Quebec.5

Since my last report we have moved on a couple of times. We departed Tadoussac (about which I can't speak highly enough) and took the lengthy drive to Bromont, a sleepy skiing town East of Montreal. The accommodation there was the best we have experienced but the area itself was not really set up for even the most cerebral tourist. Canada is pretty damned marvellous but a minor complaint would be that too often the natural beauty flashes past your car window without an opportunity to pull over and savour it. Not enough paths (particularly at lakeside, though that is probably because foreshore is privately owned here) and a lack of comprehensible signage.

Tremblant Resort

After two days we moved on again and we are in the Mont Tremblant region. This place is definitely not sleepy. In particular the Tremblant Resort is thick with tourists. You really have to visit the Resort to appreciate it. It sits at the foot of the South facing ski runs and is a Tyrolean styled modern confection of accommodation, eateries and boutiques, all expensive but artfully carried off. In my postcard home to Mum and Dad I described it as Portmeirion meets Disney.

the only way to travel

The best views of the resort and of the surrounding lakes and mountains are to be had from the peak of Mont Tremblant - a very stiff walk or, as we did it, a brilliant cable car ride away from the Resort. Beautiful.

Today we have a last full day in Mont Tremblant and will be heading into the wilder parts of the nearby national park. Tomorrow it is back to Montreal, drop off the car (we have covered just shy of 2000 kilometres) and one final night before we fly home. We shall miss Quebec.

I'm The Urban Spaceman Baby

I've been turning this particular little essay over and over in my mind, rather fearing that it will expose me as the half-wit thicko I really am. Yes, yes, I can hear you at the back, sniggering and asserting that no new proof is needed. But here goes anyway.

I have in mind three films about space travel  - it's not all they are about but it pulls them together nicely. First Man is the most recent and, despite it being about arguably the defining technological achievement of the twentieth century (I know that's a big claim but we can argue about that next time we meet - over a pint) it is the simplest in plot and cinematic method. Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong, an understated and thereby commanding performance. Liked it, 7.5/10.

First Man put me in mind of the earlier and sprawlier (is that even a word?) The Right Stuff. This epic concentrates on the early American astronauts, whose number of course included Armstrong. The show is stolen by an actor who embodies my notion of cool - Sam Shepard. Shepard was cooler even than Johnny Depp and only a special few people know how dangerously close I come to a man crush on Depp - before his recent uber-weirdness of course. But enough of my predilections, what about The Right Stuff, is it any good? Decidedly so. 8/10. My favourite critic Roger Ebert (like Shepard sadly no longer with us but his acolytes continue the good work of his website) rated it possibly more highly than this and I would never go out of my way to disagree with Ebert. Which will make the next paragraph all the harder.

2001: A Space Odyssey has always had the Overgraduate puzzled. Put bluntly he has tried on several occasions but failed to find where the fascination lies. So on the plane on the way over to Canada, in the comfort of his business class pod, he decided to give it another go. The screen on Air Canada is huge and the earphones are good so the viewing is pretty immersive. I cannot blame the circumstances or the locus for my reaction. That reaction is a mile away from Roger Ebert's which places it as one of the greatest movies of all time, hence my hesitation. But when all is said and done I think this is dangerously close to pretentious tosh (the film not my review). Yes I see certain huge merits: the realisation of life in space still stands up these fifty years after the film was made; the opening ape scenes are visceral and compelling; the classical score is masterful. But, I'm sorry, the final act is a psychedelic mess and a bit of a philosophical cop-out. Do I hear a machine in the background intoning - I'm sorry Dave I don't think I can let you say that. 6.5/10. 

Quebec.4

The Pig has lost his magic touch: no more whale sightings to report although the Groupie did spy a beluga from the viewpoint at the Tadoussac Dunes.

We've taken to the open road for our last two days here in Tadoussac. Saturday saw us heading north alongside the Saint Lawrence, stopping at intervals to take in the scenery. This is a magical part of the world. Today we headed inland to the Saguenay Valley, being particularly taken with the fjord at Sainte Rose du Nord.

Sainte Rose du Nord

More fine dining to report, this time at Le Cafe Boheme here in Tadoussac. Ambitious cooking carried off with aplomb in a cheerful bistro setting. The ambition can be seen from the Pig's choices - home-made black pudding as a starter and halibut cheek served with seaweed risotto and caper croutons, for the main. It all worked beautifully. They even serve decent local craft beers. Recommended, as is Tadoussac in general. Lonely Planet may be sniffy about it but to my mind it does tourism rather acceptably. I could imagine living here, particularly now I've found an English language sports channel. Only joking, if the Pig did settle here he would naturellement learn la langue, even better than he deja speaks it

Quebec.3

The caravan has moved on to Tadoussac, whale watching capital of Canada. A quaint town of clapboard houses set up to receive tourists and to deliver them onto the seas in search of the massive mammals. It's a great place.

We were lucky with the clear skies and calm seas yesterday when Pig and Groupie set out on the pride of the AML fleet, Le Grand Fleuve. This is a far cry from the Zodiac boats which jet out from the quay to get very close to the whales but your intrepid duo are rather more into luxury and had therefore opted for the VIP package on the big ship. Expensive, yes a little, but  a decided success. You get a private lounge with panoramic views and a private deck so that you don't have to charge from side to side of the ship when the beasts are sighted. You also get as much food and drink as you might be tempted to take. Worth the extra. We saw beluga, fin and minke whales and some grey seal. Astounding.

And that was not the end to the day's delights. After a brief rest we walked around the headland by the quay and the usually unobservant Pig spied a fin whale close in to the shore. A free bonus. All of this followed by an excellent dinner at La Bolee where classic French style cuisine meets Canadian standards of service. Again, outstanding. The Pig had beetroot soup, venison and maple syrup ice cream washed down by a very acceptable local Riesling. Today we are heading further up the North Shore for some more coastal delights and some leaf peeping.

An interesting diversion - I have been watching some playoff baseball with French commentary. Tres interessant.

Quebec.2 - Let's Parler Franglais

Le Pig etait en son prime quand il got 'O' Level grade A en le sujet de French. Depuis longtemps it has all been downhill. C'est la vie je suppose.

Anyway mes amis, le plus Nord on va en Quebec, le plus il faut parler Francais. Aujourd'hui nous sommes allee au supermarche et just about got away with it. Nous avons achete du pain, du pate, du fromage etc. Oh et aussi, naturalement, deaux bouteilles de vin. Le weak pound has un lot to answer for parce que le shopping n'est plus cheap ici en Canada.

Un success notable - je filled up le voiture avec petrol et conducte l'entire transaction en Francais. Bien Fait Le Pig. Aujourd'hui Baie St Paul, demain le monde. Au revoir.

RWC19.4 And Quebec.1

Following the Rugby World Cup from Canada is not the easiest - the matches are in the middle of the night and there is not exactly wall to wall coverage. However the interweb thing comes to the rescue of the Pig and he need only report that it is nice to see Australia coach Michael Cheika having a good old fashioned whinge after his side's defeat to Wales. Poor baby. I thought it was supposed to be the English who behaved that way.

Basilique Notre Dame de Montreal

We're now at our second stop on our tour of Quebec - first was Montreal and second is Baie St Paul. The former was good. We attended mass en Francais (but with a written English translation of the gospel readings - a nice touch) at the magnificent Basilique Notre Dame and ate out well - poutine is a must. Poutine or chips and gravy as Northerners might put it.

The Big Owe

Pig and Groupie were impressed by the Montreal Botanical Gardens though to the tutored eye (not) of the Pig the rose beds needed weeding. The Gardens are alongside the Olympic Park. The main stadium itself has a vaguely neglected look to it (it has no permanent tenant these days) but retains a seventies brutalist magnificence. Caustic locals have dubbed it the 'the Big Owe', referencing both its shape and the municipal near bankruptcy which staging the Games inflicted on the city.

The Pig survived the drive from Montreal out to Baie St Paul in the hired Fiesta without any undue incident. It's always vexing when you first drive on the wrong side of the road but we got here in one piece.

RWC19.3

From the comfort of our London hotel room I watched this morning as the World Cup got properly interesting. Poor old Ireland copped the wrong side of a Japanese typhoon and were bearen 19-12 by the host nation. Fully deserved too - a performnce of ferocity, pace and deftness.

Pig and Groupie are en route to Montreal so this bulletin comes to you from Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge at Heathrow. Nice. Updates to follow.