Up the Gaspe

It was off to a slow start as we prepared to depart from QC.   Packed and checked out had a proper bacon and egg b’fast at the Palace Royal, which was our first in this French speaking corner of the country.  Loaded our cooler with lunch supplies from the marche and a baguette from the Au Pain, we were off.  We needed to back track a bit to cross over the St. Laurent using Pont Pierre Laporte, and then along the freeway a short way before cutting back over to the secondary highway which ran alongside the seaway.  This was a very interesting drive, it appears to me that many of the houses backing on to the river were quite modern, wondering if they were recreation property?  Stopped briefly at an information place and found out about a couple of notable tourist areas along highway 132 (we’ve been on this highway quite a bit since leaving Montreal).  We found what looked to be a good picnic spot near St. Jean Port Joli so pulled off and parked for the classic picnic francais - baguette, fromage, saucisse, vin.  Might have been a bit drafty on the point overlooking the water, proved to be not that special.  Unfortunately, my high school French, was no match for the information presented in French only.  It does strike me as a bit aggravating that throughout the entirely of the rest of the country, any remotely touristy area has both French and English, not so for Quebec.  As we continued our drive up the Gaspe Peninsula, and the day wore on, I was getting a bit sleepy so looking for a better spot for a break and voila! Tete d’Allumette Microbrasserie!!  This very popular stop, in the middle of nowhere, had a really great deck and we were able to enjoy an excellent pint, the pause that refreshed.  This provided the kick start I needed to finish the drive to Rimouski.  We arrived and found the Hotel Gouverneur overlooking the bay.  As this was our last night in Quebec, I was rather insistent that we find a place to have bouillabaisse.  Decided to try Restauant du Phare, and the stew was really fantastic.  Myles was totally accomodating as he is not a big fan of seafood, his moule et frite was not to his fancy, which was good for me.  Karen’s Bisque Homard was very tasty, but could have been a bit warmer.  The restaurant was quite rustic, the location provided for a spectacular sunset view, which unfortunately we missed by mere minutes.