Heading to Canada

We are in Vineland area and driving around apparently lots of fruit and wine areas.  Haven'y made it to Niagara area yet but plan to visit Monday after weekend traffic..tim

    Momma, it is not that there are non resident fees, it is that like most States, the senior discounts are for state (province) residents only.  Plus, those discounts do not equal the 50% that most states offer.

Tim,
I feel like you will enjoy Quebec City. In the unlikely event  you get in trouble, I would be glad to help over the phone; let me know, by email, and I will give you my cell number. When and how long do you plan to be there ?

Marsha,
Several of our acquaintances and friends are Phaeton owners, one has a Bus one has a Zephyr.
Thery are indeed very nice people.
If it hadn't been a question of floor plan, we would probably have a Bus ouselves.
I also feel like you will be fine in QC.
Have you decided where you will stay yet ?
As I said on another thread, if you have troubles, I will be glad to give you my cell phone number and try to help from here.
Good luck.

Giles,

We are in Niagara area and plan to pickup and move east in Wednesday 6/17 and I'm guessing 3-4 days to Quebec.  Haven't made any arrangements for campsites yet but are thinking about Camp Aeroport.  Marsha is talking to them about possibility of staying there with dog which they say is not allowed but now have emailed back that would be OK..thanks for offer.  Unlike Tom <g> I hope to stay out trouble..tim

Tim,
I did not necessarily mean trouble with the locals, mainly should you need an urgent translator. Enjoy your stay.

Tim,

I don't know what you like for food, but I have a few suggestions in Vieux(old) Qu?bec.

Italian Food: Au Parmesan
It's a nice small italian restaurants, owned by Italians, with the accordion player, and the works.  We were there in November and the staff was perfect.

Steak: L'Entrec?te St-Jean
They only serve one cut of steak with crispy french fries, the only thing you can choose is your beverage, the size of the steak and how well it's cooked.  It was great

For a heavy breakfast:  Le Cochon Dingue
It's not your typical bacon and eggs, although you can get that.  They have waffles, pancakes, the whole works, made fresh.  From the Chateau Frontenac, you just go down the funicular and you are in "Petit Champlain". Lots of nice little boutiques and the Cochon Dingue.

Also for attractions in le Vieux Qu?bec, there is Le mus?e de la civilasation which is quite interesting.  They always have at least half a dozen exhibitions.  It is very interesting.  I am not a museum goer, but I did love that one.

There is a lot more to see in Vieux Qu?bec, but that's all I got to see in one weekend.

Marc...

Giles,

Thanks so much for your offer to help.  I have a feeling we won't need it.  I'll send you a PM anyway and get your phone # just in case.  I've made a reservation for a campground in Qubec and actually telephoned the campground.  They were very nice and we were able to understand each other.  Now I'm getting excited to go. 

To All,

Today we drove to Niagara on the Lake.  This little town is about 10-15 kilometers NW from Niagara Falls.  This is a beautiful place.  Tim and I had been there before in 2006.  The homes are beautiful, as well as their manicured extensive lawns, and LOTS and LOTS of flowers; along with vineyards everywhere.  Strawberries are now ripening, so we saw many fruit stands.  We walked through the little town itself doing some window shopping; there were many cute quaint shops, but not many tourists yet.  At one of the hotels they were serving lunch out on the patio and I asked if we could have lunch and that we had our dog with us. There wasn't a problem with the dog, so, in we marched with Charlie right along with us.  The food was fabulous and they brought Charlie a bowl of water.

Going from N on the L, there is a meandering road that follows along the lake going down to Niagara Falls.  It's a beautiful drive, with glimpses of the lake off to the side.  The last time we were at the Falls, I was a bit disappointed because it was overloaded with tourist and parking was a nightmare.  This time we scooted right in and were able to walk along getting a good look at the Falls.  Once again, there weren't nearly as many tourists.  One thing that may make the difference is that we were there on a weekday and school is not yet out here in Ontario.  So that may make the difference.

Whatever was bothering the kitty we were worried about seems to have passed.  Tomorrow I'll do grocery shopping, laundry and pick up some of those luscious looking strawberreis.  Wednesday morning we pull out heading to Montreal and will be in Quebec City on Friday, where we plan to take tours and generally be tourist .

Marsha~

I've made a reservation for a campground in Qubec

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Which campground is that Marsha?

BTW be sure not to bypass Ottawa when you leave Niagara. A very nice city with some interesting architecture and sights.

Hi Tom,

We are staying at Camping Transit....website.  We were going to stay at the one Betty and Terry were at: Camping Aeroport, but they don't take dogs.  So we switched.  Plus Camping Transit was a bit less and takes Passport America.  Wanna join us....

Where did  you guys stay when you were in Qubec?

Tim and I are planning to stay in Ottawa on the return trip back west. 

Marsha~

Tom said:

Which campground is that Marsha?

BTW be sure not to bypass Ottawa when you leave Niagara. A very nice city with some interesting architecture and sights.

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I agree with Tom.  If you have time and are interested, go for a toured visit of the Parliament (parle is french for talk and ment is french for lie).  They have daily tours.

In all the large cities I visited East of Toronto (including), I'd have to say Ottawa was the friendliest place I ever visited.  

Marc...

Marc,

Thanks for the recommendations, I've copied them down.  Yesterday, I saw (didn't eat yet) a dish of pontain.  I must admit, it looked a bit rich, but I'm gonna try one when we get into Quebec.  The one I saw was at "Harvey's hamburger place.  I thought I'd wait for an authentic one from Quebec. 

Marsha~

Hi Martha,

If you are going to the Maritimes from Ontario/Qu?bec and going back the same way.  I suggest when you drive across NB that one way you drive along the Trans-Canada highway (route 2).  But on the way back, from Moncton, take route 15 to Sh?diac (Ed's summer spot), route to Campbelton, go across in Qu?bec.  Route 132 from Campbelton to Mont-Joli and drive back along the St-Lawrence to Qu?bec city and on your way home.  On any of these roads, if you have time, take the scenic route instead of the highway.

That way, you get to see 80% of New Brunswick on the same trip, and about the same distance.

Marc...

PS.  When you are in Qu?bec, it's pronounced kay-beck if you did not know.  They will know you're a tourist if you say queue-beck

Marsha/CA said:

Marc,

Thanks for the recommendations, I've copied them down.  Yesterday, I saw (didn't eat yet) a dish of pontain.  I must admit, it looked a bit rich, but I'm gonna try one when we get into Quebec.  The one I saw was at "Harvey's hamburger place.  I thought I'd wait for an authentic one from Quebec.   

Marsha~

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Martha, if you are going to try a poutine, wait in Qu?bec city and go to Asthon.  It's fat and greasy fast food, but they are the tastiest I've tried.  There's one on the Grande All?e just outside Vieux Qu?bec probably 1000 feet from "Les portes St-Louis" (St-Louis' doors), one of the two major entrances to Vieux Qu?bec.

Marc...

Where did  you guys stay when you were in Qubec?

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I believe it was the Quebec KOA. A relatively easy drive to Old Quebec City and some of the other attractions that have been mentioned.

Marc,

We'll be sure and look at your routing suggestion.  Right now I can't remember which way we are going.  All I know is that we are not doubling back on the same highway at any point.

Thanks for the hint on how to pronounce Quebec.  I would have certainly called it Queue-beck or more likely Quaa beck.  

Say, if you ever travel in the deep south of the US, I can help you with proper pronunciations like: Louisville, KY.  It's pronounced Lou a vull, instead of Loo ee ville   ;D

Seriously, I sure appreciate your help.  

Marsha~

When you are in Qu?bec, it's pronounced kay-beck

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Marc, I thought it was pronounced ke-beck, or at least that's how it sounded to my ear.

Tom said:

Marc, I thought it was pronounced ke-beck, or at least that's how it sounded to my ear.

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Well Tom, I'm not too good with phonetics.  I read yours the same way I read mine (or close).  The point was more that it's not queue-bec.  But in French the ? is pronounced similar to "ay" when it's at the end of a word like kay.  But the anglo-canadians do say ke-bec, which is a lot better then queue-beck.  Regardless, don't sweat it, it's a foreign city with a foreign language, so you're bound to make mistakes.  Same as if I was going to Mexico or Italy.

Marc...

Marsha,
I'm absolutely loving your updates, and feeling jealous that i'm not going too.  Of course, we lived in that area  for 5 years (Kitchener) so are very familiar with the Niagara Region.  I think it is one of the best agricultural areas in Canada, and Toronto is, in my opinion, one of the worst traffic areas!   I love Ottawa, it is so beautiful.  The thing about Ottawa and Quebec is the architecture changes so much you really feel you are in a different country.  I have only been to 2 Canadian provinces so far and it is my dream to spend a year just exploring, especially the maritimes.  I have an absolute fascination with Acadian and Newfoundland history and culture.

By the way, good decision on not buying poutine at Harveys.  The problem is the cheese curds aren't authentic or aren't fresh in most places in Ontario.  Cheese curds were an amazing discovery for my American palate, not to mention finally understanding the nursery rhyme.  You can stop at a fromagerie (cheese making factory) and buy a bag and snack on it.  Just be careful as, if you are not used to much dairy, it can be quite rich (my poor son found out the hard way).

56kz2slow said:

Regardless, don't sweat it, it's a foreign city with a foreign language, so you're bound to make mistakes. 
Marc...

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It is? I thought it was Canada, my grandmother's home and the country both sides of my family came from in the 1800's.