I decided to take a drive from where I am based, close to Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, and drive northward passing through Alexandria, Vankleek Hill, and Hawkesbury to cross the river and the border between the two provinces of Ontario, and Quebec. People reading from outside of Canada, a province is our equivalent of a state in the USA. A province will have its own laws, health cards, and driver licenses. Some even have their own police forces, for example Ontario Provincial Police. Ontario is officially bi-lingual, with many signs being in both English, and French. Quebec is predominantly French speaking, it is the official language of the land, all public signage has to be in French. One thing I do enjoy about it being French, is the fact that you feel like a tourist visiting a European country. Especially the larger cities, such as Montreal, and Quebec City, with their historic, cobbled streets in the Old Town areas. English is still widely spoken though, especially in tourist areas. I always like to attempt the French language though, making an effort is always important, even if you aren’t perfect at it!
On this trip however, I wasn’t visiting a large city, but a small, quaint, little village called Montebello, it has a population of just over 1,000 permanent residents. It’s part of a region of Quebec called Outaouais. The sky was blue, the weather was absolutely perfect. I parked up on the main street, Rte 148, to get out and explore the shops, restaurants and cafes. I arrived in the late afternoon, so some of the cafes had already closed for the day. This is probably my 3rd trip to the town in the last few months. On a previous visit I took a look in the tourist information centre, to get some ideas of the summer. I also bought a cappuccino with an almond biscuit at the store attached to the information building, called ‘Chocomotive’. They sell a variety of products, gourmet chocolates, craft beer, wine, and other things as well. Perhaps I can write a more detailed blog post at some point.
Pictured: The tourist information building, which is actually an historical structure, a former Canadian Pacific railway station, built in 1931 with same cedar wood as the famous Fairmont hotel nearby.
Further up the road, you can check out the ‘Fairmont Le Château Montebello’ too, which is a very impressive, historical grand hotel, tucked away in the lush forest, beside the Ottawa River. I took a quick peek the other day, perhaps if I ever find someone special, we can have a full relaxation session at their luxury spa! The architecture reminds one of those alpine log cabins that you would see in Switzerland. Not quite the same, but I see the similarities in building materials, and design. (Haven’t actually been to Switzerland yet, would love to see it some day, random side note…) The buildings were developed by Victor Nymark, and opened on July 1st 1930. It contains 211 rooms and 14 suites. It was owned originally, by the Canadian Pacific Railway, they even built a station, which is now the visitor centre building for the town.
I picked up a flyer for some excursions on 4 wheelers, and other off road, outdoors equipment, could be a fun outing at some point! The indoor pool was also breathtaking, with a super high ceiling, and large windows, which allowed the outdoor light to illuminate the room. There is all kinds of green space surrounding the hotel, you can walk along numerous pathways around the grounds.
Today though, I just wanted to grab a bite to eat, sip a cold beverage, and refresh myself from the drive. I stumbled upon this great pub and restaurant called ‘Le Zouk’ on the main strip. Close to some other bars, pubs, and dining establishments. I enjoyed a nice plate of spaghetti with meat sauce, topped in delicious melted cheese. It was piping hot, the cheese layer kept the heat inside of the pasta dish. I sat on the raised patio and snapped a nice picture of the Main Street.
Pictured: Rte 148 is the Main Street of the town of Montebello, I took this photo whilst I ate my spaghetti dinner on the raised deck patio at ‘Le Zouk’ Pub and Restaurant. The town is surrounded by beautiful natural forest and hills.
After eating my meal, I went for a drive around the surrounding area, it was very beautiful, one of the perks to living in Canada is the scenery, it really is breathtaking. If you’d like to learn more about the region, and things you can get up to you can check out the official tourism website:
https://www.tourismeoutaouais.com/en/
Now I’m back in Cornwall writing about it, sitting in my favourite bar, where I like to sing karaoke on the Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays called Rendez-Vous Restaurant. It’s pretty quiet on a Sunday, and open later than most of the cafes in town, I love to work while I’m out and about. For those that don't know, my name is James Hardiment, I am a singer/songwriter, and this is my travel/music/whatever blog on my website. I have a podcast as well called ‘Bridge to the Seaway’ you can listen to the episodes so far here:
Well I suppose it’s au revoir for now Quebec, until next time folks!
James