Day 6 - Wednesday July 5 - Riviere-Du-Loup

Whales?

So we had to leave the castle today. It was sad, but the allure of whales and the St. Lawrence was enough to roust us. We decided to keep breakfast simple and headed down to the buffet restaurant in the basement, the Place Dufferin. It was elegant. It was sumptuous. I had rich, moist eggs, crispy and spicy hash browns, yogurt, fruit, delicious granola and seeds, pastries, juice, coffee, cheese, bread, honey from the roof, etc., etc., etc. I think T had two bowls of creme fouetté and black coffee. Gord had some pancakes, some waffles and some pastries - he wants me to tell you it was a chocolate croissant.

With that, we headed out of town. In 15 minutes the kids were asleep and we were moving north for the St. Lawrence, Rivière du Loup and the prospect of whales.

We arrived with 45 minutes to spare and packed a bag for the boat. We had a 3.5 whale watching tour booked, vip! It was $26 bucks more, take it easy!

At 1:30 we headed out to Tadoussac and it wasn't long before we could see Belugas breaching the water. Did you know the babies are brown? (Raffi never told us that!) The adults are bright white and were easy to spot from afar. As we headed out further the species got more and more diverse and the day better and better. 

In all we got to see 4 species of whale (Beluga, Fin, Minke and Humpback), Grey Seals, and many Razorbills- the penguin of the North. What an amazing trip. 

The top deck was full of vistas and cool breezes, but G was unimpressed as he ate his snack. 

Hannah loved the air conditioned lounge VIPs could enjoy. Or maybe just her Dad's lap.

Gord smiling as he eats Mom's snack while she helps Hannah nap while searching for the elusive hump back.

The interpreter told us that she had seen only one other Humpback this season, so we felt quite fortunate when this appeared. What a sight. 

After 3.5 hours at sea we were ready to come home and enjoy all Rivière du Loup had to offer. It turned I had books a bit of a landmark. Motel Loupi is a modest motel right near the dockside on a unique peninsula, but it had loads of character, from the unique river view, the long, public terraces, and the free bikes. We enjoyed the two former and had a quiet night after enjoying a pizza and beer meal at Restaurant Normandin. Hannah didn't enjoy her time there, but the three of us did and were gone before it got too late. 

We needed sleep as we were heading to the Ocean and our third province of the month. St. Andrews by the sea awaited. Sleep came quickly.

Lovely views from our balcony overlooking the office for Motel Loupi.

The long and public terraces at motel Loupi have surely seen many fun nights. We watched Maoi and went to bed. He Atlantic awaits!