(Magog, Québec, Canada)
This summer’s road trip is an extended journey through the province of Québec! We are often in Québec, but it has tended to be (1) for skiing in the winter months, (2) journeys by train to Montréal or Québec City, or (3) en route to the Maritime provinces or the New England states. This time, we have a car and we can properly appreciate this huge province in the summer months and at a relaxed pace.
The start of our journey was somewhat challenging. Shortly after crossing the Québec border, we were nailed by torrential rains that essentially did not let up for a full 24 hours. Streets were under water and the driving conditions were treacherous. As a result, there is not a whole lot of light in this first batch of photos.
We spent the first night in the historic village of L’Acadie. We were looking for a place to stay in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, of which L’Acadie is now a part. But L’Acadie was once a thriving town on its own, and our B&B was likely built a couple of hundred years ago when there was an exodus from the Maritime region of Acadia. It reminded me of staying in an old Swiss farmhouse, complete with doorways that cannot accommodate anybody over 5’6″. But it had plenty of character and the breakfast was delicious.
After a brief stop at the Saint-Jean outdoor market to pick up some supplies for a picnic lunch, we headed towards the Eastern Townships. This is a scenic and mountainous region of Québec that looks quite similar to Vermont. We very much enjoyed skiing here about 14 years ago. Sadly, as the rain was simply too heavy, we could not do any real exploring this time until we reached Knowlton.
We warmed up with a chocolat chaud and a London Fog (tea latte) at a Knowlton café, and then found a liquidation sale for…Christmas ornaments! Our Christmas tree is already odd (a pickle, a chili pepper, and a hand-painted NASA ornament are only three of the dozens of unusual ornaments), but it is now even better with a skiing chicken and a set of bagpipes.
From Knowlton, we travelled to the abbey at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac. This is home to an order of Benedictine monks and is dramatically situated high above the shores of lac Memphrémagog. The current abbey was built at the end of the 20th century but manages to look “classic” despite its newness. Work is an essential part of this particular order: among other things, they make cider, cheese, and even olive tapenade! We look forward to trying some of our purchases.
We had dinner in the bustling town of Magog. As we loved the food here on our previous visit, we returned to one of our favourite places: the Microbrasserie la Memphré. While a cheese fondue wasn’t appropriate this time (as it was certainly not -20’C), we nonetheless enjoyed our meal in what is now an extremely popular place. And the sun finally came out (see photo at the top of this post)!
Last time we were in Magog, we stayed at a gîte (B&B) called À Tout Venant. However, the summer is much busier than the winter and we ended up booking our accommodation for the next couple of nights in another nearby community. Stay tuned, as we dive deeper into the Eastern Townships!