Canada: Parlez-vous anglais?

Today's blog comes to you from Montreal in Canada's predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec. This has caused a few little hiccups. More on that in a moment.

Oh, Canada...

As for what else has happened this week... where did I leave off? Ah, I'd arrived in Campbellton, New Brunswick. What I didn't get to share last week was the fireworks display that such a small town put on for Canada Day. Campbelltonians like their fireworks, it seems.

Just keep breathing. Just keep breathing.

The next morning, Shula and I took a drive to Sugarloaf Mountain, which sits just next to the town. Well, we tried to and ended up driving straight past the car park, pootling along a windy road for 15 minutes before deciding we must have gone wrong somewhere. Got there eventually.

It having rained all night and all the paths being a bit on the slippery side, we thought we'd stick to just the base walk. Then we saw the path to the summit and thought, what the hell, we'll give it a go.

And promptly discovered that I am a hell of a lot more unfit than I thought. An entire 5 minutes up the hill, if that, we had to turn around because I was going all light headed and woo. Not fun.

That said, the base walk was lovely. Saw some squirrels. Also some ducks.

Also midges, which resulted in me DEETing ALL THE THINGS in an attempt to avert another few nights of horrible itchy arms. It worked.

And then it was time to say goodbye to our trusty little Chevy Spark, christened Jools by virtue of the number plate.

Unfortunately, this was the point at which we discovered that a) there's not a whole lot to do in Campbellton when you don't have a car and b) the weather is a pain. Bucketed down most of the afternoon, so I got some writing done and then we cooked a delicious stir fry to make up for the horrific looking mess I'd cooked in Charlottetown a few days before.

Where train?!

Our final day in Campbellton was a bit of a non-event. Nothing seemed to be open, it being a Sunday and as I mentioned above, there's not a whole lot in the town anyway. Shula left at lunchtime to get a bus to her next destination and I was left waiting in the hostel because, being the genius I am, I'd booked a train to Quebec. Which left at 11:18pm. Clever me.

I managed to kill a few hours getting some more writing done (yay, magic that actually obeys rules) and keeping tabs on the Iceland-France game at the Euros. I'll admit, I'm not hugely into football, but Iceland ended up having such a lovely underdog story, plus obviously I was only in the country a few weeks ago. I was disappointed for them to go out, but they really fought for it from what I could see as a non-football fan. And their homecoming was amazing. I can't get the BBC site to give me an embed link, but if you just click through, you'll see HOW AWESOME THE ICELANDERS ARE.

Anyway, after finally dumping my bag at the station, killing another couple of hours in Tim Hortons (free wifi!) and then another couple at the station, I finally got onto my train at nearly midnight.

Thought I was in the wrong class. Seriously, I should have taken a photo but I was knackered and just wanted to sleep. Big comfy chairs, all the leg room... but still economy.

I should have been able to sleep right through until I got to Sainte-Foy, but the air con unit was just across from me and spent all night blowing cold air at my legs. I think I got about 3 or 4 hours altogether. Better than trying to sleep on planes, I suppose.

Oh, and I should mention that we had to wait outside Sainte-Foy station for about 45 minutes so that a freight train could pass us. I started wondering if I was just having a really weird dream about the train being stuck, but it turned up eventually. Urgh.

Then got picked up at Sainte-Foy by the taxi-van service, with a lovely driver who took us a slightly scenic route to point out interesting things. I suspect he was expecting a tip, but I only thought of that afterwards. Hope I didn't offend him.

Je ne comprends pas...

I spent most of the day lounging in the hostel, initially trying not to sleep before I gave in to a 3 hour nanna nap. I don't like napping, it makes me feel sick, so this is a good indication of how tired I was.

After the nap and still feeling not altogether with it, I headed to a little fast food place the driver had recommended for poutine. This is a predominantly Quebecois thing, as far as I can tell and consists of french fries topped with cheese curds and smothered in gravy. So, I pootled into the highly recommended Chez Ashton and being brave, asked the girl behind the counter:

"Parlez-vous anglais?"

I had a moment to be proud that I'd remembered some French before the girl shook her head. Ah. How hard can this be, I thought, looking at the menu. I'll just have the regular poutine. Then all I have to say is regular poutine.

"Regular poutine, s'il vois plait."

Having since put that through Google Translate, I know it's a bit garbled, but she seemed to understand what I meant. Unfortunately, she then asked me something I couldn't even guess at. I thought I'd heard the word ayer which threw me, because that's the Spanish term for yesterday.

In hindsight, I should have been able to pick out ici, which means here and extrapolated from that "eat in or takeaway?" But I didn't. I just did the apologetic smile and shrug routine while she got a colleague to come over and translate.

Oh dear.

Anyway, I ended up with my poutine eventually and it was delicious. Need to have it again. Om nom nom.

And then I slept. A lot.

"You speak English? I can tell from the bonjour."

Fortunately, my second day in beautiful Quebec City started out a lot better. Breakfast was included at the hostel, which meant I got to have freshly cooked pancakes with lashings of maple syrup. HEAVEN. And yes, it has been pointed out to me that I mention food a lot in this blog. I KNOW. I LIKE FOOD.

Sufficiently full of carbs and sugar, I toddled off into Quebec's quaint old town area in search of La Citadelle. Instead I got sidetracked by Artillery Park and it's little museum. Some cool little artefacts from Quebec's past, including this otherwise plain pot which claims Russian bear grease will help your hair to grow.

And this amazingly huge model of Quebec as it was in the early 19th Century.

Entrance to the museum also included entrance to the Dauphine Redoubt, one of the early parts of Quebec's fortifications. Did I mention that Quebec is the only city in North America with a nearly intact defensive wall? No? Well it is.

Anyway, the redoubt was also very interesting, apart from this room which was like creepy mannequin mirrored room of creepiness. I ran away pretty much as soon as I took this photo.

I hate mannequins.

Moving swiftly on. after my toddling round the museum and redoubt, I made another attempt to find La Citadelle. It couldn't be that hard - it's the biggest fort in North America and right on top of the hill. So I walked up the hill as far as I could and ended up finding tourist central. I ran away. Too many people.

Instead I found my way to Montmorency Park. Only a little place, but it was beautifully quiet and sunny, so I made myself at home on a bench for an hour and tried to learn some more French. While I was there, I spotted this little note on the next bench along which just made me smile.

And helpfully, I didn't make any more notes for this day. I don't remember anything else happening. Mostly just more writing, I think... Oh, wait. I went into Notre-Dame Cathedral. Very pretty.

No matter how much you poke them, they're not going to move

The next day I did finally make it to La Citadelle after a bit of a hike up the hill. It has a very interesting museum about the history of the Royal 22e Regiment, the only Francophone regiment in the Canadian army. It also includes a whole lot of medals, including 3 Victoria Crosses awarded to members of the regiment, housed under this beautiful ceiling.

Entrance to La Citadelle also includes a guided tour of the fort. It's still an active military base, so they're not just going to let you wander round on your own. Highlight of this was probably the great view you get from the walls, given that the fort is situated on pretty much the highest point of the city.

I also noted, on the way out, that the guards stand sentry in British infantry red. Which of course results in the classic "tourist-trying-to-make-the-guardsman-move" game. Poor buggers.

From La Citadelle, I took a bit of a meandering path back to the hostel, taking in some of the city walls on the way.

Ducktor Scully

My final day in Quebec started with rain. Lots of rain. I didn't make it out of the hostel until after lunch time because it was pissing it down all morning. Eventually, I made it to the Musee de la Civilisation by the waterfront, where I found some lovely exhibitions of Native Canadian history and also of Aboriginal Australian art. No photos of either of these, the former because it wasn't allowed and the latter because I didn't even think to get my camera out.

I did manage to get my camera out when I found the nanotechnology exhibition, though. A very basic introduction to nanotech and the many applications, including some historic ones such as the carbon nanotubes now known to be integral to the famous strength of Damascus steel.

Bad picture of shiny sword is bad.

Also, plenty of pop-culture references. The exhibition gives you the option to answer a series of questions about your attitudes towards nanotech and its applications. You answer using a rubber duck with a chip in it. Mine was named Scully, because I just couldn't resist.

There was also a Spock, Yoda and Leeloo. Good taste, whoever named the ducks.

Keeping with the pop-culture. there was also a model Terminator and Iron Man.

Oh yeah. Geekery ahoy.

It's like the Tube. But easier.

This morning, I discovered that I'd misplaced my toiletries bag. The nice little one my mum gave me with the little 100ml bottles that would go through airport security. I think I left it in the bathroom but it was no where to be found and the hostel owner didn't know if anything had been handed in as lost property. I figure it was probably moved by a cleaner, because seriously, who's going to steal a few bottles of toiletries? Still a bit pissed off though. I liked that bag.

Anyway, rant aside, this morning I got a bus from Quebec to Montreal. Mostly uneventful apart from the somewhat awkward conversation the lady next to me tried to have. Bless her, she was obviously trying to be friendly but her English wasn't great and my French is even worse.

I am also very impressed with myself because I managed to navigate Montreal's metro without the slightest hitch. To be honest, it's a very simple network, nowhere near as many lines as the London Underground and the lady at the ticket desk was very helpful with regards to passes. Go me.

So, here I am in Montreal. I have five days booked here for now, although it's such a big place I might end up having to extend my stay.

After Montreal... back to anglophone Canada?

South Lakes: Sun, walking and dogs on boats

The Lake District is beautiful - one of my favourite parts of the UK. Mountains overlooking long, narrow lakes, winding country roads... what more could you want?

Recently I took a trip up there with my mum, sister and two miniature dachshunds for a long weekend. We stayed in a lovely little lodge at Aynsome Manor Park, near the pretty village of Cartmel, famous for its racecourse and sticky toffee pudding.

We must have timed our arrival well, because we just caught the end of the monthly Food Market in the village, which meant I got to nab a delicious fresh loaf of chia seed bread. Never tried it before and it was yummy.

Several of the shops in Cartmel are happy for well-behaved dogs to come in, so we also had a quick wander around some of the little independent craft shops, which the dogs loved. They weren't quite so pleased that they had to wait outside while I perused the Village Shop, home of the famous sticky toffee pudding and a whole host of other delicious goods. Grabbed some bits for tea - the shop sells all sorts of pasta, rice, sauces and condiments, plus some meat.

There's some good walking around Cartmel as well. A footpath leads out of the back of the racecourse into the fields. Several paths to choose from - we headed up and along a little stream for a while. Such a peaceful walk.

Maybe we all died and this is some sort of weird limbo...

Our second day in Cartmel began with a sort of weird, sleep deprived hysteria brought on by the carbon monoxide alarm going off just after we went to bed, freaking us all out and subsequently unsettling one of the dogs enough that she whined and whimpered all night.

Suffice to say, the thought did cross my mind that maybe it hadn't been a false alarm and we had all died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the night. Giggling ensued.

Anyway, having finally got out of the house and satisfied ourselves that we weren't trapped in limbo, we head off up north to Bowness on Lake Windermere. It's a lovely drive - a winding road clings to the hillside and follows the lake from Newby Bridge at the south end, up to Bowness about halfway up. This is the main tourist hub on the lake, so expect it to be busy in the summer.

Grabbed a quick cuppa and then it was off for our first adventure - the dogs' first ever boat trip. They even got their own tickets - well behaved dogs are allowed on for free. A 45 minute cruise out on the lake turned out to be a great way to admire the scenery.

Spotted a few places we'd like to live, but with house prices in the area what they are... I think even a tiny boathouse would be out of our price range. Plus, when the lake floods, it really floods. During the last major flood, it peaked at 7 1/2 feet above the normal level. The little building in the picture below if the Temple of Heroes, commemorating Admirals Duncan, Nelson, Howe and St Vincent. That 7 1/2 foot flood brought the water up to the bottom of the plaques bearing the names.

Safely off the boat, which pleased the older dog no end, we headed up the hill to grab a bite to eat, relishing the warm spring sun. And then on into the town to explore some more shops. As with Cartmel, some shops will allow dogs in so long as they behave, so the two of them had great fun sniffing around in La Galerie d'Art while I tried to choose just a couple of photo prints for my postcard wall.

A few more shops and then onto Kendal to while away what remained of the afternoon. We headed over the top out of Bowness, across fields full of sheep (and some very cute spring lambs), stopping briefly to let a flock of sheep cross the road, complete with sheepdog and a farmer with a red flag.

Oddly enough, we found only one place in Kendal making a big deal out of selling the famous Kendal Mint Cake. Ah well. It's a lovely stroll from the town centre across the river to the remains of Kendal Castle. This seems to be on common land (or maybe council land?) so is open access and it's free to wander around the ruins.

Just be aware that as with all good castles, you have to climb up a bloody big hill to get there. It's worth it though - look at the views from the top.

All in all, a great couple of days to start the trip. And still a couple of days to go!

Things to do:
Cartmel Food Market - 3rd Friday of the month, Cartmel
Windermere Lake Cruise - from £7.70 (adult), departs Bowness, Ambleside, Brockholes & Lakeside
Kendal Castle - free, Kendal

Halloween: 5 After Dark Experiences

Well, I've missed Halloween by a week, but I though I'd share with you some of the spooky places I've been. Because I'm told everyone loves Halloween. I don't really do spooky or Halloween so the 5 things I've included here are more... embracing the dark than aiming for scares.

1. The Tower of London

Or any other castle for that matter. OK, I'll admit that most of the Tower isn't spooky. In fact, it's pretty damn fascinating. But there's little areas where it just makes you shiver. I'm no great believer in the paranormal, but you can understand why, when so many people were executed at the Tower it might make you feel a little uneasy.

I'm sort of tempted to have a wander around Tower Hill in the dark the next time I'm in London...

2. York after dark

The city of York with its hundreds of years of history and maze of narrow streets lends itself to ghost stories. I took a ghost tour there years ago with school and while the tour itself wasn't really up there in the scary stakes, wandering around the city at night could get quite creepy. Traipsing through the little snickelways where the buildings in places nearly meet overhead was especially cool.

For sheer bloody history, head up to Clifford's Tower, the largest remaining segment of the old York Castle. Here in the Middle Ages the city's persecuted Jewish community holed themselves up to find protection from an angry mob. The tower, then the keep of the castle, came under siege and eventually the families inside committed suicide and set the tower on fire rather than fall into the hands of the mob. A rather black mark on English history...

3. Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

Not so much spooky as surreal, the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand are famous for their amazing glow worms. There are a series of caves at the site, all of which have their own unique appeal. In Ruakuri Cave all the lights get turned out and you can walk conga-style through the dark with just the pale blue lights of the glow worms to show you where the walls are, while in the main Waitomo Cave you go on a boat ride along the Waitomo River, lit from all sides by so many glow worms it feels like you're outside under stars. An amazing experience and one I would highly recommend.

4. Starlight Kayaking, West Cork

Picture this. A wide calm bay bounded by hills. You're in a kayak floating along, barely paddling. Just ahead your guide shows the way, with you trying to keep sight of the flashing light on his kayak. And over head a sky full of stars.

Yeah, starlight kayaking's a pretty magical experience. On our trip in West Cork every stroke of the paddle set off sparks of bioluminescence in the water. So pretty that our boat kept stopping because my friend Claire was too busy playing with the bioluminescence to paddle.

No worries though because the whole trip was so laid back it didn't matter if we went slowly. Although for scare value, hearing Jim the guide call out "Watch out for the boat" and a second later see a huge half-sunken boat loom out of the darkness a few feet away has to be up there with the best.

5. Camping in the Outback

OK, so it wasn't quite camping. The tents were more like canvas rooms - pretty permanent structures just with canvas walls. Brilliant and maybe a bit more secure than a tent. Didn't stop the friend I was travelling with from waking me up in the middle of the night to tell me there was a dingo trying to get into our tent-room. I'd heard something as I woke up and assumed it was just the noise of one of our sleeping bags. No big deal - I figured he'd just been half-asleep and his imagination had run away with him. But he was insistent. Again, not a problem - there was a catch on the door. And then he goes "but, Zoe, I need the loo". So I had to persuade him there was no dingo and that he'd be fine. Go to the loo and if you're not back in ten minutes I'll go and get the guide.

Suffice to say he managed to get back to the tent-room in one piece. Although... he had seen a snake outside the toilet block. Oh dear.

So there's my 5 things to see and do for an amazing after dark experience - or Halloween if you're that way inclined. Have you had a spooky experience while travelling? Done any amazing things after dark? Why not share them here.