After returning to Canada at Sault Saint Marie, we drive south along the shores of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.
The area is beautiful with about 30,000 islands, but to properly explore all this we would have to exchange MOMO for a boat. Unfortunately, the weather is getting worse and it rains a lot. For us sun-drenched long-term vacationers a completely unfamiliar scenario on which we must first adjust ourselves. Slowly we approach the mega metropolis Toronto and decide to forego a visit due to the traffic and prefer to drive straight to the Niagara Falls, a tourist attraction that we definitely do not want to miss. After all, 4 million visitors a year can not be wrong. The Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side are undeniably the most impressive experience. At a width of 675m, the water falls 54m down. The American Falls are 2m higher, but only 328m wide. The falling water masses cause a huge spray fountain and it is best to take a rain jacket with you to visit.
After that, we'll definitely be back for loneliness and head to Algonquin National Park, a paradise for canoeists. There we get a visit from our friends Sigrid & Axel from Radolfzell who stay with us for 5 days. Unfortunately, the weather is not really nice and also very windy, so we do not come to a canoe trip. For that we explore the area on foot and have a lot of fun together.
While Sigrid & Axel return home we continue to Ottawa. We did not actually have the Canadian capital on the slip, but we like it very well right from the start. There is currently an exhibition of beautiful sculptures, all made of flowers. Truly a masterpiece of botany. We admire the fantastic Parliament building and the castle-like Hotel Chateau Laurier. Then it goes to Downtown to the ByWard market with nice restaurants and a diverse audience from all over the world. In the main season, the parliament building will be illuminated in the evenings and the history of Canada will be told in a light and sound show and projected onto the building.
We drive along the banks of Sankt Lorenz Stream and make a stop on the way in Upper Canada Village, a museum village in its structure of a rural small town of the 19th century. Costumed villagers inform the visitors about the living conditions during this time.
The first Monday of September is Labor Day, which ends the summer holiday season in Canada. But that also means that everyone is on the road for a last time and populate the campsites and parks in the area. We are looking for a nice spot by the river and spend three relaxing days until the run is over. Then we continue to Quebec. Everything is different in the province as well as in the city of the same name. French is spoken and nothing else. We are looking for a parking space at the marina and can easily reach the city center on foot from there. The Upper Town is completely enclosed by a city wall and is characterized by the luxury hotel Chateau Frontenac and the Citadelle, which is still operating as a militarily active barracks. In the lower city we stroll through the cobblestone streets and together with the cafes, the painters and street musicians you feel like in France.
We continue to Tadoussac. The place is known for its Belugawhales which have their home here all year round. We look for a quiet spot at the ferry dock a few miles to the north and from there we can watch the whales and dolphins circling outside. Afterwards, we take the ferry over to the south bank and continue to Pointe-Au-Pere. There is one of the most photogenic lighthouses of the Gaspé peninsula, according to the guide, and we can stop overnight at the quay wall.
Today is a rainy day and we stand in the Walmart parking lot in Campbellton and pass the time on the Internet. There we also meet Michaela and Richard who are traveling with their Iveco since 3 weeks and now do what we have done in the last five and a half years. The rain has given way again and gives way to a steel blue sky with temperatures like in midsummer. In Pointe-Sapin, a small fishing village on the Atlantic, we take a few days break and enjoy the lonely beach, campfire romance and a gigantic starry sky. Every now and then a fisherman comes over for a chat and one of them, Ferdinand, has probably taken us to the heart and even brings us some fish fillets in exchange for an espresso.
So we do not lack anything, only the lobster is still missing. But as this part of the Atlantic is currently in season we do not have to search too long. On the entire coastline to Prince Edward Island, the baskets are lined up and in one of the many fish shops we get two beautiful, ready-to-eat lobster for 9 euros each. Armed with a nutcracker, we get down to business and break up our dinner properly and rinse it off with a glass of wine. Everything tastes delicious and more.
Prince Edward Island, PEI for short, is the smallest province in Canada and can only be reached via a 12km long bridge, or by ferry. We stroll through downtown Charlotteville and try pretty much anything that can swim. Then we circle the east side of the island and find beautiful spots in the dunes. In Cavendish we meet the two Austrians Christian and Monika who just started their multi-year trip around the world with their 1017er. We spend a nice evening together before our paths separate again. Was very nice with you and maybe you will meet us in a few years in the East sometime.
Unfortunately, the midsummer weather is suddenly over, continuous rain sets in and the temperature drops by a good 15 degrees. But after two days the sky are visible again and it is clearing up. We leave PEI and drive towards Fundy National Park in New Brunswick and visit shortly before the Hopewell Rocks, a rock formation that looks like flowerpots. In this corner, the tidal range is a good 10m and can reach 12m or more, depending on the moon phase. During a walk on the seabed at low tide, a look at the clock is highly recommended. When the tide comes, it comes at a speed of over 20km / h and there is no use racing away. On the warning signs is recommended in this case to find a comfortable place on the cliff above the water and to wait there for 2-3 hours.
We continue to Nova Scotia and drive first to the northern tip. There is Cape Breton Island and the Cabot Trail. Almost every Canadian we met on the way told us we had to drive it. And indeed it is a very beautiful and steep road that follows the picturesque coastline. We make a nice hike on the Skyline Trail and enjoy the fantastic views. On the way we find again and again small fish pubs and fish soup (clam chowder) and mussels in white wine sauce are almost daily on the menu.
About Sidney we drive to Louisbourg. There, from 1961, the ancient fortress and trading city of Louisbourg was completely reconstructed in a very elaborate project from 1750 and is considered one of the most elaborate projects of this kind and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Costumed soldiers, merchants, pub owners and rabble mingle with the visitors and convey a very authentic experience of the old days.
Not far from Halifax lies Peggy's Cove, the tourist destination par excellence in Nova Scotia. In picturesque surroundings stands here the most photographed and best-known lighthouse in Canada. We arrive there at half past six in the evening and there are still a lot of people here, hundreds of whom are driven here by bus. Unfortunately for us this means setting an alarm clock and we actually manage to be in place at 7:30 am the next morning. However, we are not alone either, but the few people are manageable and we succeed in doing a few pictures without people.
Given the beautiful weather, we'll take a break at the Grace Island Provincial Park for a few days, relax in the hammock and freshen up the faded Mexican tan. With a heavy heart, we are already doing some cleaning and tidying up there with regard to the upcoming shipping of the truck back to Germany. On the coast it goes on to the small town of Mahone Bay where at the beginning of October it is all about the scarecrows. Imaginative self-made figures then decorate the whole place. An independent custom regardless of Thanksgiving or Halloween. Nearby is Lunenburg, a small town founded in 1753 by Germans, Swiss and French, in which German was used as the vernacular until the 19th century. Unfortunately there is nothing left today, we tried it. Due to the well-kept wooden houses from the 18th and 19th century and the general structural condition of the village Lunenburg was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Slowly autumn is coming and we can still take some Indian Summer Feeling with us. Unfortunately, the beautiful weather has finally given way and has gone into constant rain. We stop at Kejimkujik National Park, but the campsite in the dense forest is humid and cold in this weather. After all, we can use a short rain break for a walk. We continue to Digby on the opposite side of the Bay of Fundy. Again, there is a huge Tidenhub. The place hosts one of the largest scallop fishing fleets in the world. What is a barely affordable delicacy is on the menu here at every restaurant and in the fish shop we buy a pound for 15 C$.
We take a little stroll through Halifax and then take an Airbnb accommodation until we leave.
Five and a half wonderful years on the American continent come to an end. We drove from the southernmost point in Ushuaia to the northernmost point on the Arctic Ocean and are now proud of what we "experienced". After a little winter break in Germany we continue to the corners of the world we do not know yet. In spring 2019 we will report again.
We are now preparing MOMO for shipment back to Hamburg. We report again with a more detailed conclusion when we arrived in Germany. Until then, have fun reading and watching pictures.
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