It is almost 700 km from St John NB to Quebec City and it took us almost 9 hours, including a stop for gas, a stop to eat our lunch in Grand Falls, NB, another stop at the visitor's information centre in Quebec and then the highlight of the journey at the Accordion Museum in Montmagny, PQ about 1 hour from Quebec City.
The accordion has played an important part in the musical history of Quebec. Apparently, the first accordion was brought over from Austria by a convent in 1843, and in 1895 Odilon Gagne began manufacturing of accordions in his home. Accordion music has been an integral part of the Quebecois musical tradition and culture.
With my brother behind the wheel, Ed and I were able to relax in the back seat and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. Like BC, the area between St John and the Quebec border has lots of trees. Closer to Quebec, we are coming into a more agricultural region - the Potato capital of the province. Lays potato chips has a factory here, but no time to stop for the tour today.
Our hotel is located just on the other side of one of the many gates to Vieux Quebec. After settling into our rooms, we set out to find a place for dinner. We found an Italian restaurant with an accordion player, Parmesan. The food was delicious and the atmosphere lively.
I'm looking forward to spending a full day in Quebec City.
When we were in Quebec City, a couple of years ago, it was very hot and muggy. Here’s hoping you are enjoying more autumnal temperatures. It feels like Europe, n’est pas?
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