While we were visiting Quebec, we also took a bus out towards the St. Lawrence Estuary where we got on a boat for a whale watching excursion. There were lots of Beluga whales, and also a fair number of Mink whales. The boat was a larger vessel, and because of regulations to prevent whale watchers from harassing these beautiful creatures, we didn’t get really close to them. But we had fun nonetheless. The bus took us through the countryside past small towns, past waterfalls and Hotel Tadoussac, which dates back to 1864. This area of Canada very much reminds me of Europe!
Back in Quebec City, we toured the Parliament, local parks, the Plains of Abraham, La Citadelle and the Fortifications. Old Quebec City is the only preserved walled city north of Mexico! Lets take another look around this welcoming city!
A return visit would be nice in the not too distant future!
Late May seemed like the perfect time:
The peonies and lilacs in the local parks were stunning!
in cahoots with muddy boots 
Beautiful, Sabine. The whales are magnificent creatures. We’ve taken excursions to see them, and even been able to observe them off the Oregon coast. They enjoy congregating in the Depot Bay Area. Thanks for sharing your travels and have a fabulous week!
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Thanks Missy! I haven’t been to Depot Bay, but we’ve done some whale watching from the cliffs along the California and Oregon coast. Many years ago we had an incredible encounter with an orca at the mouth of the Klamath. It swam right up to the spit we were on and put on a show, breaching and other orca tricks!
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That’s awesome!
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I like seeing the RCMP in their red uniforms and bearskin hats … I am not sure what you call them if they are not “mounties” though. I think then they are in blue uniforms as I recall. Someday I need to explore more of my homeland Sabine. Your photos did remind me of Europe too.
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Hey Linda,I’m not sure what those guys are called either! Those hats look like they’d be hot on one’s head!
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I agree – especially if they are out in the hot sun with no shade at all. I have a picture up close of one of the guards and cannot remember if it was London or in Copenhagen. I am thinking the latter. I have to look and see if I scanned it in when I did all the albums. He had the big bear fur hat and it was a warm day. I was up very close to him taking a picture and he never moved a muscle. I had Googled … I saw a video not too long ago with them in dark uniforms and the campaign-style hats. I would not know the difference by our Michigan state troopers recently switched from the campaign-style felt hats with the dents and the tie under the chin recently. They returned to regular police-style hats. They had been wearing them to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Michigan State troopers. I like seeing them in uniform lined up – unfortunately here it is mostly when a trooper dies in the line of duty. We had one die last year when someone hit him while he was jogging, a few weeks before his retirement. He was a mounted officer working in a park.
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Oh that’s a sad story of the trooper! I didn’t know they have or had hats made out of bear fur. Poor bears! Those guards are straight faced for sure! The ones in Korea were too!
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Maybe it is artificial fur nowadays but I thought they did say the official palace guards had bear fur hats. That was four decades ago. Yes, it was sad and we had two troopers killed last year, him and one on a trooper motorcycle and a car pulling a U-haul or a box carrier of some sort, caught part of his motorcycle and pulled it a good distance with him dragging on the ground behind the truck. The driver was charged with his death in a trial many months later.
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Hopefully it’s artificial fur! It would be great if people were more responsible when driving. I watched two cars blow through a red light today here in California, long after it had changed. Fortunately it seems like a lot of people now wait for a few extra moments before hitting the gas petal! 😬
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We had a bad accident in a neighboring city last Monday. The video of the crash was taken by a nearby store’s surveillance camera and shows a driver of a car going through an intersection at an estimated speed of 100 mph. He is alive but severely injured but his two back-seat passengers were killed … if you saw the car you would wonder how the driver lived as he crashed into a semi and the semi driver is in bad condition as well. I don’t like driving and I like it less every day the way people weave in and out, speed and text while driving.
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Safety for oneself and others seems to be an afterthought these days! I do love my road trips, but the accident last fall really put a damper on my wanting to drive at all for many months. Portland has crazy drivers, but California!!! They go faster than fast. On the interstate where the speed limit is 70 mph, almost everyone flies past me even though I’m going the speed limit. 😬 So I mostly stay in the right lane!
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I know you said before you had friends in California and routinely visit there and mentioned the crazy driving … I wish I had the ability to just tune out the crazy drivers because not going on the expressway limits where I go … I have driven on the expressways before but the one expressway to take to the northern counties with bigger parks and more natural settings for wildlife viewings is going on 696 and people fly like you say and there are so many accidents there … but look at the accident I mentioned to you last night … this was in the city, a cross street at a busy intersection and there was a bicyclist crossing that street … he barely missed getting killed. I tell myself that a walk in nature can be done closer and for trips that are further away I go early in the morning on the weekends when the traffic is not so heavy and I don’t have to have the “weavers” … they about do me in. I want to open the window and shout “leave earlier” and we had three incidents last week of a freeway shooting in Detroit. This person was shooting at cars not people, but he missed and got a person the other day. Safe travels to you while in California.
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We all have to be comfortable living our life’s the way we see fit I believe. Sometimes it means staying closer to home! For me, a little discomfort often helps me evaluate what’s really behind those feelings and let’s me move on in a more rational manner. The last thing I want to do is live in fear! That’s just how I see it. We can only control ourselves and the rest I try to let go. Not always easy, but worth a try! 🙋
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I actually get out more than I used to. I just used to walk at the same park every day and I only started going more places when I started adding more and more photos to my blog. Also, where I get my car serviced, they told me to drive more or risk having electrical issues, so I have. I actually used to travel alot when I was younger, but either with my parents or in a tour group. But not driving around. I just don’t like how people don’t pay attention and, as you say, are only interested in themselves. It takes me out of my comfort zone.
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I can understand that, Linda! Oftentimes we all overlook treasures close to home!
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Well the last two weeks I’ve been going to the Park I go to all the time to get acclimated to this camera … last Sunday a huge swan came up out of the water (unfortunately I had the short lens on and it was in the bag as I intended to feed the squirrels first … it was the weekend, so I had more time) and then all the goslings, the robin hatchlings. I wanted to take pics of them while they are young … the geese will be gone from the Park soon as they go somewhere safe after they begin to lose their flight feathers, and practicing with the camera on manual worked well at this Park. I have two 5Ks next weekend, then I’ll venture to a few more places that are father away, if the weather cooperates. I understand one place just put in a gravel path to help with the water runoff and I’ve had two parks in mind to go to for over a year now – both have nature centers.
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I look forward to reading about those new places! 😊
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I hope I don’t disappoint you Sabine, but the wonder of nature never disappoints if you are lucky enough to see it (or read about it). My parents got “National Geographic” magazine and we watched the specials on TV for years. 🙂
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It will be all new to me, and I enjoy seeing places I haven’t been to. I thought of you yesterday when I went for a walk around a small lake and saw Canadian geese and a pair of swans with six cygnets! It was the idyllic moment to observe. 😊
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I really wanted to see those cygnets Sabine. I had one of the walkers who goes to chat with his fishing buddies after he walks at the Park keeping an eye out for me. But he only told me about the duck who was sitting on the nest and no swan and cygnets – hopefully next year. I saw a lot of geese in formation today and took pictures but could not fit them all in the frame as there were so many … earlier I saw two flocks in V-formation go by. Very unusual to see this at this time of year.
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Once I get settled when I get home I will post some photos of them to help tide you over until you find yours! 😉 Last leg of my trip home tomorrow.
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Thank you and I’ll look forward to that Sabine … you’re probably home by now judging by when you made this comment.
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Once again, your photos are stunning – especially the close-ups. BTW, I started my annual cherry bounce yesterday! I will think of you and smile every time I turn them in the jar – and especially come November when I can taste a little bit of patience. 🙂
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Thanks for your kind words, LuAnne! You got a head start on the bounce! I just arrived in California for my annual visit and will put up a batch when I get home. I will then post about what to do with the cherries once they’re strained! 😋 The lady at the liquor store gave me instructions on covering them with dark chocolate and then freeze them. Super delicious treat and they were quite popular with friends who got some!
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My daughter and I want to go there so she can do some genealogy research. It looks beautiful and I know I would love it. Thanks for sharing this. Quebec is our first stop on our trip. 😉
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Wise choice, Marlene! You will both love it! 😊
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That first photo reminds me of the Wizard of Oz movie! 🙂
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I love that movie! 😊
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Have seen many good pix of peonies and a few great ones. The one at the end of this post is right at the top.
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Thank you, Mel! 😊
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