Je ne parle pas francois, parle vous anglais?

As promised, after our last blog we headed off on a long, cross-continental drive to the Great Lakes, and then on to Quebec. We stopped at a few of the famous destinations along the way, including Little Bighorn battlefield, and the corniest of them all, (but not the cheesiest), South Dakota’s Corn Palace.

Indian Memorial at the Little Bighorn Battlefield (aka Custer's Last Stand)

The exterior (and interior) is entirely decorated with corn ears

We had been told not to go to Mt Rushmore, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, by an expat-American before we left, and we are glad that we ignored the warning. If you only had 10 minutes to find out what this country is all about, we think that this place would give you the best starting point. It’s got it all – flags, photos ops, the landscape carved by man, and a million tourists (but only for 10 minutes each).

5th President?

The first city that we came to, and the largest since we left LA, was Chicago. This city advertises itself as the “second city”, and we’re now even more excited about the prospects of New York, as this second city had us buzzing. The first thing you notice is the skyline - Chicago’s skyscrapers live up to their reputation. And it is also cool how “outdoorsy” Chicago is for a major city – there are awesome bike paths all over the city, including miles and miles along her lakeside “beaches”.

Enjoying a Martini in the John Hancock Building

Chicago Skyscrapers

Chicago's Lakeside Beaches

Playful beaver at Chicago Zoo

After Chicago, we meandered through Michigan on our way north and discovered the best thing – cherry wine! If you eat dark chocolate at the same time, I swear it tastes just like a liquid Cherry Ripe, only alcoholic!

Over the border, we spent a few days with Nathan’s Uncle Kevin and Aunt Diane who live in Niagara, on the Canadian side. It is always lovely to spend time with family, especially those that live so far away!

At Kevin & Diane's place
Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls

Leaving the comforts of familiar faces behind, we ventured into french speaking Canada (and rediscovered how bad our rudimentary french really is). Fortunately the first cities – Ottawa and Montreal – let you off lightly as most things are bilingual. Not so easy in Quebec City however, but the extra challenge just made it all the more rewarding. We liked it so much, we ended up going there twice! The first time, we fluked the timing of our visit to be the peak celebrations of the 400th birthday of Quebec City. A significant proportion (it seemed like almost everyone) of people in the streets were garbed in period costume – it made for a really delightful day of wandering around the old town amongst the cobbled streets!

Montreal

Period clothing in Quebec City

The rest of Quebec province was just delightful. Let me say that again for emphasis – provincial Quebec is just delightful. This is a place that we are promising ourselves we’ll come back to, as whilst we had a few weeks to explore, we were still left wanting for more. Some of the regions (such Baie St Paul) were akin to Berry or Eden – picture a little town with only one main (flower-lined) street with lots of little restaurants, a microbrewery, fromageries, lots of little art galleries, a few chocolateries offering chocolate-covered blueberries, perhaps a bakery or two with fresh croissants – what a lovely way to spend a day or two or more! And some regions (such as Gaspesie) were little fishing villages reminiscent of what I would imagine the south or central coast to have been like, say a few decades ago. Picture humble little fishing towns, with only a few hundred population, selling freshly caught seafood cooked with French-ancestry flair. Or hiking up coastal mountains to check out the Catholic church at the top - stopping here or there to eat a few wild berries along the way (and keeping an eye out for black bears, moose and whales all the while). We didn’t see any moose in the end, but there were plenty of seals and whales, and we almost rode our bikes into an unsuspecting black bear.

Another town - another view out the bedroom window! (Sorry mum, I know I shouldn't be drinking in bed, but we don't have a lot of space in here!)

Little Beachside Town on the St Lawrence River

Dinner Time! This time with the sunset outside our kitchen window...

Trout fishing in Quebec?

For Megan who asked us to start taking photos of our dinners... (Lobster with garlic butter on one plate, grilled chicken with maple syrup glaze on the other.)

Wharf of one of the little fishing villages in Gaspesie by night

And then we ate it :)

It is also lovely reading the tourist brochures that are translated from french into english, and so are written with french flair. Here’s a sample paragraph describing a Lighthouse Trail – “The Gaspesie has fourteen proud witnesses to history, five of which have been given a second life thanks to the judicious interventions of enthusiasts. Thus, these true sentinels of the sea or their outbuildings have been transformed into museums”. Or here’s another: “Proud of their heritage, the residents are, each day, filled with wonder as they appreciate the wildflowers, the herds gazing in the fields, and the horizon that melts into the St. Lawrence River”. Now, isn’t that just charming?

Also, here’s a map of the latest leg of our trip. Next stops – start heading south all the way from New England to Mexico. First up is New England (Maine lobsters), New York and the Washington DC region before heading inland to the Mississippi which we’ll be following all the way to New Orleans.