The farther you travel north from Quebec City, the more French you hear, and fewer people understand you. We traveled up the St. Lawrence River until the road ends in a ferry, in St. Catherine Bay. It was a breathtaking drive that went through small fishing villages, and we passed many small lakes and forests. The pictures show the Baie-Saint-Catherine estuary, the place where the St. Lawrence River and the Saguenay River meet. Along the river westward is Fjord Parc, and in the fjord can be seen whales, seals, and lots of birds. We were surprised that the area is not very touristy. There were few restaurants and few activities, other than the much-touted whale watching tours through the fjord and helicopter tours. You reach the end of the road, and the only choice is to take the ferry or turn around.
We stopped for gas and coffee in a small village, and only one worker (out of four) understood and spoke English. Signs are all only in French. It is truly very different than the rest of the places we travel, where English is as common to hear as the native language. We read on Wikipedia that 100 percent of Baie-Sainte-Catherine residents speak French as their first language, and 0 percent speak English as their first language.
