Les Iles de la Madeleine

Oh MAN

Is it ever nice over here, I mean for REAL. Its like a tropical holiday but you r money is still good and thereès like, no chance youèll get hep A from an ice cube or whatever. You may have noticed that Ièm on a french keyboard, so punctuation comes up resembling more the way I used to actually speak frenchas a child. With extra éès everywhere to make my frenglish sound more authentic.

Anywys, I htink my french has improved SO much from continued use in an immersion siuation. Batman, I reccomend that you save your french lesson money and come here for a MONTH not only because itès a crazy nice place to vacation, but the french is a good thing.

So. I arrived Monday night. I made friends with a little girl on the plane and eventually he family, and they drove me to my hostel that night! Yay not having to take a taxi a midnight! I got sorted out at the hostel and went straight to bed. Tuesday I got up, met some people, then walked into town (Cap aux Meules...look at a map!), which was nice. I found a bike path by the coast and spent the afternon buying food and strolling up lookout points in the area. The evening I started to make friends with my hostel people. There was Eric and Virginia, who are nice people, just looking for a holiday from their software company. They have two yappy dogs called Sparkles and Binky or something, so while they were really sweet, we didnèt have too much in common :) Then Frank and Liz, who are likely in their sixties and are obn the last leg of their 7.5 week cycling holiday around PEI and the MAgdalens. They are hard core travellers, and I got some good advice from them. Lots of stories from them, too. I was inspired to keep going .Itès worth it to be in shape f you can spend two months campin on the road on a cycling holiday! Then thereès Chris, who is (sort of) from New Hampshire. He was especially great because heès a hard core eastern canada traveller. Heès been EVERYWHERE and had tons of recommendations for hostels and places to go all over the place. He also kindly gave me a roide to a part of town I would have never seen on my own, as its too far to walk and I probably wouldnèt have biked it (called La Grave, in the south).

SO anyways, good little crew. We had dinner last night at a wicked little café that is clearly the cool place in town. Cool would be in quotes if I could figure out how to do it.

So Iève spent my days pretty much exploring the plac as much as I can. There are sea vistas everywhere you go, lots of cyclists, places to eat and have a drink. Itès sunny most days here, and today os cloudless. It is still cool at night and it can be so unbelievably WINDY!!! Windsurfers and kitesurfers are every freaking where. Its cool to see, thatès for sure. Makes me miss my lessons on the lake!
Oogh! I did my first handwash yesterday. My laundry ziplock was getting really ripe. I think Ièm going to invest in a dry sack stuff sack for al my clothes and abandon my ziplock bags to other uses. I feel like if I could re-pack Ièd be much more refined with my choices of clothes and things. Like, I only get half a bar of soap, yet I felt good about bringing 2 journalsÉÉ Logic anyoneÉ Ugh, way to go, Thinky McLogic!

ANyways, you live you learn! Ièm getting nicely bronzed and in places not nicely pinked, but Ièm applying my sunscreen religiously. It feels good to need to do that.

Im feeling less lonely these days, it definitely helps to be busy. Renting a bike will probably become an dimportant part of my trip, because being stuck on foot is really being stuck sometimes. Having a bike really gives that chance to do a little more true exploration.

Ièm so happy to be here, for sure. Although Ièm the suckiest hesteller! Ièm the last one up every morning, even though Im up before 9 ni the morning. Oh well man, nothing too pressing. I think I still have a good solid day so I suppose Im okay with that. I suppose its a little embarrassing when its just me and the cleaner in the morning, but that what we get for not having a partying hostel.

So: verdict on the Magdalens: itès beautiful, almost no trees, coastal with the bright little houses peppered all over the place. Lots to do if you like to bike and are into outdoors stuff like kayaking and tooling around. Its a cheap holiday and Id certainly come back. So yay! Lets go Québec leg of the trip! Success! Soon I get to learn how to speak Maritime.

As usual, if anyone want to hang in PEI or Cape Breton, that times comnig up soon. Ièll update the PEI situation as soon as I can. I think Ill spend the night at the hostel in Souris (where the ferry takes me) then head up to Charlottetown for a few days. After that Ièm thinking oit would be nice to get up to the National Park on the Northern coast for a few days. After that, on to Cape Breton, unless i rent another bike and do some touring like that. Well see!

Take it easy everyone. Thanks for checking itn. more as it comes eh!!

xoxo