Wednesday, September 12, 2012

On to Quebec City

Back in New Brunswick we met a woman who highly recommended a German bakery in the quaint town of Kamouraska. Although at the time we had no idea what she was talking about, the bakery became highly anticipated as we made our way up the St. Lawrence. German's know how to bake and the thought of pretzel bread danced in our heads. A rough day on the road, surprise, surprise because of the nasty wind that has been a constant in our faces. We happily arrived in Kamouraska and the first local we accosted to ask directions from knew just what we were looking for. Pulling up, there were no cars, no people and a Ferme (closed) sign posted hanging from the wood gate of the 100+ year home. Darn. Out of luck again. We sadly rode our bikes to the wharf and cooked a bean and rice meal as the mosquitoes swarmed our heads.

The mosquitoes! Out of nowhere, mosquitoes started attacking us every chance they had, keeping us on our bikes and moving to Quebec City. The little critters were in full force! Ryan soon realized that they came out roughly where the fresh water began in the St. Lawrence. Mosquitoes mean quick set-ups and take downs for the tent, and lucky for us, that is now a reality. Once we stop, we first throw on all of our clothes so that the mosquitoes can't get us, put a head net on and I go find a rock to pound the stakes in while Ryan scouts for the best available flat spot to spend the next 12 hours.
Staying 30 kilometers or so northeast of Levis to catch the ferry to Quebec, we ran out of daylight without a camp spot in sight. We turned our tail lights on and rode the fairly quiet highway in hopes of any hidden place to call home for the night. Tempted to pitch the tent behind the fire station, we flagged down a guy riding by on his bicycle. He said we probably should not stay behind the station but we could follow him and tent in his backyard. Well, you know how this goes... We rode downhill to the river and he had water front property with a well maintained garden and yard for our tent. Yippee! More kindness from a stranger at just the opportune time. John went inside and quickly came back out to offer his shower, living room to lounge in and kitchen to cook. We hung out with him and his girlfriend and when bed time arrived, we were offered a bed. Thank you kind strangers! We spent the evening talking of travel and watching the news coverage of the attempted shooting of the newly elected Minister of Quebec. This was all in French, which meant John translated, taking full advantage of google translate. What a nightmare for Quebec.

The next morning we were up early and on the road looking for a breakfast spot. Absolutely nothing. This I cannot understand. 30k outside of a major city and not a restaurant in sight. We rode to Levis on empty stomachs (we skipped dinner the night before as well) and were absolutely starved by the time we arrived. We plowed through a few sandwiches before taking yet another boat to the old town of Quebec. What a way to enter a city. The ferry dropped us off amongst cafes and on a cobble stone street, just outside the walls. Quebec City definitely sits at the top of our favorites. It is very European, just much cleaner.

The road that leads up to the main town is extremely steep. We climbed with passing cars and plenty of cyclists preparing for the next days race. These cyclists are professionals, some race in the Tour de France, so needless to say, they flew by our loaded bikes with no problem. Quebec City is filled with cafes, restaurants, boulangerie's, shops and is beautifully decorated with flowers. We absolutely loved walking the streets and felt instantly at home.

Sending out a few warmshower emails the day before, we surprisingly got 5/6 returned offers. How kind! After a few phone calls, we caught up with Martin (whose name sounds much better when spoken by someone French. Actually, everything sounds better in French. The language flows so nicely in my opinion) who offered us a room in his home and the ability to come and go as we pleased. He has older children in University and a new addition who is only 1 1/2 years old. Needless to say, the house is in constant motion. It was perfect for us because we simply could not wait to explore the city by foot. Normally only staying at someones house for a night, we asked if it was possible to stay a second night because we wanted to enjoy the race. No problem. Ryan and I must have walked a solid 8 miles both days. The race was quite a scene as well. There were plenty of booths offering their goods, which we could not talk about because of our lack of French. We did enjoy the vibe the city had during such excitement, and the speeds these racers come flying by at (50kmph!) is truly amazing. The race went around the same loop 16 times (200k), allowing us to hoot and holler, cheering on the riders at different spots throughout the city. It was fantastic.

Being on the bike, it is amazing how often we run into the same people over and over again. We met a guy back in North Sydney, Nova Scotia who was on a solo ride, making a loop out of Boston and more or less travelling our same way. We ran into him in Deer Lake, Newfoundland and now again in Quebec City. How random and fantastic! We met up with him for a night and swapped stories over pizza and wine. It's always nice to hear other experiences from bikers and learn why they too have decided this means of travel. Tom had to hurry back to Boston for a September 20th meeting. Now this is not something we have thought about for a few years now.

Speaking of work, just a few days ago, we bit the bullet and have an official end date to this absolutely amazing 2 1/2 years on the bicycles. Not sure what our plans would entail in the future, we have both been preparing for the idea of having to get back to work as our money is running low. After all of our travels, we didn't want to end it somewhere random, rather finding a place that seemed to offer closure of some sort, whatever that may mean. Well, nevertheless, we both agreed on New York City. I have never been and Ryan has not been since he was 11. Of all places, we both felt like NYC was a good stopping point. Starting in Lisbon, Portugal and 2 1/2 years later, ending in NYC. We fly out October 3 to Portland, OR where we will spend time with my dad and Gina while applying for jobs. Where we will end up, that we do not know. We know we want to live in a place where the outdoors are easily accessible, and realize more than ever the importance of finding a home and a work environment that fits us and makes us happy. Life is simply too short to settle and not enjoy the life we are living. Otherwise, what is the point?

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