A Walk into Cornwall...

It was a gorgeous, clear, golden morning, a few weeks ago. I had woken up early, after a night of karaoke fun, now safe from the craziness of the bar, at my house in Long Sault, Ontario, Canada. It’s not in the town of Long Sault, closer to the 401 Highway if anything. I often walk or bike in the summer time when I can do it, just one of the many activities I enjoy doing. It gives me a great opportunity to keep my photography, and videography skills as sharp as possible.

I took a stroll down Headline Rd. which is a less densely populated street just outside of Cornwall, surrounded by farm fields, and also forest. It eventually crosses the 138 Highway which leads to the 417 to get up to the nations capital city, Ottawa. I was starting at the other end of the road, close to Power Dam Drive, which heads into Cornwall southbound, and up to the roads that take you to St. Andrews West, and the town of Long Sault. As I got closer to the 138, there are 2 trails, one on each side of the road, known as the South Stormont Recreational Trails. For those that don’t know South Stormont is one of the counties in our province of Ontario, in which the bike paths are located. One walkway leads to St. Andrews West, which is a tiny picturesque village, located at a crossroads of the 138 highway. There is an impressive historical stone church, as well as a great little restaurant called Quinn’s Inn built in 1865 by John Sanfield MacDonald, who would later become the First Premier of Ontario from 1867-1871 according to their official website.

I wasn’t heading up to St. Andrews West that day though, I was headed to Cornwall, to the place I commute through every day. Instead of by car, I was on foot, instead of working, I was exploring, and appreciating the nature which surrounded me at the same time. The bike trail was filled with cool DIY birdhouses, with lettering on them, as well as rocks painted with inspirational quotes. I snapped a few photos to show you below. I thought some of the messages were rather nice compliments, and encouraging words. Perhaps the idea is someone going on a solo walk can be cheered up a bit if they are going through some hardships in life?

Pictured: A friendly baby deer took a peak at me on a previous walk on the trails last summer! Thought I would share to brighten someones day I hope.

You can park your car close the entrance to the trails on the road if you aren’t a local. Both trails are nice but I prefer the one that takes you from Headline Rd. to St. Andrews. I find that one winds a bit more and is a little more interesting visually. I headed to town instead though, stopped by my favourite bar, Rendezvous to charge my phone up for a bit, have a cup of coffee, and an afternoon beer, before heading down to Lameroux Park in Cornwall to check out the St. Lawrence River. When the weather is nice I love to be outside, walking, biking, driving, sometimes I’ll head out with my headphones on to listen to a mix of a song, to make sure it sounds good. As I’ve mentioned before there are plenty of great biking trails in the area, and this is no exception to that. Sometimes you spot some interesting animals too, but in the summer months bug spray is a must!

For those that don’t know I am a singer/songwriter that moved back to the area from Ottawa in 2019. I work full time driving forklifts Monday-Friday 8-4.30pm, then I sell Men’s suits, and shoes, various evenings 5-9pm. The music is more of a hobby, but I do make some money from it, from time to time. I’m hoping to do more live shows in the coming months which will get my name out there more in the area. I have been building an online presence for years, one of my music videos, for a song called “Wine” has over 45,000 views on YouTube which I am happy for.

I hope to do more exploring on foot this summer, as well as by car, discover what I miss on a daily basis by taking the time and seeing what I can. Be sure to follow my social media pages for updates on upcoming music shows, and more! Just scroll to the bottom of the home page, all of my socials should be there.

Well that’s all for now folks,

James

Getting Lost in Montebello!

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

Spanish Flavours in Prescott

Just off the 401 Highway in Prescott, Ontario, Canada, there is a gourmet Spanish food & beverage importer, also a restaurant too. It’s tucked away in an industrial estate, down a side road, you wouldn't know it was there, if you just drove on the main drag towards the waterfront. It’s called El Rebost de les Mil Illes, and it’s owned and operated by Marc Gomez Segu, who was born in Spain. He met his wife in Barcelona in 2010, lived there for 4 years. They married in 2012 in that nation as well. His wife is Canadian and they would move to Canada in December 2013. Marc had a passion for food, but despite the cultural, and language barrier he began to import premium Spanish products from his home country. He would then distribute them to restaurants and specialty stores here in Canada. He began the business in 2017.

Pictured: Marc was outside expanding his patio, when I snapped some pictures a few weeks ago!

When the lockdowns began, all the places that they supplied ended up closing down, so to make up for the loss of revenue, they decided to open up their own restaurant, and food shop. Initially, it began as a takeout only, then as restrictions eased up, they opened up the patio, and now they are creating a dining room in the unit next door. They are located at 991 Industrial Rd. Unit D, Prescott, ON, K0E 1T0.

Marc has a business commerce university degree, he always dreamed of owning his own business, his passion for cuisine, coupled with years of restaurant experience as a teenager came together naturally. His mother is a great cook, she is one of his biggest inspirations behind the new business venture. There are 2 different divisions, European Quality Foods Ltd. which imports, and distributes. Then there is El Rebost de les Mil Illes (which translates to “The Pantry of the Thousand Islands” in Catalan, which is Marcs native language!) which is the restaurant, and gourmet foods shop. They sell high quality Spanish products that you won’t find in large retailers. The company works directly with farmers, and producers from Spain who stand behind the quality of their products.

When I interviewed him by email (my name is James Hardiment by the way, I am a singer/songwriter based near Cornwall, Ontario, this is my official website and blog.) I asked him what his favourite item was on the menu was? His response was the charcuterie, and paellas on the very top of his list. Paella is probably the most international Spanish dish. Made from rice, it originates from a place called Valencia. It is made with saffron, and sofrito (tomato culinary base) that has different variations; seafood, veggie, chicken, rabbit, even chorizo, etc.

As I mentioned previously, he is expanding to the unit next door, creating a dining room space for visitors. The current space will remain only as the kitchen. The new area will have a designated area for El Rebost as the shop, and a dining room for the restaurant…Little Barcelona! The patio has been open for the last 2 summers, and this year he has decided to put a fence to create a proper sitting area with a nice ambience.

Some of my favourite items that I've purchased include, octopus, and mussel pate. A sort of seafood spread that you can put on toast, or crackers. Delicious, if that’s your cup of tea. I’m a big lover of seafood, I also love pate, typically I buy the more traditional French ones that I’m used to, such as duck for example. I grew up eating a lot of that whilst I lived in England as a young boy. A nice lunch time food, quick and easy, just grab a knife and spread it. I ordered food from their restaurant also, which was delicious, various tapas dishes, and charcuterie boards. To wash it down I enjoyed a Spanish sparkling soda pop.

Talking to Marc was awesome as well, he was so knowledgable about his homeland, the items that he sells at his store. I have always wanted to visit Spain some day, and am fascinated by the food, art, music, and culture of the country. Barcelona is on my bucket list, I’d love to return to Europe some day, but for now I really want to fully explore this great country we live in. There is so much to see and do here at home, I love this place with all my heart, the nature is breathtaking, and most of the people I’ve met have been warm, and hospitable. I moved to Canada from the UK in 2007 as a teenager. I went to high school in Cornwall, then University in Windsor, Ontario. I’ve also lived in Ottawa where I worked on music with my friends.

If you’d like to learn more about Marc and the products that he sells, you can visit his official website:

www.elrebost.ca

I’m also hoping to get Marc on my brand new podcast Bridge to the Seaway, where I sum up these blog articles, then conclude with an interview with a local musician, artist, or business owner in the community. You can listen to the first 4 episodes here:

https://soundcloud.com/james-hardiment/sets/bridge-to-the-seaway-podcast

I’m moving the next episodes over to YouTube this weekend hopefully. Been a little behind as I figure out everything with the new video podcast format. You can find all my channels and socials below the article, if you scroll to the bottom of the website.

Well thanks for reading folks, that’s all for today!

James