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There & Back |
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| Charming Canada: Landscapes, farmhouses and major cities provide history and intrigue |
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| By Rachel Hare, Times Correspondent |
Thursday, February 12, 2009 |
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Our Honda Odyssey was the only car traversing the charcoal ribbon roughly pasted on the boundless New Brunswick wilderness of serene lakes and stately firs. The trees pushed right up to the edge of the road and extended out infinitely to a tangerine skyline, covering hills and mountains with the overflowing greenery. We were miles from civilization in all directions. Solitary cabins and cottages dotted the hillsides, distinct, yet somehow not out of place in all that wildness.
The landscape was breathtaking, the sunset exquisite, but after nearly 13 hours of driving, our first stop in Canada was a McDonald's.
Equipped with a handy travel guide assembled by my father's colleague - and seasoned Canadian vacationer - we had come the 775 miles into Canada but still had about 275 to go to get to Prince Edward Island before midnight.
We chose the best and worst summer to visit Prince Edward Island and Quebec City. This year marked the 100th anniversary of "Anne of Green Gables" - PEI's claim to fame - and the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. However, with gas prices pushing $5 per gallon in many of the states we passed through, the 2,300 mile round-trip cost us nearly $500 in gas alone. Rather less than perfect.
Prince Edward Island was my request, the childhood dream of a girl who grew up reading "Anne of Green Gables." However, my brother was less than thrilled at spending a week exploring the haunts of a fictional character and her creator. So we split the week in half and detoured through the old Acadian streets of Quebec for several days on the return trip.
From the inspiring landscapes of PEI to the spectacular Montmor-ency Falls of Quebec, from the charming farmhouses to the extravagant Chateau Frontenac, we found enough natural splendor and intriguing history in Canada to please everyone.
Anne: Fun for (almost) everyone
Lucy Maud Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables" series consisted of eight books written about a fiery and imaginative red-haired orphan growing up on the island.
The first book was written in 1908, and the series is still winning the hearts of readers everywhere, and the Islanders know it. Anne is something of an inescapable, yet endearing, entity in PEI, turning up on stamps and postcards, in restaurants and plays and, of course, in gift shops. If you're like my brother, by the time you leave the island, you will find yourself glancing warily around every turn for Anne's straw hat and red braids.
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Anne is completely fictional, but there are numerous historical sites for Anne-lovers to visit in P.E.I. My father and brother trudged along behind as my mother and I excitedly toured the tiny rooms of L.M. Montgomery's birthplace in New London and the quaint old farmhouse of Silver Bush in Park Corner, where Montgomery spent many summers and gained inspiration for Anne.
They relaxed in Charlottetown while we attended "Anne of Green Gables: the Musical," the longest-running musical in Canada, and a must-see for Anne fans. But the most important site, and the only one my father and brother deigned to explore, is Green Gables itself.
Although Montgomery never lived there, the farmhouse was her uncle's, and she made it famous as the setting for Anne's home. The house sits on a gentle slope in the little town of Cavendish. A more charming place could not even be imagined.
A white picket fence encircles the yard, and patches of colorful flowers hug the corners of the house. Rocky paths led us through Montgomery's favorite retreats, where Anne's story unfolded. The inside is patterned with rich floral wallpaper that overpowers the tight staircases and narrow hallways. Each tiny room is decorated in a country style with the Victorian flair of the period. Little dresses with white lace trim hang over the cast iron bed frames, their matching high-topped boots beneath, as if waiting for Anne herself to step into them.
But if you're looking to step out of Anne's shoes for a while and see a different side of the Island, it is possible.
"Anne of Green Gables" is not the only attraction that P.E.I. has to offer.
Just a few minutes off the beaten path are the beaches and the majestic red soil cliffs. We had all seen pictures of the cliffs in movies and magazines, but no reproduction can do them justice. The ragged shore extends to the skyline, the shear, rusty cliffs jutting out unevenly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Standing on top of the bluffs, we looked out over the Gulf and along the entire shoreline, the white beaches divided by the red rocks. It's quite inspiring to stand there, so tiny against those tall cliffs. But don't get too comfortable; step just across the street and you can see Dalvay by the Sea, the grand hotel where part of the "Anne of Green Gables" movie was filmed.
Bienvenue à Quebec
The only way to escape Anne is to flee the island. So mid-week, we packed up the Odyssey in the chilled mist of daybreak and quietly left the Anne Shirley Motel and Cottages - some more saddened than others. My brother drove just slightly over the legal limit toward the 8-mile Confederation Bridge, lest they should close the main escape route off the island and leave us trapped in Anne-land forever. We did, however, manage to get off the island without incident and survive the 567-mile jaunt to Quebec City, arriving just before dinnertime.
Our bulky van was a bull in a china shop on the narrow, crowded streets of the old walled city. We barely missed scraping the parked cars lining both curbs as we inched toward our parking space, which was nearly too tight to pull into.
The Quebec streets were a carnival of activity.
The hostesses of little sidewalk cafes sang French greetings as we walked by their easels advertising the day's specials.
Horseshoes clanged against the stone streets as old-fashioned carriages wound back and forth through the city.
Artists displayed every variety of landscapes, portraits and abstracts in hopes that their vibrant colors and vivid scenes might catch our eyes.
Street performers left their guitar cases open or their caps upside down for us to compliment their playing with a coin.
And, of course, tourists were everywhere, blocking traffic on the sidewalk, snapping pictures at every corner and bellowing English in the quiet cafes.
Outside the city walls, one of the most intriguing landmarks is Montmorency Falls, a 275-foot waterfall that is 98 feet higher than Niagara. We picked a slightly rainy day to visit the falls, but at Montmorency, you will get wet rain or shine.
Great clouds of mist wafted over the observation area, where you could get a close-up view - and a shower - at the bottom of the falls. By the time we began to climb the long, steep staircase - built literally into a mountain - to the top of the falls, we were nearly drenched to the skin.
At the top, sightseers can walk across a bridge spanning the crest of the falls.
Of course, no one in his or her right mind would choose to do this, and I was completely prepared to skip it and get back on firm ground, but the rest of my family was determined to see the view from the bridge. I must admit, it is breathtaking, once you get over the fact that you are 300 feet in the air. It seems the entire province of Quebec is visible from that bridge at Montmorency.
taste of the everyday
Inside the city walls, there is a distinct European air. Coming to Quebec, I assumed there would be a lot of French spoken, but I was also counting on almost as much English. I was quite mistaken. The Quebecois people have a strong French heritage, and they are very proud of it.
Some Quebecois do not speak much English, and those who do prefer that tourists at least attempt to speak to them in their native French, out of politeness. I have taken some college-level French, meaning I can ask, with some measure of confidence, how much something costs or where the bathroom is.
My brother, thankfully, has completed a French major and spent time in France and could communicate quite well with the Quebecois. Thus, we managed to avoid the obnoxious American faux-pas.
On our last night in Canada, the narrow streets glowed with the lights of so many shops and street lamps. We walked along the sidewalks amidst the comfortable bustle, past the proud Parliament building and the elegant Chateau Frontenac, built in the 19th century, with its turrets and towers rising domineeringly above the rest of the city buildings.
Locals and tourists casually sipped coffee and ate gelato under the lights of the outdoor cafés, as a relaxing breeze drifted across the St. Lawrence River.
Of all the sights to see in Quebec, nothing compared to the unique experience of everyday life.
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