Gaspé 3, Quebec, Canada

 

Got up early and went out for breakfast.  The breakfast was great but the yard outside the restaurant was whimsically goofy with scarecrows mannequins dressed up in funny clothes.  So we had to get in on the fun.

Found out the local shrimp processing plant was just next door to the restaurant and they told we could buy fresh shrimp caught that day.  After breakfast we went   over to check it out.  The lady at the restaurant said to go into the main office and see the receptionist and she would sell us the shrimp.  We did just that – the shrimp are the small northern shrimp and sell for $9.00/lb.    We were going into town so we decided to pick some up on the way back to camp.

We stopped at the Musée De La Gaspé  (Museum of Gaspé).  There were two exhibits open to the public – the first was “Gaspésie …. A Grand journey” which was a history of the local people and of the Gaspé in general.  There are artifacts from 1534 when Jacques Cartier discovered the Saint Lawrence to a German torpedo that hit a cliff in the village of Saint-Yvon.  In the back of the museum there is a monument to Cartier consisting of 7 steel plates depicting scenes that try to portray his initial discovery.

The second exhibit was the history of the First Nation in the Gaspé – the Mi’gmaq (pronounced MicMac).  There were many artifacts used in their everyday life in this rugged and inhospitable country during the winter.  Tomorrow we are going to a Mi’gmaq village for a guided tour of how they lived.  PRC

I must start by saying how blessed I am. I never imagined I would enjoy a retirement such as this. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be traveling in eastern Canada in a travel trailer. I also never figured on marrying a Canadian either. It’s a marvelous life. Our pilgrimage three years ago on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain was a life changing experience. I aspire to maintain the attitude I developed as a peregrine (pilgrim) on the Camino. It’s still rather difficult to articulate but it is an attitude of positive expectation. Everything is infinitely interesting including travel – new places, people, cuisine, culture, language, identity – all of it and I don’t want to miss a moment of this fascinating life.

Both Peter and I have become more and more interested in history so of course we enjoyed the Musée de la Gaspésie. We are particularly interested in indigenous cultures. The first people to be called Gaspésians were the Mi’gmaq people as their territory included what is now the Maritime Provinces and parts of Quebec. Many believed it also include a part of Newfoundland and part of the state of Maine. We look forward to a tour of a Mi’gmaq village tomorrow.

The museum also included a virtual reality experience on board an authentic cod fishing boat. With headset and earphones we were able to step into the past with a 360 degree surrounding experience.

On another topic, you may know I have a weakness for earrings and t-shirts. We have been on the road for over a month and I have not bought one t-shirt nor pair of earrings. Today I finally bought some cool earrings from the museum gift shop.

As Peter indicated we bought fresh shrimp (caught today). We decided to share our bounty with our friendly neighbors who we met last night (Joanne and Andy) and shared their campfire. We feasted on shrimp cocktail and guacamole – a Maritime/Mexican fiesta!

We are leaving the province of Quebec on Thursday and entering one of the Maritime Provinces – New Brunswick. More adventures await us!   JY