm at Centre de l'émeu de Charlevoix. For a few dollars, you can take a self-walking tour of the Emu farm. The emu are used to produce emu oil. Saint-Urbain, Canada.

 After reaching Baie-Sainte-Catherine where we were staying the night, we took the Tadoussac-Baie-Sainte-Catherine ferry, which runs year-round, 24 hours a day, to cross the Saguenay river to have dinner in Tadoussac. From the ferry you have a view of the Saguenay fjord. The sun was setting as we were crossing. The crossing time is about 10 minutes and the ferry is free of charge. Canada.

We had dinner at Café Bohème. Top left: Nordic shrimps from the Côte-Nord. Top right: Duck. Bottom left: Decadent mac-and-cheese. Bottom right: Lamb shank. Tadoussac, Canada.

East Coast/Canada - Day 10 (Friday, August 26, 2016: Québec)

Québec: Breakfast at the hotel, Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, Parc de la Chute-Montmorency, lunch at Chez Temporel, Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine, La Citadelle de Québec, Dinner at Le Lapin Sauté, La Fresque des Québécois, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, 2nd night at Hôtel L'Oiselière St-Nicolas.

 Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière is a public park with Chaudière falls, 35 meters high, that powers a hydroelectric plant, and a suspension bridge, 23 meters above the Chaudière river. Levis, Quebec, Canada.

The suspension bridge in Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière is about 113 meters long. Levis, Quebec, Canada.

Parc de la Chute-Montmorency is a public park with Montmorency falls, 83 meters high, with a suspension bridge and staircase that allows you to see different viewpoints of the falls. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

 Parc de la Chute-Montmorenc. View of the falls from the top of the staircase. The suspension bridge can be seen right above the waterfall. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

 Lunch at Chez Temporel. A small cafe along one of the small side streets. We ordered the croissant, quiche, baguette sandwich, and chocolate cake. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

Inside the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. It is the first Anglican cathedral built outside the British Isles and is the mother church of the Diocese of Quebec, containing two parishes: The Parish of Quebec and the Parish of All Saints. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine. A small park with a beautiful view of the water and Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada. 

La Citadelle de Québec. The citadel was built between 1820 and 1850 and is the largest British fortress built in North America.
It is located atop Cape Diamond (Cap Diamant), the highest natural point in the area. It is an active military installation and official residence of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. There is a changing of the guards ceremony that runs from June 24 to the first Monday of September. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

  

Dinner at Le Lapin Sauté. Left: French onion soup. Right: Duck and rabbit platter to share. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

 

La Fresque des Québécois. This mural was completed in 1999 and pays homage to the history of Quebec city. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

 Street performances outside of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Ville de Québec, Quebec, Canada.

East Coast/Canada - Day 9 (Thursday, August 25, 2016: Bar Harbor to Québec)

Bar Harbor: Breakfast at 2 Cats Inn and Cafe, found a nail in our tire and went to VIP Tires and Service to get our tire fixed.

Made the drive from Maine into Canada today.
Bar Harbor to Québec: Approximately 277 miles, 5 hours 45 minutes

Jackson, Maine: Lunch at Bishop's General Store.

Québec: Dinner at Aux Anciens Canadiens, walked around Old Québec (Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Quartier Petit Champlain,
 Funiculaire du Vieux Québec, Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral), stayed the night at Hôtel L'Oiselière St-Nicolas.

Québec:

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. A luxury history hotel that dates back to 1893. Québec, Canada.

Quartier Petit Champlain. A shopping quarter with boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. Québec, Canada.

Funiculaire du Vieux Québec. A funicular railway that opened in 1879.  It travels at an angle of 45 degrees. Québec, Canada.

Notre-Dame-des-Victoires. A stone Catholic church dedicated to St. Genevieve, dating back to 1688. Québec, Canada.

Dinner at Aux Anciens Canadiens. Top left: Mixed salad with chives and cream. Top right: Warm duck confit salad. Bottom left: Garlic escargots, au gratin. Bottom right: Trapper's treat - Lac St-Jean meat pie and canadian bison stew.  

Left: Maple caramel bread pudding. Right: sorbet. Aux Anciens Canadiens, Québec, Canada.

 Walking the streets of Old Québec. Québec, Canada.

Inside the Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral. "Our Lady of Quebec City". Located on this site since 1647. A Roman Catholic Church. Québec, Canada.