3 September 2015

from Saguenay to Øresund

3 September 2015

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Thursday 3 September 2015--We drive from Rimouski to Rivière-du-Loup today, a distance of 70 miles. There isn't much of anything of interest to see along the way, aside from the river views on a spectacular sunny day. Near St-Georges-de-Cacouna, we can see Tadoussac across the water.

We make a quick reconnaissance of Rivière-du-Loup, a town of about 20,000 that had its beginnings as a seigneurie founded in 1673. The origin of the name--River of the Wolf--is uncertain, and I find myself wondering whether it might have been named by the English conquerors after their general, James Wolfe, as Point-aux-Loups in the Magdalen Islands apparently was. Evidently, however, it predates that era. Wikipedia mentions a local indigenous tribe known as "Les Loups", as well the historical presence of seals, known as loups- marins, or sea wolves, in French. Today, there is a charming commercial district parallel to the Rivière-du-Loup itself, and there appear to be a number of attractive parks around. All in all, it's a very pleasant town.

We backtrack to check in at Auberge de la Pointe, a sprawling inn on a bluff overlooking the St Lawrence. I order a beer from the local brewpub at the bar, take it out on the back terrasse, and enjoy the view. Then we return to town for a couple of pints at Aux Fous Brassant, the brewpub. The rustic bar is surrounded by local artwork on the walls. I like it. Marc suggests that the name--the Brewing Fools--is once again wordplay, riffing on fou de Bassan, the fool of Bass Rock, the French name for the bird known in English as the gannet, which is common across the arc of the North Atlantic. A close look at the pub's sign confirms this--it shows a stylized brewing fool with a white bird, with its characteristic yellow patch, on his shoulder. I find it interesting that the French seem to know the bird best from its rocky perch in Scotland's Firth of Forth.

Dinner is back at the Auberge, followed by a couple of beers on the terrasse. Twilight over the St Lawrence is stunning, a lovely finish to a beautiful day.

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