Chicoutimi worth a detour?
 

I'll be coming from the Gaspe on way to Quebec City. Is the detour across to Chicoutimi worth a few days? The fjords seem interesting enough, but I'm really looking for a fun, untouristy town to hang out in. Does Chicoutimi qualify for that?

Chicoutimi. How well do you speak French?
People up there impressed me as being true French Quebec folks. English is a very foreign languge.

Example: A pet shop owner had a parrot that spoke no French. A civic group called for the dismissal of the parrot unless the bird added French.

The steep roads and the rivers and the views are of course multi lingual!

I think untouristy is a good word.
But if your French is like mine, you may have difficult communicating with the locals beyond sign language.

Quote: "Example: A pet shop owner had a parrot that spoke no French. A civic group called for the dismissal of the parrot unless the bird added French."

What a load of bullsh....

Regarding your trip, RAR, it all depends if you like nature. Chicoutimi in itslef is not a large city but the Saguenay is quite a sight - as spectacular in its sheer size as it is beautiful.

You will not encounter many English speaking people but it won't be different as if you were visiting Bolivia or the Vietnam's countries....

Visit this site for more info.
http://www.saguenaylacsaintjean.net/...tz.asp?lang=an

Oddly enough, I have visited Bolivia :) My girlfriend teaches French, we'll be fine there. How about the Lac St Jean area? Is it too worth a day or two?

The Saguenay region is certainly worth a few days. Things not to miss:

- Ste-Rose-du-Nord. A very beatiful village on the north shore of the river, directly on the fjord. About 30 minutes drive east of Chicoutimi.

- Anse St-Jean, another beautiful village, this one one the south shore about 60 minutes drive east of Chicoutimi. Not far from there is an access point to Saguenay National Park (Baie Éternité sector). Good views on the most impressive part of the fjord

-Vieille Pulperie Museum in Chicoutimi(Old Pulp Mill Museum). Excellent exhibit on the history of the region. Very nice, but smallish, master painting show. Arthur Villeuneve's original house in the back.

- Val Jalbert (near Dolbeau on the south shore of the Lac St-Jean). An historic village around an old pulp mill and impressive falls. Very well done.

- St-Félicien zoo. Boreal forest animals in their natural habitat. Well done.

Have fun.

With respect, I think BobBrown was attempting some humour there and did not deserve to be snarled at...we just spent the night in that area this past weekend and I agree with the lack of Englishas a slight challenge, but the restaurants and hotels were most gracious in putting up with our fumbles in French-the gas station attendant was less interested but pleased enough to take our cash-gas prices in Quebec, NB and NS were breathtakingly high versus Ontario (let alone the US, even with the exchange). They really cranked them up for the Canada Day weekend.

The story about the parrot is true. It was written about in the press.

When I let posters like travlingmad bother me, I will quit posting.

I saw the story shortly after my visit a few years ago. There was a very strong separatist movement at the time and feelings about French versus English were up few degrees.

As I recall the referendum on separation narrowly failed.

Here is a clip from the June 29 1997 Sunday Telegraph:

There was the recent complaint to the Office de la Langue Francaise by an angry pet-shop customer who had bought a parrot and had been outraged to discover that it spoke only English. The Quebec Government briefly considered demanding the recall of all parrots in the province. No one seems to know the present whereabouts of the bird - though doubtless, in time, he will emerge from the Government Reeducation Camp, with a glassy look in his eyes and squawking, "Qui est un joli garcon, hein?". To most English Canadians, this is all the work of an embittered minority crippled by a historical chip on one shoulder and an anglophone parrot on the other.

Another story goes even further and reports the demise of the parrot.
This is NOT something I cooked up!

C'mon Bob, you don't have to believe everyhting you read in the press!

I am a francophone from Quebec, born and raised and I can assure you that the story does not have a word of truth: a Government of Quebec would consider a recall of all parrots? A "Government Reeducation Camp"

Let's get real....

I'm not saying you're a liar, I'm saying the story is bull.

I thought the Sunday Telegraph was a reliable source. So which side do we choose?

You mean I can not believe in Santa Claus?

It's actually the whereabouts of the complainant, or the pet shop owner, that seemed unknown to the press who was spreading this parrot story... This excerpt from the Telegraph was an opinion piece inspired from another one of those jokes that foster tension and misunderstanding between the communities... Quite unfortunate. As Bob said, landscapes are multilingual, and I am sure that RAR will enjoy a few days in the Saguenay and Lac-Saint-Jean area. I second the recommendations for Val-Jalbert and Saint-Felicien, and if you're into outdoor activities, i'd add the Parc aventure du Cap-Jaseux (east of Chicoutimi) for zip lines, via ferrata, rafting, kayaking, etc.