Storyline: Road Trip with Milan 2018
Driving through the rugged foothills of the Laurentian Mountains on hwy 138 from Quebec City to Baie-Saint-Paul is spectacular. The dramatic images of the St. Lawrence River while entering the city in 1998 are still vividly alive in my head. We had just passed through a squall of heavy rain with zero visibility, when suddenly the skies cleared and the road opened, descending towards the bay, draped with threatening clouds and a beautiful rainbow. In June 2018 the views of the St. Lawrence River bay surrounded by imposing mountains were still spectacular, though not as dramatic.
Baie-Saint-Paul, Charlevoix Region of Quebec is known for its museums, art galleries, ever-present cultural scene with gourmet restaurants, bistros, bars and cafés. Also known as the birthplace of Cirque du Soleil, it is said that Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste is home to one of the highest concentrations of art galleries in Canada. These art galleries and museums are what attracted me to the city in 1998.
After getting high on culture and art, exiting the Museum of Contemporary Art, as I faced the pretty church, I had the urge to go in and light a candle. From the rainbow over the river through the art galleries and pretty church it all was so beautiful. Little did I know then, that at that very moment, my dear childhood friend Dora, far away across the ocean, was sending her last goodbye to this world.
Twenty years later I drove her widowed husband Milan to this place, and walked him to the church, retracing my steps. With the lighting of a candle for my friend, accompanied by two for my parents, I brought closure to the entire story. Bonne voyage mon amie!
I think Milan was relieved too, and now we could enjoy the town and what it had to offer. We sauntered through a few art galleries and artisanal shop, had lunch at Café Arômes Et Saveurs and headed to a discovery art walk.
In one of the galleries we visited before lunch, we noticed very interesting bronze sculptures of figures over their shimmering mirrored reflections. Genius! No matter the artist’s intention, art always leaves space for the imagination and personal interpretation.
We were told that “White et White”, a brother and a sister work together on their sculptures. As far as I remember she does the water reflections and he does the figures above the water, but I 
might be wrong. Of course, although I can get by in France and Belgium and even in Montreal with my French, I have never been able to get a thing from the heavy Quebecois accent northeast of Montreal.
So, what I write here is what I thought people told us. We were told that there were a few big sculptures exhibited around the city, or so we understood. We eventually found “The BlueCycle”, an impressive, imposing statue of a cyclist holding his bicycle with one hand and his daughter with the other, all reflected in the imaginary waters below.
It was a grey and cold for a mid-June day. And we still had to get to our next destination – Saguenay Fjord National Park. It was time to head north. Our next stop was the tiny village of L’Anse-Saint-Jean. As a matter of fact, the entire municipality of L’Anse-Saint-Jean (translated as The Cove of Saint John) has just over 1200 people.
We had a nice Airbnb apartment facing the Saint-Jean River and the fjords, very close to the Saguenay River. It is a very pretty place and sun wasn’t stingy during our stay there.
Back in 1998 on our way to the fjords we had stopped by the village church, Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, and I bought a book with its history. That’s how I knew there was a kingdom in Canada, tiny mind you, but still. The book has a subtitle “Au Coeur de fjord, un royaume à découvrir” (In the heart of the fjord, a kingdom to discover).
Now, I was there in August 1998 and the citizens of the village had voted just over a year earlier to turn it to “Le Royaume de L’Anse-Saint-Jean”. This was and as far as I know still is the first and only municipal kingdom on the North American continent. Good for tourism perhaps. Although the fjord by itself is a great attraction.
We had a day for the fjords and hiking around the steep hills. I had hiked 20 years earlier to the Statue de Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay. We voted against driving there this time. There was a reason for such a decision of course. It was the charity cycling event and the roads were closed for most of the day.
Instead, we chose to hike from our accommodation up to the closest cliffs. There was a road leading to a parking lot near the top of the hills.
The covered bridge over the Saint Jean River is very pretty and serves as an art exhibition of local scenes.
The views from the road are also lovely. Somewhere up the hill we met a forestry worker who told us that the road ahead was very steep.
But he was the only person we met, aside from two people zooming downhill on bikes. Apparently, this early in the season the place was ours to enjoy. We used the road for a while and then took the short-cut trails.
Great views opened up at the top. And again, not a single person there. We enjoyed the beauty and the tranquility; the blue waters of the fjord pinched between the green-capped cliffs. Simple and majestic. Spectacular!
Next day Alex and Milan would drive 90 minutes to Baie-Sainte-Catherine at the confluence of the Saguenay and St. Lawrence Rivers to go whale watching, while I had a great time scouting the area.
There was a full-service RV camp which in mid-June was not open yet. Transcribing my notes and looking at the photos, I hope we can camp there this coming summer or even better in the fall. The fjords must be dazzling with the fall colours.
Alex:
The St. Lawrence is about to 30 km wide and 350 m deep where the waters of the Saguenay empty into it. The combined fresh waters battle to join cold North Atlantic saltwater here, and in the swirling tides, up to 13 species of whale and dolphin feast from May to October. One can often see the resident pod of white Belugas from the shore, but the most awesome sights are the broad-finned humpbacks, speedy fin whales, second only in size to the often-seen mighty blue whale, largest animal to ever roam our planet.
But whale watching is always hit and miss. We were fairly early in the season, and it was chilly and foggy on the water – we had chosen to experience the close-to-the-surface zodiac tour but were well-warmed in the provided survival suits. These 30-person soft-sided boats are speedy and can quickly zip across the water to follow sighting reports from other vessels. But that low in the water, one must be fortunate to get a view of more than a dorsal fin or two. The larger vessels’ decks are much higher over the water and sightings from the higher angle can be more complete. But the boats are slower, and can’t be repositioned as quickly.
We weren’t disappointed as we sighted several mid-sized minke whales and some beluga. And although it wasn’t an epic day, Milan was more than happy for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Back ashore, we ate the sandwiches and apples we had brought for lunch, then headed back inland to the warmth of L’Anse-Saint-Jean.
Note: The 2018 road trip with Milan, the husband of my late friend Dora, followed my steps of 20 years before. In 1998 I headed to Saguenay with a friend. On our way we stopped at Baie-Saint-Paul. Something completely inexplicable happened there, at a moment when I had no idea that my friend Dora was dying. For the full story read “Road trip with Milan”
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