scraps and coffee grounds

“where the river narrows”

Quebec: the middle of our journey, before taking a plane to the weast coast.

Firsts steps at the train station, backpackers way towards our hostel. Firsts impressions watching all those old buildings with green copper roofs, great gardens and beautiful churchs. After a little rest finally in our room, we arrived at the Old Quebec. One of the oldest cities in the Americas north of Mexico.

We cross the “Porte Saint Jean”, the ramparts, and want to get lost on those paved streets.

Next day we enjoyed the must-see montmorency falls. The falls, at 84 meters high, are the highest in the province of Quebec and 30 meters higher than Niagara Falls.

Coming back from the falls there is the benefit of having nearly the train station to go to the Marché du Vieux Port, a treat for all the senses.

And then return to old quebec, discovering the Citadelle, and the Chateau Frontenac, on the top of Cap-Diamant,watching to the Saint Laurent river.

You can enjoy the panorama walking on the Terrasse Dufferin and keep walking on those streets you can admire the Basilic of Notre Dame.

Then you can joint the “Basse ville” with the “Escalier Casse-Cou” or the funicular, and walk around the art galleries, bistrots, shops of the Petit Champlain’s Quartier, visit the Museum of Civilisation or the Place-Royal.

Tadoussac : Route des baleines

Tadoussac Route des baleines. 6:00 greyhound bus lines to Sept Iles. Hard to imagine that I was actually on the way to accomplish that dream of mine.

The preamble was a full of wonderful landscapes around Saint Lawrence river. The way 362 and the Charlevoix area. On the road the Montmorency falls or the Saint Anne Basilica make the journey even more impressive. Before arrive at Tadoussac, you must take the ferry-crossing at Bay Saint Catherine, just like destination would be to be desired a little more. And you have the first date with the Saguenay river.

And here we are, Tadoussac, Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park: colored houses, beautiful gardens, amagical place.

The area is the first place for observation of whales because the cold, fresh water, from the Saguenay and the warmer, salty water of the St. Lawrence, meets to create a rich marine environment. That makes an abundance of krill, and the bay is deep enough for cetaceans.

Next day, at sunrise, we were ready for the experience. A better weather than the previwith a blue sky and a no waves,all was quiet and peaceful.

Words are not enough to describe, it’s a must-live experience. Thanks Paul the captain of our zodiaque ( otis excursions ) four your enthusiasm and unforgeteable moment.

Subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss any free printable and other monthly tips and inspiration.
Find my DIY ideas and crafts classed by themes on my “about me” page
https://atomic-temporary-64974688.wpcomstaging.com/a-propos/?preview=true&preview_id=1&preview_nonce=b6a95f434e&frame-nonce=d2ac28a990&amp=1
Follow for more on my Instagram https://instagram.com/scraps.and.coffee.grounds?utm_medium=copy_link
And you can support my work https://ko-fi.com/scrapsandcoffeegrounds

Route des baleines

6:00 greyhound bus lines to Sept Iles. Hard to imagine that i was actually on the way to accomplish this dream.

And here we are, Tadoussac, Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, colored houses, beautiful gardens, magical place.

The area is the first place for observation of whales because the cold, fresh water from the Saguenay and the warmer, salty water of the St. Lawrence, meet to create a rich marine environment. That makes an abundance of krill, and the bay is deep enough for cetaceans.

Next day, at sunrise,we were ready for the experience. A better weather with a blue sky and a no waves,all was quiet and peacefull.

Words are not enough to describe, it’s a must-live experience. Thanks Paul the captain of our zodiaque ( otis excursions ) four your enthusiasm and unforgeteable moment.

Montréal one day guide

Montreal one day guide: After a short journey by train from ottawa with ViaRail, we arrived at Montreal by night and firsts skyscrapers gave us the welcoming.

1000 De la Gauchetière: Montreal’s tallest building. It rises to the maximum height approved by the city (the elevation of Mount Royal) at 205 m and 51 floors. A little shy that night, became clueless between a layer of thin mist.

Hard to chose what to visit on this city full of culture, so we did our best on a rainy day and we started with the underground city.

His name is RÉSO or “ville souterraine” in french, and it’s a incredible network of galleries with all kind of shops, malls, hotels and more, linking some metro stations. Is one of the largest underground complexes in the world with over 32 km of tunnels.

We decided also to taste a common canadian dish, “the poutine” (french fries, cheese and a deliciouse sauce). And this time we wanted to do it at Harvey’s, the second-largest Canadian-established restaurant chain in the country behind Tim Hortons.

And after that, and full of energy, we went by metro to the Olympic Stadium, the largest by seating capacity in Canada, and his inclined Montreal Tower, the tallest inclined one around the world with 175m.

With our metro daypass we went to Île Saint-Hélène admire the Geodesic Dome of the Biosphere Museum.

Come back to downtown to walk around Notre Dame Basilica and Place d’Armes square. You can see the Maisonneuve Monument, in memory of Paul de Chomeday, founder of Montreal.

A quite and solitary (because of rain) evening at Old Montreal, walking around the City Hall, rue Saint Paul, Victorian houses, the Bonsecours Market, and the waterfront, the Montreal Tower Clock and the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Stately monuments illuminated by green shades like Northern lights, bringing you drops on your umbrella, seemed like they wanted to turn that time into something even more romantic.

It was just a one night scale but we enjoyed it a lot despite the rain. Discover the next stop in my new blog post!

Montréal Impact

After a short journey by train from ottawa with ViaRail, we arrived at Montreal by night and firsts skyscrapers gave us the welcoming.

Hard to chose what to visit on this city full of culture, so we did our best on a rainy day and we started with the underg round city. His name is RÉSO or ville souterraine in french, and it’s a incredible network of galleries with all kind of shops, malls, hotels and more, linking some metro stations. Is one of the largest underground complexes in the world with over 32 km of tunnels.

We decided also to taste a common canadian dish, “the poutine” (french fries, cheese and a deliciouse sauce). And this time we wanted to do it at Harvey’s, the second-largest Canadian-established restaurant chain in the country behind Tim Hortons.

And after that, and full of energy, we went by metro to the Olympic Stadium,the largest by seating capacity in Canada, and his inclined Montreal Tower, the tallest inclined one around the world with 175m.

With our metro daypass we went to Île Saint-Hélène admire the Geodesic Dome of the Biosphere Museum.

Come back to downtown to walk around Notre Dame Basilica and Place d’Armes square. You can see the Maisonneuve Monument, in memory of Paul de Chomeday, founder of Montreal.

A tender solitary (because of rain) Evening at Old Montreal, walking around the City Hall, rue Saint Paul, Victorian houses, the Bonsecours Market, and the waterfront, the Montreal Tower Clock and the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Stately monuments illuminated by green shades like Northern lights, bringing you drops on your umbrella, seemed like they wanted to turn that time into something even more romantic.

Visiting Ottawa

Visiting Ottawa: Advance-Ottawa-En avant, that’s the motto of Canada’s capital and it became ours for all the journey looking step by step for another canadian experience.

Adelante: Éste es el lema de la capital canadiense y se convirtió también en el nuestro para toda nuestra estancia buscando paso a paso para otra aventura canadiense.

En avant : C’est la devise de la capitale canadienne et il devint également le nôtre pour tout le séjour à la recherche, jour après jour, d’une nouvelle aventure canadienne.

This time we left the victorian houses to another kind of accomodation on the Saint Paul University’s residences, more modern but no less charming. A beautiful place close to the river and canal Rideau, surrounded by gardens and animated by squirrels.

Esta vez dejamos atrás las casas victorianas para otro tipo de alojamiento en las residencias de la universidad de Saint Paul, más modernas pero no con menos encanto. Un bonito lugar cerca del río y del canal rideau, rodeado de parques y animado por ardillas.

Cette fois-ci nous laissions derrière les maisons victoriennes pour un autre type de logement dans les résidences de l’Université de Saint Paul, plus modernes mais pas moins charmantes. Un bel endroit près de la rivière et du Rideau Canal, entouré des parcs et animé par des écureuils.

After a little promenade to downtown under the moonlight, next day we enjoyed the Changing of the Guard. The parade begins at the Cartier Square Drill hall and arrives at Parliament Hill at 10 a.m. when the band begins to play “the 10 provinces march” by Howard Cable.

Después de un pequeño paseo hacía el centro bajo la luna,al día siguiente pudimos disfrutar del cambio de la guardia real. El desfile empieza en cartier Square Drill Hall y llega al Parlamento a las 10 a.m. cuando la banda empieza a tocar “la marcha de las diez provincias” de Howard Cable.

Après une petite balade jusqu’au centre ville sous la lune, le lendemain nous pouvions admirer le changement de la garde royale. Le défilé commence à Cartier Square Drill Hall et arrive au Parlement à 10 a.m. quand la bande commence à jouer “la marche des dix provinces” d’Howard Cable.

At this time also the weather turned into a little more solemn and first drops started to fall, and rain followed us for some days.

En ese momento también el tiempo se volvió algo más solemne y las primeras pequeñas gotas empezaron a caer, y la lluvia nos siguió varios días.

À ce moment là la météo aussi devint un peu plus solennel et les premières goûtes commencèrent à tomber, et la pluie nous accompagna plusieurs jours.

The rain was the perfect excuse to visit some monuments and museums. Must thanks the guides who accompanied us to unthinkable corners with all kind of anecdotes and fun facts.

Y qué mejor manera de protegerse de la lluvia que visitando bien cubiertos algunos monumentos. Debemos agradecer esos guías que nos acompañaron a rincones impensables con todo tipo de anécdotas.

Quelle meilleure façon de se protéger de la pluie qu’en visitant bien à l’abri quelques monuments. Il se doit de remercier ces guides qui nous ont accompagné jusqu’au recoins impensables avec toute sorte d’anecdotes.

Close to the Parliament Hill we admired the Rideau Canal’s lock system and the river Ottawa.

Cerca del Parlamento admiramos el sistema de esclusas del Rideau Canal y el río Ottawa.

Près du Parlement nous pouvions admirer le système d’écluses du Rideau Canal et le fleuve Ottawa.

We could’nt miss the Byward Market and there we dined and enjoyed those streets animated by restaurants, boutiques and talented musiciens or painters.

No podíamos perdernos el mercado Byward y allí cenamos y disfrutamos de todas esas calles con restaurantes, tiendas y talentosos músicos y pintores.

Nous pouvions pas manquer le marché Byward et c’est là bas que nous avions mangé et profité de toutes ces rues avec des restaurants, magasins et talentueux musiciens et peintres.

And just like that we said goodbye to the Canadian capital, and took the bus to our next stop. Don’t miss it!

Advance-Ottawa-En avant

That’s the motto of the Canada’s capital and became our for all the journey looking step by step for another canadian experience.

Adelante: Éste es el lema de la capital canadiense y se convirtió también en el nuestro para toda nuestra estancia buscando paso a paso para otra aventura canadiense.

En avant : C’est la devise de la capitale canadienne et il devint également le nôtre pour tout le séjour à la recherche, jour après jour, d’une nouvelle aventure canadienne.

After a little promenade to downtown under the moon, next day we enjoyed the Changing of the Guard. The parade beggings at the Cartier Square Drill hall and arrives at Parliament Hill at 10 a.m. when the band beggins to play “the 10 provinces march” by Howard Cable.

At this time also the weather turned into a little more solemn and first drops started to fall, and rain scorted us for some days.

En ese momento también el tiempo se volvió algo más solemne y las primeras pequeñas gotas empezaron a caer, y la lluvia nos siguió varios días.

À ce moment là la météo aussi devint un peu plus solennel et les premières goûtes commencèrent à tomber, et la pluie nous accompagna plusieurs jours.

And how best to protect ourselves from the rain than visit some monuments well covered. Must thanks those guides who accompannied us to unthinkable corners with all kind of anecdotes.

Close to the Parliament Hill we admired the Rideau Canal’s lock system and the river Ottawa.

Cerca del Parlamento admiramos el sistema de esclusas del Rideau Canal y el río Ottawa.

Près du Parlement nous pouvions admirer le système d’écluses du Rideau Canal et le fleuve Ottawa.

We could’nt miss the Byward Market and there we dined and enjoyed those streets animated by restaurants,boutiques and talented musiciens or painters.

No podíamos perdernos el mercado Byward y allí cenamos y disfrutamos de todas esas calles con restaurantes, tiendas y talentosos músicos y pintores.

Nous pouvions pas manquer le marché Byward et c’est là bas que nous avions mangé et profité de toutes ces rues avec des restaurants, magasins et talentueux musiciens et peintres.

One day in Toronto

One day in Toronto: the city of the Blue Jays, our next stop in our Canadian adventure, Toronto, at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area and the south of the Golden Horseshoe.

Próxima etapa de nuestra aventura canadiense: Toronto, en el corazón de are del gran Toronto, y al sur de la “herradura de oro”.

Prochaine étape de notre aventure canadienne: Toronto, au coeur de “l’aire du grand Toronto” et le sud du “fer à cheval d’or”

We spend only (unfortunately) one night there and continue our way to Ottawa.

A sample of Canada’s comercial capital:

Estuvimos sólo (desafortunadamente) una noche ahí y continuamos nuestro camino hacia Ottawa.

Una muestra de la capital comercial de Canadá:

Nous sommes restés seulement (malheureusement) une nuit et nous avons suivi notre chemin vers Ottawa.

Un échantillon de la capitale commercial de Canada :

-The Distillery District, the largest collection of victorian era industrial architecture in North America. A magical place, an oasis from another era surrounded of modern buildings.

-El Distrito Destilería, la colección más grande de arquitectura de la era industrial victoriana en América del norte. Un lugar mágico,un oasis de otra era rodeado des edificios modernos.

– Le District Distillerie,la plus grande collection d’architecture de l’ère industrielle victorienne en Amérique du Nord. Un lieu magique, un oasis d’une autre ère entouré des bâtiments modernes.

-Another must see in Toronto, Chinatown, one of the largest chinatowns in North America.

– Otro imprescindible en Toronto, Chinatown, uno de los más grandes de Américo del norte.

– Un autre incontournable à Toronto, Chinatown, un des plus grands de l’Amérique du Nord.

-Canadian National Tower, with 553,33 meters high, is the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. When you walk around downtown, you must just look up and realise that she’s playing hide and seek with all those skyscrapers.

-La Torre Nacional de Canadá, Con 533,33 metros de alto, es la estructura no sotenida más alta en el hemisferio del Oeste. Caminando por el centro, sólo hay que levantar la vista y darse cuenta que está jugando al escondite con os demás rascacielos.

–La Tour National de Canadá, avec 533,33 mètres de haut, c’est la structure autoportante plus haute de l’hémisphère de l’ouest. En marchant en centre ville, suffit de lever les yeux et réaliser comment elle joue à cache-cache avec tous les gratte-ciels.

-We enjoyed the Nathan Phillips Square with te contrast of the of old City Hall and the new Toronto City Hall.

-Disfrutamos de la plaza Nathan Phillips con el contraste de los dos ayuntamientos,el antiguo y el nuevo Toronto City Hall.

-Nous avons profité du temps à la place Nathan Phillips et le contrast entre les deux hôtels de ville, l’ancien et le nouveau Toronto City Hall.

-Looking for the Dundas station to buy the bus tickets for Ottawa we walked around the Toronto Eaton Center: a huge shopping mall and office complex.

-Buscando la estación Dundas para comprar los billetes de autobús para Ottawa paseamos en el Toronto Centro Eaton: un enorme centro comercial y edificio de compra venta.

-A la recherche de la gare routière de Dundas afin d’acheter les tickets de bus pour Ottawa nous avons pu marcher autour du Toronto Eaton Centre: un énorme centre commercial et complexe de bureau.

-The Ontario lake, or “lake of shining waters” by Huron people. The waterfront with the lake has a long of 46 km with Toronto’s Harbours Queens Quay and the Harbourtfront Antique Market.

-el Lago de Ontario, o “Lago de las aguas brillantes” como lo llamaba el pueblo Hurón. La linea de costa con el lago hace 46 km con el muelle de la reina del puerto de Toronto y el muelle del antiguo mercado.

-le lac d’Ontario, ou “lac des eaux scillantes” comme ils l’avaient nommé le peuple huron. Le front de l’eau avec le lac fait 46km avec le quai de la reine du Port de Toronto et le quai de l’ancien marché.

All this time a supermoon was watching us. Closer to the earth than usual, the perigee moon charmed a little more our trip.

Todo este tiempo una superluna nos vigilaba. Más cercana de la tierra de lo usual, el perigee de la luna le dio un poco más de encanto q nuestro viaje.

Pendant tout ce temps une superlune nous surveillé. Plus proche que d’habitude de la terre, le perigeemoon à charmé un peu plus nôtres voyage.

Blue Jays

Next stop in our Canadian adventure, Toronto, at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area and the south of the Golden Horseshoe.

Próxima etapa de nuestra aventura canadiense: Toronto,en el corazón de are del gran Toronto,y al sur de la “herradura de oro”.

Prochaine étape de notre aventure canadienne: Toronto, au coeur de “l’aire du grand Toronto” et le sud du “fer à cheval d’or”

We spend only (unfortunately) one night there and continue our way to Ottawa.

A sample of Canada’s comercial capital:

Estuvimos sólo (desafortunadamente) una noche ahí y continuamos nuestro camino hacia Ottawa.

Una muestra de la capital comercial de Canadá:

Nous sommes restés seulement (malheureusement) une nuit et nous avons suivi notre chemin vers Ottawa.

Un échantillon de la capitale commercial de Canada :

-The Distillery District, the largest collection of victorian era industrial architecture in North America. A magical place, an oasis from another era surronded of modern buildings.

-El Distrito Destilería, la colección más grande de arquitectura de la era industrial victoriana en América del norte. Un lugar mágico,un oasis de otra era rodeado des edificios modernos.

-Another must see in Toronto, Chinatown, one of the largest chinatowns in North America.

– Otro imprescindible en Toronto, Chinatown, uno de los más grandes de Américo del norte.

– Un autre incontournable à Toronto, Chinatown, un des plus grands de l’Amérique du Nord.

-We enjoyed the Nathan Phillips Square with te contrast of the of old City Hall and the new Toronto City Hall.

-Disfrutamos de la plaza Nathan Phillips con el contraste de los dos ayuntamientos,el antiguo y el nuevo Toronto City Hall.

-Nous avons profité du temps à la place Nathan Phillips et le contraste entre les deux hôtels de ville, l’ancien et le nouveau Toronto City Hall.

-Looking for the Dundas station to buy the bus tickets for Ottawa we walked around the Toronto Eaton Center: a huge shopping mall and office complex.

-Buscando la estación Dundas para comprar los billetes de autobús para Ottawa paseamos en el Toronto Centro Eaton: un enorme centro comercial y edificio de compra venta.

-The Ontario lake, or “lake of shining waters” by Huron people. The waterfront with the lake has a long of 46 km with Toronto’s Harbours Queens Quay and the Harbourtfront Antique Market.

All this time a supermoon was watching us. Closer to the earth than usual, the perigee moon charmed a little more our trip.

Todo este tiempo una superluna nos vigilaba. Más cercana de la tierra de lo usual, el perigee de la luna le dio un poco más de encanto q nuestro viaje.

Pendant tout ce temps une superlune nous surveillé. Plus proche que d’habitude de la terre, le perigeemoon à charmé un peu plus nôtres voyage.

Visiting Canada

Visiting Canada: From past to present, I can’t wait to show our travel to this great country.

From East coast to West coast, we arrived at Canada’s biggest city: Toronto, and went directly by bus to the cinematographic Niagara. Starting the visit by the illuminated falls at night, that was hard to imagine better after that 🙂

Del pasado al presente,no podía esperar para plasmar nuestro último viaje a este genial país.

De la costa Este a la Costa Oeste, llegamos en primero a la ciudad más grande de Canadá: Toronto,y nos dirigimos en autobús directamente a la cinematográfica ciudad de Niágara. Empezando la visita por las iluminadas cascadas de noche, era difícil de imaginar algo mejor después de eso.

Du passé au présent, il me tarde de revoir notre dernier voyage à ce merveilleux pays.

De la côte Est à la côte Ouest, nous arrivions à la plus grande ville du Canada : Toronto, en nous rendant en bus directement à la cinématographique ville de Niagara. Commençant la visite par les chutes illuminés de nuit, c’était difficile d’imaginer mieux après ça.

Testing our new #nikonD5200 , next pics will be better ?
Haciendo pruebas con nuestra nueva #nikond5200, las próximas fotos serán mejores ?

Nous faisions les premiers tests avec notre nouvelle #nikon5200,les prochaines photos serons meilleures ?

After the mad side of Niagara at night in Clifton Hill with all kind of attractions, Sunday we enjoyed the city by day, and that was even more impressive.

Después del lado loco de Niágara de noche en Clifton Hill con toda variedad de atracciones, el domingo disfrutamos de la ciudad de día, y fue incluso aún más impresionante.

Après le côté fou de Niagara la nuit à Clifton Hill avec toute sorte d’attractions, dimanche nous profitions de la ville en journée, et c’était même plus impressionnant.