Last summer was one of the best trips we've had because we went on an epic road trip with C and her family (of the blog Life on Manitoulin)...Above, their trusty mini van which was our traveling vehicle, as it was parked at her friends' place in Ottawa.
It was time to hit the road and drive up to Quebec to meet up with one of C's blogfriends...
The hospitality of C's friend and her family was a godsend. As we prepared to hit the road yet again, we made sure to bring out the snacks, such as these Old Dutch ketchup chips which I bought at the Mac's store in Mississauga our first night in Canada. I miss those ketchup chips and during our trip there, I tried to buy as many different brands' versions of this flavor to "compare".
The drive rom Ottawa to Quebec was about FIVE HOURS. Now for C's husband, Farmer John, this was nothing. He's a bus driver (and EMT and a Cattle Farmer) so this was a piece of cake for him. Bert and FJ traded off every few hours. Thank goodness for air conditioning because there was a major heatwave that week we were on the road (think 90's with muggy humidity). Staring out the windows and not seeing the Pacific Ocean or palm trees made me a little homesick....
Here were more snacks that we enjoyed during the road trip. Crispers are like Wheatables but thinner and better tasting. The flavor of the Crispers was Dill, a flavor we don't find too often in the States. the Bits & Bites is a favorite of FJ. This was like a Chex snack mix but without Chex.
You think L.A. traffic is bad? Well, this traffic in Quebec was nearly as bad but surpassed in shittiness by the poor road conditions. At least the freeways in California don't have potholes. Even the wooden rollercoaster in Mission Bay park was a smoother ride that this. Okay, I'm exaggerating a tad bit. It wasn't that bumpy the whole way but it was still pretty crappy. Man, you'd think they would have better roads over there.
If you see the freeway sign, "Centreville" means "Downtown". Sounds so much more classy in French, ha ha.
We took a wrong turn somewhere and had to double back near some bridge.
Passing by the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal...
More freeway signs and traffic...
I had a field day snapping shots of all the different restaurants. This one, Harvey's, is a popular burger chain, known for their flame grilled burgers.
It was about time for a bathroom break (I mean "washroom"; that's how they roll here in Canada). When C saw the sign for "La Belle Province" she exclaimed that we HAD to eat there and directed her husband to pull over!
I thought the sideways light was neat...
Here's another fast food chain St Hubert, they are best known for their rotisserie chicken and are rivals with Swiss Chalet, which also does rotisserie chicken.
As we turned into the parking lot to get to La Belle Province, C happily noticed Chez Cora, a chain known for their breakfasts, which was also next to some XXX establishment. Uhhhh....nice. So random. There was a Tim Horton's, Chez Cora, then the nasty store.
Next to this strip mall was a Hotel chain, le Dauphin. We were in the city of Saint-Hyacinthe, a city in southwestern Quebec. How did I know this? When I was looking up the locations for this post, I had to match the photo of the hotel front to the different cities. I also searched the address of La Belle Province which matched up as well. Sigh. The work that goes into this simply to satisfy my curiosity and OCD tendencies, heh heh. During that day, I had no idea where we were, just that we were driving for hours on end and that we were all pretty hungry.
Up next, our lunch for some quintessential Canadian fare...
2 comments:
Since you mentioned it... "Quebecois(e)" is the attributive term for people, things, language, etc. belonging to Quebec. Analogous to France<->French/Francais(e).
I stayed at the Dauphin in QC once, not sure if it was the same one you pictured.
hi thane, thanks. i knew what it meant. :)
Roh Roh Roh!
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