As we drive back toward Quebec, the clouds that have been scudding across the skies seem to coalesce, making us happy we have our umbrellas and jackets with us. Suddenly the beautiful day is not so beautiful. We are hopeful the weather will hold out until we are back aboard the Quest.
We make an executive decision to not stop at the Canyon. It’s mostly strenuous hiking, they call it extreme sports, with a zip line, oh, and a suspended bridge 60 meters above the falls. Nope – not happening. We’re staying closer to the ground, as we continue on our way and arrive at the Shrine of Sainte Anne De Beaupre and park in the immense parking lot. The place is huge. Rising up alongside the road, towering over everything for miles. You wonder why they would build something like this here – and we could find no explanation, except that in 1658 when the first chapel was being built, a worker with excruciating back pain came to help. He was healed after working on the chapel, and the pilgrimages began. Over time, the original church was demolished and the Basilica was built. It burned in 1922 and the present Basilica was built.
This is supposedly the oldest pilgrimage site in North America. Thousands flock here to give devotion to Saint Anne and ask for healing. The building is just an astonishing feat of construction and artistry. Inside is over the top as well – the stained glass and columned and domed ceilings. There are even a couple of huge displays of crutches and prosthetics and other disability objects on a couple of the pillars as you first enter the basilica. Amazing!
It is a little after noon when we have finished touring the basilica, so we head directly over to Ile d’Orleans, and once again past the waterfalls – which are really huge and flowing strong. Pretty cool looking.
We cross over the long, tall bridge to the island (my mother would have not been a happy camper on that bridge – at all)…
…then onto the island and onto one of the 3 roads that cross the interior of the island. We decided we were hungry by this point, so we stopped at the Resto-Pub L’O2 L’ile (which Ed had found on the web before we left). This place was a great little spot – with everything you could ever want from sandwiches, salads, pizzas and of course Poutine!
We go the carb route and I order the Club le Montagn (Mountain club with Proscuitto, Savoy cheese, dried tomato and carmelized apples) and Ed, who has decided to break the carb bank, orders the Poutine Gourmand (cheese curds, beef, mushrooms, bacon and gravy all slathered over french fries). We’ll be hitting the gym hard tonight – and tomorrow and, well, for the rest of our lives after this meal!
It is all as delicious as it sounded. I ended up taking half my bread out – who needs 3 slices per sandwich – and we both wipe Ed’s plate clean. But I swear it is lobster in there, and Ed says it isn’t, it is mushrooms and gravy. Ok – well – whatever it is, it is yummy defined! AS it turns out, when we get the bill, we realize that the Poutine was the lobster – Ed ordered in French instead of pointing like I do (because I slaughter the French language) and the girl heard “Homard” when he actually said “Gourmand.” Oh well, it was fantastic.
Back out into the overcast day we go, fully sated. We stopped at the little information center but there were French speaking couples there talking away and not giving up an inch. I couldn’t find any free maps – just pay ones behind the counter, so we eventually left without information – except for a couple of little flyers I picked up on the way.
When we were planning the trip, I had actually mapped out our route by the different artisan food places I wanted to visit. Since there is only one road, and it circumvents the island, we weren’t too concerned and headed off in the direction of the Cheese shop I had listed.
On the way, we began to pass all the adorable little stone cottages with awesome landscaping – too fast to take pictures – but the scenery was idyllic. Farm land stretching as far as the eye could see on one side, and the river on the other. And only 10 minutes from town! What more could you ask?
We passed a winery, and a couple of other shops, then decided to follow a car from Massachusetts into the Domaine Steinbach Ciderie. What the heck? I forgot the phone in the car, so I couldn’t take pictures, but the store was chock full of ciders and duck pate and jellies, mustards and jams. A cornucopia of food that got your salivary glands going. We could pay $5 CAN for a tasting, so we figured, again, what the heck? We went into the tasting area with the Massachusetts folks (from Boston) and we all had a delightful time tasting mustards, then preserves, then jellies and jams, and for the finale, ciders paired with duck confit. We were so sad we weren’t driving! We would have cleaned out the shop with the mustards and confit! But alas, we are flying and we aren’t hauling that stuff on the plane. We’ve already got our blueberry onion confit from Lac St. Jean – we’re good. But we do take the time to go outside for a bit and hang out on the deck built overlooking the apple orchard and river. This is the place to be for a picnic!
We also found a great free map at the Ciderie – you know the typical tourist maps that come in a pad and have the advertising? The one you would expect to find at the tourist information center, but that wasn’t? Yeah, that one, so now we are totally set – not that we really needed the map, but, well, you know CPS!!! Mapped up, we continue our drive through the farmland, and orchards – the apples!!! – past a bunch of different farm stands, all with apples and strawberries and all sorts of produce we’d buy in a heartbeat but that we can’t take with us – and we won’t be able to eat it all by the time we hit the ship. Bummer! The houses are now getting bigger as well, gorgeous stone structures surrounded by farmland. We also start to see a lot of real estate signs. Hmmm….interesting….
Our next stop is Les Fromages de l’sle d’Orleans, and adorable little house sitting amidst the apple orchards. We head inside, unfortunately after a whole bus of school children. Eek. But, as they bustled around, we looked at the cheeses and accessories and tried to make decisions on what to buy. As it turns out, we decided not to buy anything – we really don’t need it on the ship and we’ve only got 2 days left. But we did want to try the local cheese and they were selling samples. We managed to figure out each sample was $1.50, so we got in line to get our tickets, then select our samples. The cheese, was the first cheese ever made in North America. We tried two types – the hard cheese, Paillasson, and the soft type, Faisselle. The Paillasson is fried in a dry saute pan until the outside is nicely browned and the inside is just a little gooey. Totally to die for. The Faisselle is the first phase of the cheese making process, basically the curds and it tastes like a cross between yogurt and ricotta. They were both so good – but we really, really are sad we can’t take the Paillasson home with us. That was truly the winner of the day. We ate both samples sitting on the covered porch at the back of the store, overlooking the apple groves. Serene.
Returning to our circuit, we continue to ooh and ahh over the scenery. It’s just so incredibly beautiful and peaceful out here (on a week day with minimal tourists, that is!). At the end of the island is a 5 story look out tower and picnic area that gives us great views across the island and over the St. Lawrence to both sides of the mainland. Lovely – and great exercise after all our fries and bread and cider and cheese eating!
Off we head to a cool little church near the Confiserie Vielle Ecole, a confectionary shop I had mapped. The church was awesome, the confectionary shop a disappointment. Repackaged candies from who knows where. Not the locally produced products for which I had hoped.
We’ve completed half our circuit, and now don’t have anything mapped out until the complete other end of the island where we’ll stop at the Chocolaterie. Yes! Dessert! More scenery, more river views, way more houses for sale. Seriously, this whole island is for sale. We’ll need to check the prices when we return home, but it is looking like bubble island to us. Incredible!
Halfway along the paved road, we come to a detour. Huh? We’ve passed the road that bisects the island down here, so where are we going? Off-roading is the answer to that question! The detour sends you over hill and dale, through people’s farm land and all around the middle of the island on what appears to be a temporary gravel filled road. Adventure! It’s totally cool though, because we get to see a side of the island we wouldn’t normally see. Thank heavens there is no “off-roading” clause in our rental agreement like there is in Maui with the Road to Hana.
Back on the paved road, we reach the west end of the island – and surprise! It is totally different. It is like driving through the woods – deep woods. With huge houses stuck in and amongst the trees. Completely unexpected.
We stop at the Chocolaterie, which other than the cool architecture and location at the tip of the island, is again, a disappointment. The prices are really high, and I’m being cheap. Plus, how much chocolate do we really need? None would be the correct answer! And we have tons back in the cabin..so..we head out, unfortunately into the rain, which eliminates me taking pictures of the cool location and the water views.
It’s rainy enough that we don’t even stop at the viewpoint overlooking Quebec City as we exit the island. Pooh. We have to go find gas, so we head in the opposite direction of the city because that was where the gas stations were located. On the way back, we pass the waterfalls and decide to punt them. It’s a waterfall – it’s close to closing time and it’s raining. Great shot from the car though….
…as well as a pretty decent shot of the Ile d’Orleans bridge…
…ok, neither are that good, but it’s the idea here people. Come on!
We navigate our way back through the tiny, twisty city streets to successfully drop the car off at the garage, then head toward the ship. We thought we’d go through the old city, then down past the Frontenac hotel, but the route is uphill, then down, then up – and we abort when we find an intersection that takes us to the ramparts and the street we walked up in the morning. We snap some shots of some of the more interesting buildings…
…and head back to the ship for our 2nd to last night dinner.
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