2 September 2015

from Saguenay to Øresund

2 September 2015

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Wednesday 2 September 2015--We've decided to spend a second night in Rimouski, for several reasons. One is that we like the brewpub, Le Bien, Le Malt. Another is that I spotted a restaurant yesterday that looked interesting. A third is that we are planning to visit Parc National du Bic today, it's not very far down the road, and it makes sense to do it as a daytrip from here.

Le Bic is an odd lump of rugged hills stuck onto the gentle south shore. In the visitors' center, we learn that there is historical interest here, from archeological sites illuminating the lives of the indigenous people to the farmsteads of European settlers. Bic's greatest value, however, is in the ecology of its unusual landscape. To the casual visitor, it's simply a beautiful place, its rocky massifs rising above the coastline. There are numerous trails to explore. We choose one of the easier (and thus more popular) ones, leading along the shore, around coves and over headlands, until it reaches a rocky point where the trail becomes a serious clamber. We return instead the way we came.

Back in town, Marc elects to take the afternoon off. I drive ten minutes back downriver to Pointe-au-Père to visit the Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historic Site. There are several things to see here, including the submarine Onondaga. I've come to see the museum dedicated to the Empress of Ireland, which sank not far from here in 1914, with a loss of 1012 lives. The Empress, outbound from Quebec City, sank within fourteen minutes of a collision with the Norwegian coal ship Storstad, in a fog at about 2:00am. An inquiry laid blame with the captain of the Storstad, but the testimony of the captain of the Empress has been shown to be inconsistent and self-serving. The collision was likely due to miscommunication in the fog, but the rapid sinking of the ship, and subsequent loss of life, appear to have been the result of inaction and corner-cutting by its captain. [If you are interested, check out this 2005 CBC documentary.]

We dine this evening at La Réserve, a bistro I spotted yesterday. I was attracted by its atmosphere and menu, but in all honesty, the real draw is the fact that they serve Terre Ferme, a beer from À l’Abri de la Tempête in les Îles de la Madeleine, on draft. It was my favorite beer when I visited the Magdalen Islands in 2012, but I never once saw it on draft there.

Last pints are at Le Bien, Le Malt. The barman is friendly and talkative, which is no small part of the reason we like the place. The name of the pub is a punny one--it sounds like "le bien, le mal", or the good and the bad. I suggest to the barman that they should sell milk, and call the place "Le Bien, Le Malt, et Le Lait"--the good, the malt, and the milk--which sounds like "le bien, le mal, et le laid"--the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you're going to pun, pun big.

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