3. Tremblant and Quebec City

Storyline: Road Trip with Milan 2018

Our next stop was Mt. Tremblant. We didn’t have far to go, and Milan still hadn’t seen our capital. The decision was to avoid crossing from Ottawa to Hull in the morning rush hours.

Instead we’d show him Parliament Hill, wander though the Byward Market and continue to Hawkesbury where we’d cross the river, then turn back to Montebello, saunter around its grounds and continue north.

Since skiing has been out of financial reach for me, I had never been to Tremblant Village before. It is a popular ski destination for many. The accommodations in the winter can be prohibitably expensive.

However, it was mid June, not even the summer season and I had managed to secure a lovely two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on the top of a hill, right across from the main village and attraction area. Arriving in the evening, we settled in and I made some dinner.

With 3 nights there, there was enough time to wander around, hike the mountains and enjoy life. After all it was our road trip too. This last statement is because Milan does not understand or appreciate even the small luxuries, like spending money to eat in a restaurant. I had taken this into account and had the car full of produce and coolers to carry food between stops. Most of the places on the itinerary didn’t even have decent places to eat out, but once in a while we’d drag him in a restaurant, where he’d select the cheapest item, since we’d foot the bill.

The next day was really nice for hiking. Milan trotted along with us for part of the hike, but we were too slow for him. Eventually somewhere midway, and with our concurrence, he took off with much faster gait.

After all I am short and one of his steps is probably 3 of mine. Besides, living in flat Ontario we hadn’t done much mountain hiking, so I was out of shape (plus, the mosquitoes were getting aggressive, and Diana decided that she’d be happier off the mountain – A).

So, Alex and I hiked down and hit the pubs. Had a lovely late afternoon.

Next day was to stroll in the surroundings of the village and prepare for an early departure the following morning. We took the small but much nicer roads, in the foothills of the Laurentian mountains. In general, this was our strategy from the start, to avoid busy highways as much as possible.

Our next destination was an Airbnb accommodation in Boischatel, just next to the Montmorency Falls a few kilometres east of Quebec City. I was curious about Shawinigan, the birth place of one of our Prime Ministers. We zigzagged to Shawinigan where, as Alex had told me many times, there wasn’t much to see (not that Alex had ever been there – A).

Had lunch at a picnic table by the river and this was all with Shawinigan. Made it to our accommodation late in the evening after heading northwest, primarily on Hwy 138, which is a quieter and more pleasant drive than hwy 40 to which it runs more or less parallel along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. It was a long day, but here too I’d booked 3 nights.

We had a day for Quebec City and a day for the falls. The first day we hiked around and above the falls. It is absolutely beautiful, with breathtaking views from every angle, but especially when you hang over the roaring falls on the suspension bridge.

There are other attractions there, like the cable car, the zipline for the thrill-seekers. The falls are part of the must-see attractions if you visit Quebec City.

We visited every small and artistic community on our way to the pretty town of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré known for its basilica, its Canyon Sainte-Anne just out of the city, and the nearby ski resort of Mont Sainte-Anne, which are also must-see attractions near Quebec City.

Alex and I had not been in Quebec City together, so it was our first time, although we’d individually been there before. But this will come too. The old city is very pretty and small enough to walk it end to end. From all the cities I’ve been to in Canada, this is the closest to a European city.

My first acquaintance with the city was in 1998 during the trip we were retracing step by step in 2018. We didn’t know it then, but it happened so that there were celebrations of Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France (New France Festival) while we were there. It was simply beautiful. The city was full of people, many in medieval costumes, music, performances, dancing, food sold in every corner, some traditional and some regional delicacies, laughter and joy.

For two days we were part of it. We danced, we tried some of the food, we mingled with the crowds and shared their excitement and joy. That’s how I remember Quebec City, vivid, vivacious, vibrant and gleeful. It wasn’t close to the same this time around, but it was still beautiful, irresistible, full of sun, joy and crowded restaurants. If you visit this part of Canada, Quebec City is a must, even if you are not a city person.

My recommendation – stay at a B&B on the island, Île-d’Orléans; it is beautiful and much quieter, or at least that’s how I remember it was over twenty years ago. And they had markets with fresh produce, eggs, meat and mmm home-made cretons and patés to die for. I think we bought enough to last us the rest of the trip then.

With Milan, we sauntered through the cobblestoned streets city, walked along the fortified walls, and took him to the Plains of Abraham and had lunch at a small pub in Petit-Champlain area. All of the above are a must visit in this unique North American city.

Note: The 2018 road trip with Milan, the husband of my late friend Dora, followed my steps of 20 years before. In 1998 I headed to Saguenay with a friend. On our way we stopped at Baie-Saint-Paul. Something completely inexplicable happened there, at a moment when I had no idea that my friend Dora was dying. For the full story read “Road trip with Milan”