MONTREAL (dpa) – Anyone who has seen the beautiful, expansive landscape of Quebec, Canada’s biggest province in the northeast of the American continent, will understand why it is known as “la Belle Province”.
Only 7.5 million people live in this vast province that stretches between Ontario and New Brunswick and is four times the size of Germany.
As the name indicates, the language, culture and history of “la Belle Province” has been shaped by France. “Not that anyone need worry that only French is spoken here,” said Roseslyne Hebert of Tourisme Quebec in Montreal with a wink. “English is absolutely no problem in the big cities, and elsewhere it is at least understood.”
The mighty St. Lawrence River, with its countless islands, is the lifeline of southern Quebec. The Iroquois North American Indian tribes were the first to settle on its fertile banks, and it was on the Saint Lawrence that the European explorers delved deep into the North American continent.
The 3,000-kilometre Saint Lawrence Seaway that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes, allows deep-draft ocean vessels to travel from the Atlantic into the rich industrial and agricultural regions. The best way to explore it is on a boat tour. You will need at least three to five days to enjoy a close look at the sea birds, seals, whales and other river inhabitants.
The Musee de la Mer in the small town of Pointe-au-Pere, near Rimouski, in eastern Quebec province, commemorates a fateful journey along this giant waterway. It is dedicated to the memory of the Empress of Ireland. In 1914, on its journey from Quebec City to London, the Cathay Pacific ocean liner collided with a freighter and sank, killing 1,012 passengers.
A buoy today marks the site of the shipwreck. In good weather it can be seen from the top of Pointe-au-Pere lighthouse. This smart construction dating from 1859 is the highest lighthouse in Canada and also a protected monument. But to enjoy the glorious view over the Saint Lawrence from the top of it, visitors must first climb the 128 steps to the top.
Not far from Pointe-au-Pere begins Gaspesie, a peninsula the size of Switzerland, and home to the Parc de la Gaspesie, one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Canada. Hikers who reach the summit of Mount Jacques Cartier here, 1,268 metres (4,160 feet) above sea level, are rewarded with a wonderful view into the country. Inhabitants of this Alpine-Arctic climate include moose, caribou and Virginia deer.
The highlight of a trip to Gaspesie is Perce Rock, a 438-metre long rock worn down by the wind and the sea on the coast of the fishing village of Perce. Visitors who look out over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence here could easily believe they were looking directly at the ocean.
Bird watchers in particular should not miss a miss a boat trip to the Ile Bonaventure, off Perce. Although only 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) long, its rocky cliffs provide sanctuary for thousands of nesting gannets from April to November, as well as gulls, kittiwakes, and guillemots – a rare treat for bird watching enthusiasts.
Each spring and autumn migrating snowgeese use the Saint Lawrence River here as a resting point on their flight between the Arctic and the American East Coast. The sight of tens of thousands of majestic snow geese in flight is an unforgettable experience. For more information on Quebec see the Internet under http://www.tourisme.gouv.qc.ca.
