Monthly Archives: July 2014

Canada, North America, Quebec, Travel Notes

Driving along the Gaspé Peninsula

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After driving through New Brunswick and spending the night in a lighthouse in Campbellton  (nice!!!), we headed to the Gaspé Peninsula for a drive along the St. Lawrence coast. Once we crossed into Quebec, we started to see covered bridges — something I’d never seen before, even after living in New England!

Then, we headed up the coast road with sights of waterfalls, waves, big rocks, little villages and lots of lighthouses. Parts of the trip reminded me of the Pacific Coast Highway between Half Moon Bay and San Francisco. We finally coasted down into Gaspé and then headed to our final destination – Percé.

Here are some of the pictures of the day.

NOTE: Updated information! After I posted this blog, there was an article in the Globe and Mail about traveling the same route we took along the St. Lawrence.  That it would be nice  to share this article (and it includes a nice map!)


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Canada, North America, Nova Scotia, Travel Notes

Evangeline

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Much of the Acadian story would have been lost, if it weren’t for Henry Wadsworth  Longfellow and his poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie. At Grand-Pré in Nova Scotia, there is a Canadian National Park set aside to tell the tale of the Acadians and honour the mythic tale of Evangeline. We got there on Canada Day, so the park fee was waived. There is a very interesting multimedia film presentation. The park is very peaceful and feels more like a garden. There is a group of four statues that represent the people who were removed from this land.  It reminded me of the famine statues in Dublin. Then, there is the statue of Evangeline that leads to a reconstruction of a church that stood in the same spot. The church tells more of the same story. It also has a resident calico cat (you can probably guess what her name is)! I would highly recommend a visit to this site if you are ever in Nova Scotia.

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