By Nancy Dorrans
Since 2015, I’ve organized an annual tour in February to Quebec City for Winter Carnaval de Québec. Canadians definitely know how to celebrate winter, and we always have a blast, albeit a cold one.
Over the years, many travelers have asked me if I would set up a tour to Quebec when it’s warmer. They wanted to see the gardens in bloom, walk the cobblestone streets without the risk of slipping on ice, and leave their heavy down jackets at home.
So, this year it happened. My first thought was to plan the trip in May, during shoulder season. However, in May I discovered the gardens would not be open and there might still be snow about.
And so, I went back to the drawing board and ended up scheduling two summer tours. One in July when the fields of lavender would be at their peak. Another in early September to celebrate the harvest and visit the region’s restaurants, village cafes, vineyards, microbreweries, cheese and chocolate producers, festive public markets, distilleries, bees, and the Gardens of Light at the Botanical Garden in Montreal.
Both adventures begin in the Eastern Townships before heading either east to Quebec City or west to Montreal.
Eastern Townships & the Village of Three Pines
Thanks to a few fellow travelers, I’ve also discovered a fondness for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the Louise Penny mystery novels, which are set in the Eastern Townships and Montreal. When this article is published, we’ll be on our September tour to Magog and Montreal, perhaps catching glimpses of the characters and locations that have served as the inspiration for the fabled village of Three Pines.
But now, I’ll share the complete sensation of our July adventure. While you can’t taste or smell what we did, this account may help to inspire you to join us next year and “come hug it out in the Eastern Townships!”
Fields of Lavender at Bleu Lavende
We started out on a steamy mid-summer Sunday from Portland. We enjoyed a delicious catered lunch and inhaled the sweet scents of the lavender fields at Bleu Lavende. Next up, a lively bubbly cruise on Lake Memphrémagog, then a local beer and sandwich creation “Club Cantons” (poulet mariné, vieux cheddar, bacon, tomates, roquette, sur pain ciabatta) at Des Cantons Microbrasserie! A pop up thunderstorm cooled us off at the end of this delicious day.
Parc Marie-Victorin’s Gardens
The next day heading to Quebec City, we took a breathtaking stroll through Parc Marie-Victorin’s seven themed gardens. We stood in awe at base of their mosaic cultures; “enormous three-dimensional plant structures linked to Brother Marie-Victorin’s many voyages of exploration. The one representing him is over 6 meters tall and is made up of more than 13,400 plants!” We capped the day off with a tour & tasting at the Meillerie King Honey distillery before arriving to Quebec City for the next two nights.
Quebec – History & Appetite
Tuesday morning my friend Catharine Moser and I enjoyed an early stroll past Café Boulangerie Paillard, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Quebec, Le Monastère des Augustines and breakfast at Le Cochon Dingue (The Crazy Pig)!
We then met our guide from Cicerone Tours for a full day gastronomic tour of Quebec City and île d’Orléans.
She was dressed as Marie-Anne Barbell who was a French-Canadian businesswoman in New France 1704 –1793 and is remembered for leading several successful business enterprises after the death of her husband while raising 14 children!!
Marie-Anne shared stories of her life in New France in between visits of a cider tastings at Cidrerie Verger Bilodeau, a 3-course lunch with 5 wine paring at La Grange de l’ile, and a sweet stop at the Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans where the soft serve was dipped in real chocolate! Back in Quebec City the group had some free time for relaxing and/or exploring Old Quebec.
Copper Doors of St. Anne’s
Wednesday began with a visit to the beautiful Sanctuaire Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Shrine followed by a tour of the Cuivres d’art Albert Gilles, a family owned and operated copper art workshop and museum. The main doors of St. Anne’s, depicting the life of Jesus, were created by the copper artist Albert Gilles!
Montmorency Falls
Montmorency Falls, nearly 100 feet taller than Niagara Falls was our last stop. We rode the cable car to the top for our buffet lunch. We admired the falls view from the bridge and below.
This was a much different experience than when we visit in February. I think we will plan to do this adventure again next year! I hope you can join us!
“Don’t Delay…. NOW is Someday!”
