Remembrances of Canada Past 

After we wrote yesterday’s blog, we headed out for a light dinner at a nearby “casual” restaurant. I had totally forgotten—getting iced tea in Canada is not easy. I remembered that I never had iced tea in Europe, but I had forgotten about Canada. Here is what the server came up with—a pot of hot water, a green tea bag, and a glass full of ice. I was impressed with her ingenuity!

Robin opened the menu and saw that they had “poutine,” a dish he became acquainted with in Alberta, Canada, several years ago. Poutine (pronounced here as “pou-tin”; pronounced in Western Canada as “pou-teen”) is a popular dish of French fries and cheese curds covered in brown gravy. 

This would not be my choice; however, he couldn’t resist ordering some for himself. Our server told us there was a restaurant nearby that served 21 different varieties of poutine and nothing else (and McDonald's serves it here in Quebec, we hear)

 Today we made the voyage to Quebec City along the flat land that has been our typical experience when we have been in eastern Canada. It’s a tedious drive, but it was a beautiful day with a big, clear sky, so all was good. We stopped in a little cafè for lunch that could have been in Southern France—a sweet little place with “jambon” sandwiches, delicious fresh vegetable salads, many coffees, and the best iced tea I’ve ever had. In fact, I bought two packages of it in the attached market to take home. Loved this little place.

Our hotel tonight and tomorrow night is also reminiscent of Paris and our favorite hotel there—a small, modern room, perfectly decorated and so very European with lots of artistic features.

Every door has a life-size photo of birch trees 

 Tomorrow we will visit Old Quèbec and then on Wednesday head out into the more natural coastline areas on the Gaspe Peninsula.