A journey from Montreal to Nova Scotia
The big open living room in the Bear on the Lake hostel in Aberdeen is heating up nicely as a fine spray of rain almost completely disguises the view to the lake just on the opposite side of the road. It’s only 6:30 pm – the earliest we have arrived at any hostel on our road trip so far – so I finally have some downtime to start writing about our travels while Lisa is preparing a pizza for us and a few other hostel guests. It’s going to be a quiet night with some games which are stored in the retro-oven just beside me but that’s more than alright for me. I almost can’t believe that we left Montreal just over five days ago.
It’s usually a 4.5 hour drive from Montreal to Rivière-du-Loup but Lisa and I didn’t facture in the rush hour in Montreal. After being stuck in traffic for almost an hour and a half, we are stopped by a police officer for queuing onto a crowded junction and blocking the road. Great – we’re not even properly on our way and are already being handed a ticket! But the initially stern officer shows some sympathy when we explain that we’re on vacation from Germany and just picked up the car. He says because he’s from Belgium he just gives us a warning and lets us off. Shortly after, the traffic is moving and we’re on our way at last.
We arrive in Rivière-du-Loup just when the sun is setting. From the motorway, we witness a beautiful red sky over the Saint Lawrence river and the little islands within but we don’t dare to stop for a photo. So we just drive in admiration to our hostel, the HI-Auberge Internationale de Rivière-du-Loup. This beautiful and comfortable little hostel is honestly one of the reasons to go there. The wooden building has a great, country-style interior as well as a comfortable living room and kitchen. Various instruments are waiting to be used, including a guitar and some bongos. In the morning, the free breakfast includes 3 (!) types of home-baked bread, cereal and pancakes. The handful of French guests are great company and we’re sad to check out the next day already.
Rivière-du-Loup is a small town with cute little houses and shops. Different theories exist around the origin of the name, the “Wolf River”, ranging from seals (sea wolves) or Amerindian tribes to a 17th century French ship. We only walk through it briefly after a quick wander in the Parc des Chutes which features a number of walking trails as well as a 30 metre waterfall. Then it’s time to pick up our travel companion for the leg between Rivière-du-Loup and Saint John in New Brunswick. Lisa has advertised the different sections of our journey on kijiji.ca and we already had some people interested in a rideshare, enabling us to save some fuel cost and (hopefully) meet some nice people on the way.
Matt is from England and we pick him up at a fuel station where he just arrived by bus from Quebec. He’s been in Western Canada for most of his time in the country and is now discovering the East. When he hears that we’re heading on towards Halifax after Saint John, he’s immediately up for it. And as we’re driving through the endless forest of New Brunswick, lighter green in most parts with darker pine trees dotted around, Matt arranges a hostel for the three of us in Saint John while Lisa and I are taking it in turns to drive and to look for moose. Moose are the largest member of the deer family, close relatives to elks, and we really want to see one.
The drive takes us to Grand Falls, a little town with a massive, wide waterfall where we stop for lunch, and through the scenic St. John River Valley. After a six-hour drive, we arrive at our hostel Newman House in Saint John, which is a terraced house that has been converted into a hostel. It’s just being renovated which means we get a discount plus the friendly landlady makes sure we have sufficient ingredients for a good breakfast, which is also included in the roomrate. After a quick chat with the only other guest, Aaron from Australia, we head out to explore the city.
Hunger and thirst quickly drive us to the Market Square near the harbour, which features some very appealing looking pubs and restaurants. Peppers Pub is looking busy so we get in for some local beers and chicken wings, because it’s Wing Thursday (and yes this is really a thing in Canada). After a few beers, a ride on the life-size moose statue in front of the pub, to the “amoosement” of some locals, it’s time to call it a night.
The next morning, we have another new member joining our little travel group. Mike is originally from Nova Scotia and now lives and works in Saint John. He’s more than happy to do a bit of sightseeing rather than heading straight to Halifax. Our first stop is the Bay of Fundy, a beautiful beach with impressive rock formations on route to Moncton. Most likely a wonderful and scenic spot for a swim and a sunbath in summer, we don’t hang around long because it is still quite chilly. Cape Enrage, from which visitors can witness the power of the highest tides in the world, and the stunning potted plant-like rock formations of the Hopewell Rocks are next on our travel schedule. Whilst we’re hoping to drive all the way along the coast, we quickly realise that the gravel roads are not made for our rental car. So with Matt moving stones out of the way as we’re progressing slowly back onto a paved street, we finally give up and return to the highway. As the tide will be low by now, we reluctantly decide to skip Cape Enrage for now and head straight for the Hopewell Rocks and wander in admiration around these bizarre-looking rocks that have been shaped by the force of the water.
Much later than anticipated, we arrive in Halifax, and following Mike’s advice, we feed our starving tummies with some local beers and pizza in the laid-back Foggy Goggles pub only a brisk walk away from our hostel.
Tips for getting around in Canada / East Canada:
There are plenty of ways to get around in Canada:
- Usually flying and taking the train is the most expensive option.
- Busses are cheapest when booked in advance. Between Montreal and Quebec, the following bus companies are operating:
- Orleansexpress between Montreal and Rivière-du-Loup
- Maritime bus from Rivière-du-Loup to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
- Renting a car is probably the best option if you’re (like us) tight with time and you still want to see a lot. I’d really recommend booking it online in advance. The HI membership gets you a discount with some car rental companies, e.g. Alamo, Enterprise, National but only if you book online. The following (German) website also offers worldwide, cheap car rentals: billiger-mietwagen.de
- Ride shares can be found on kijiji.ca, amigoexpress.com and kangaride.com
- Last but not least, a lot of people are hitchhiking in Canada which seems to work as well. I wouldn’t want to do that alone as a female.
Note: Most prices in Canada are quoted without the (15%) tax that apply. This applies for everything, from drinks in a pub to car rental and bus tickets, so be mindful of the additional taxes that apply.
