Au Revoir Quebec – Bonjour/Hello New Brunswick

Yes, this post comes right on the mosquito-bitten heels of the last one.

Today we drove from Quebec to New Brunswick and then across the whole province from Plaster Rock to Miramichi and then south. That is Grand Sault/Grand Falls, the site of our lunch break. It’s a small city with both a French and an English name and apparently 80% of the population is bilingual. That’s so refreshing after translating all the signs for T in Quebec. No, I can’t understand the speech. Just read the signs. I learned Parisian French in school and there’s no comparison. The accent is much too different, not to mention the 40-some years since I took French. Beyond rusty into incomprehensible.

I have to say the people here in New Brunswick are so kind! We got a fabulous chat and booklets and maps from a lovely lady in the welcome centre in Edmundston, right after we crossed the border from Quebec. And then we got another nice bilingual lady who helped us here a the welcome centre in bee-ooo-tee-full Kouchibouguac National Park. . The rats felt welcomed too. Here they’re helping decipher the map:

I hated to tell them these weren’t actual “real people”. Flat Rat wasn’t convinced:

That felt so good! 

The park’s name is pronounced something like “koo-shee-boo-gwak” but with a soft “k” at the end, almost not voiced. So far it’s a really nice park with hot showers, wash areas and free, accessible and fast wifi right from our campsite! Total yay! I’ve already gotten the fridge and cooler cleaned out and washed up. I also managed some blog posts (so far) and although it’s hot and humid, it promises to rain some tomorrow. It already has just a little. The only thing that brings this lovely place down is the mosquitoes which are nuts. Sorry, Nancy. The clip-on bug repellent only works if you stay still. Right. Sure. Oh, and if you actually (you know) have a belt to clip it to! He does. I don’t. And we need to watch out for the poison ivy here. Again. We don’t have this stuff at home so it’s not automatic. But ask me about stinging nettle… At least one can make yarn and fabric out of it!

We’ll be here for at least a couple of days so expect more. We really need a rest after travelling constantly for so long. We’re finally in the Maritimes! Whoo-hoo!