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Sept. 24 – Letchworth State Park

By on September 27, 2018 in The Pearl
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

We finally had a chance to drive over to Letchworth State Park, it’s known as the “Grand Canyon of East”. The park runs 17 miles along the Genesee River and is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern U.S. The river roars through the gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs as high as 600′ and is surrounded by lush forests. The Genesse River is one of only 33 north-flowing rivers in the world, others that we have been on are the Oswego River, the St. John’s River in Florida and the Richelieu River in Quebec.

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Food in Québec

By on September 26, 2018 in The Pearl

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” – John Green

Quebec City is known for their food scene and there is an endless amount of choices of places to eat. We didn’t make it to any fancy “French” restaurant, but we did enjoy some wonderful, quaint, relaxing bistros. Here’s a look at what we found.
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Sept. 19 – (Part II) Île d’Orléans, QC

By on September 25, 2018 in The Pearl

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anatole France

Our second stop on Wednesday was Île d’Orléans, it’s located in the Saint Lawrence River about 3 miles east of Québec City. The island represents the tidal divide of the St. Lawrence, where fresh water begins to mix with the sea. Île d’Orléans was one of the first settlements for New France in the sixteenth century, and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace ancestry to early residents of the island. One road circles the perimeter of the island offering visitors a look back in time with historic homes and churches, vineyards, sugar shacks (maple syrup), delicious bakeries, fruit stands and drop-dead-gorgeous scenery.
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Sept. 19 – (Part I) Montmorency Falls

By on September 24, 2018 in The Pearl

“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves.” – Andre Gide

We left Québec City this morning and headed east to see Montmorency Falls (Chute Montmorency) and then the Île d’Orléans. This post will cover the falls…I’ll do another post for the island. The day started out dreary, windy and cool but began to clear as we enjoyed the falls.
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Sept. 18 – Old Québec, QC

By on September 23, 2018 in The Pearl

“The pleasure we derive from journeys is perhaps dependent more on the mindset with which we travel than on the destination we travel to” – Alain de Botton

Our last day in Old Québec was cold and windy, not a good day to be outside, but it gave me a chance to do a little shopping. Since it was a dreary day and not a good day for taking pictures I thought I’d share more pictures from our first two days in Old Québec. I think we walked up and down every little cobblestone street (Rue) in town…at least once. I’m in love with this city.
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Sept. 17 – Old Québec, QC

By on September 21, 2018 in The Pearl

It’s a pretty good life I’m living, you won’t hear me complain. I’m just hoping tomorrow I get to do it all over again. -Howard Livingston

Old Québec…what an amazing place to visit. I think we’d like to return and spend a month just hanging out at the little sidewalk cafés and wandering around at a slower pace. The city made all our senses think we’re in France, with the sight of winding cobblestone streets and century old buildings, the sound of French pleasantries, the taste of buttery croissants and the enticing smell of fresh-baked bread and amazing chocolate. It’s a little piece of Europe right here in North America.
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Sept. 16 – Old Québec, QC

By on September 17, 2018 in The Pearl

“Love is the food of life, travel is dessert.” – Anonymous 

Just a short blog today to let everyone know we left Montreal this morning and headed east. We arrived in Québec City around lunch and the weather is amazing…we’ve finally found some nice temps. It’s been crazy hot up here and in upstate NY lately. We had a wonderful day wandering around Old Québec. I will give more details (and pictures) when I have time. For now here’s a look at the place we’re staying and Stan’s birthday dinner.
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Sept. 15 – Montréal, QC

By on September 16, 2018 in The Pearl
SpringHill Suites Marriott 
“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.” – Cesare Pavese
The first stop on our Québec Adventure was Montréal. We spent a few days here in 2012 and thought it would make a nice stop on our way to Québec City. Montréal has many wonderful neighborhoods to explore, but we spent our time in Old Montréal. Old Montréal sits on the edge of the St Lawrence River, it’s the city’s oldest district founded as a fur trading post in 1605 by Samuel de Champlain. It’s composed of picturesque squares and grand old-world architecture. Today the cobblestone streets are full of museums, shops, art galleries, parks, bars and sidewalk cafes. The perfect place to spend an afternoon exploring. We got to town in time for a late lunch at sidewalk cafe at Place Jacques-Cartier. We enjoyed music by street performers while we ate lunch. 

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Québec Adventure

By on September 15, 2018 in The Pearl
“Fascism is cured by reading and racism is cured by traveling” -Miguel de Unamuno
We’re off on a new adventure…this time by car. We’re heading to Québec City. It’s been on our list of places to visit for a long time. It felt a little daunting to go by boat, so we decided to drive over this week to celebrate the captain’s birthday.

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Thousand Islands Lighthouses

By on September 4, 2018 in The Pearl

I’ve enjoyed taking pictures of lighthouses since we left Texas in 2011. I have a lighthouse map and an online photo album with 267 lighthouses that I like adding new lighthouses to. The past year or so I haven’t seen too many new lighthouses, but our trip to the 1000 Islands gave me a chance to collect a few more.
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