General impressions of Quebec

Everywhere we went in the maritime provinces, if we mentioned we'd come up through Quebec, we'd get knowing nods and questions about the people of Quebec, and whether we were treated well.

I found most in Quebec to be much like people in large cities in the US -- generally standoffish, having no real interest in you or your circumstance, not likely to initiate conversation of any kind, but giving the impression that all this is because they're too busy doing their own thing. Rarely was anyone actually rude. We are the obnoxious sort of travelers who do not speak any French beyond Bonjour and Au Revoir so we were in a way asking for resentment, but we didn't notice any resentment or rudeness connected to the fact we didn't speak the language. Just about everyone was very conversant in American English and seemed willing enough to use it with us. Occasionally, we got on well with a lone Quebec native in conversation, but this was the exception; for most, it's all business.



The BMW dealership in Montreal is no exception; they were unusually standoffish (I thought) compared to other dealerships we've visited. Nevertheless, we bought t-shirts and a few other little things without trouble and had no real complaint about it.

Interestingly, the Montreal dealer is a joint BMW and Harley shop, neatly split down the middle so that on one side you have the rather utilitarian BMW 'ambiance' with no frills but an astounding selection of gear (the best selection we've seen in any BMW shop), and on the other was a bustling leather-and-chrome shopping arena complete with cafe :lol3

The only outright rudeness we experienced was here, at a hotel in Baie St Paul:



Our habit when getting a room for the night is that one of us goes in to check rates and availability while the other stays outside with the bikes. On this occasion, I entered the lobby, and within the first few steps in the lobby, the woman behind the counter came running at me exclaiming 'no, no' and motioning at me to go back outside. I went out, the woman from behind the counter did not follow me out or offer any explanation... and I told Kenny that I was pretty sure I had just been booted. He asked why, and of course I had no idea. We related the story to a few people down the road, and were told that in some areas of Quebec, there had been a lot of violence and drug traffic brought in by the Hells Angels, and as a consequence there are some people in Quebec who will not deal with any mpotorcyclist. This was something no one wanted to discuss any further, even in Labrador or Newfoundland, so it seems to be a point of embarrassment.

We left this hotel and went to a motel less than a block away, the Motel des Cascades, and got on very well with the clerk there. The rooms were extremely clean and pleasant, and the rate was very good.

Note of interest: Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) becomes Poulet Frit du Kentucky (PFK) in Quebec. We didn't see any Starbucks (although I'm sure they're there), but there's a Tim Horton's on every corner, and if you asked for iced tea at one of these Tim's in Quebec, you're likely to get a mug of hot tea with a glass of ice to pour it into. Kenny, an avid sweet-tea drinker, was foiled time after time as he attempted to obtain some kind of cold tea throughout Canada.