We woke to an overcast sky, completed our morning routines, left Wesley Clover Parks Campground, and headed back into Ottawa to cross over the Alexandra Bridge into Quebec.
The Royal Alexandra Interprovincial Bridge was built between 1898 – 1900, and crosses the Ottawa River just east of Parliament Hill at Nepean Point in Ottawa. The bridge was designed primarily to carry Canadian Pacific Railway trains but also had a track for local electric trolley service between Ottawa and Hull, as well as a lane for carriage traffic. A large fire severely damaged the bridge in 1946, permanently terminating trolley traffic.
During the late 1950s the bridge was upgraded to carry vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The closure of Ottawa Union Station in 1966 saw the last passenger trains use the Royal Alexandra Bridge and the railway tracks were removed as the bridge became exclusively a vehicular-pedestrian bridge.
We were happy to have another province to explore. Immediately, the highway, street, and shop signage switched to French. We noticed a remarkable difference in the quality of the roads, their surfaces patched and uneven.
Quebec is the only province to have a predominantly French-speaking population, with French as the sole provincial official language. Most inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, the capital. Approximately half of Quebec residents live in the Greater Montreal Area, including the Island of Montreal. The Nord-du-Québec region, occupying the northern half of the province, is sparsely populated and inhabited primarily by Aboriginal peoples.
We were thankful our Garmin gave us directions I could understand, and followed the instructions turn by turn through Gatineau to head east on Highway 50.
After a short drive on rough roads, we approached the outskirts of Montreal. When we thought the roads couldn’t get worse – they did. The truck suspension had us rocking and rolling like rodeo riders, and the trailer was heaving like a stricken boat in a storm. We were worried the cupboard contents would be thrown about, and attack us with a vengeance when we opened the doors.
We made our way to a large parking lot at the Old Port, had a local lunch of Montreal Smoked Meat and Poutine, then explored Old Montreal.
With some of its buildings dating to the 17th century, it is one of the oldest urban areas in North America. In the eastern part of the old city (near Place Jacques-Cartier) the following notable buildings can be found: Montreal City Hall, Bonsecours Market and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, as well as preserved colonial mansions, such as the Château Ramezay and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site of Canada. Further west, Place d’Armes is dominated by Notre-Dame Basilica] on its southern side, accompanied by the Saint-Sulpice Seminary (the oldest extant building in Montreal). The other sides of the square are devoted to commerce; to the north is the former Bank of Montreal Head Office and to the west, the Aldred Building and the 1888 New York Life Building, the oldest skyscraper in Canada. The rest of Saint Jacques Street is lined with old bank buildings (like the Old Royal Bank Building) from its heyday as Canada’s financial centre.
Bonsecours Market is located in the eastern portion of Old Montreal.
The southwest of the old city contains important archeological remains of Montreal’s first settlement (around Place d’Youville and Place Royale) in the Pointe-à-Callière museum. Architecture and cobbled streets in Old Montreal have been maintained or restored to keep the look of the city in its earliest days as a settlement, and horse-drawn calèches help maintain that image.
The old town’s riverbank is taken up by the Old Port (Vieux-Port), whose maritime facilities are surrounded with recreational space and a variety of museums and attractions.
Champ de Mars is a large public space located between Montreal City Hall and the Ville-Marie Expressway. It is notable due to its location and its archaeological remains. The two parallel lines of stone are one of the few spots in present-day Montreal where you can still see physical evidence of the fortified settlement from colonial times.
We headed back to the parking lot, appreciating the shady trees along our route as an escape from the harsh sun.
We left Old Montreal, and headed to Trois Rivières, Halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Again, we were thankful for our Garmin directions leaving Montreal. Travelling along, getting in the correct lanes, keeping pace with the fast flowing heavy traffic. We felt like a cork bobbing down a rushing turbulent river.
We stopped for the night at Trois Rivières Walmart. The air thick and still with humidity, we ate a light supper, showered, and wanted to shower again…it was very muggy.