As part of our preference for
travelling West we opted for a week in Canada for a bit of warmth, boating and
generally a lazy few days. George and Julia recently purchased a boat – and it works!
It was immediately apparent
who the Captain was…
A spot of lunch was followed
by a couple of hours soaking up the sun and enjoying this part of the Rideau
canal.
Suitably unwound we then had
a wonderful meal with Pam and her family out on the back porch where the breeze was much appreciated.
It really is hard not to
relax in Perth and a trip on the Seadoo was followed by a couple of cold beers
watching the sunset.
Nicol (George and Julia’s daughter) has a part time job working at a Moonshine distillery. We were invited to
a private tour. The corn mash is distilled sixteen times in these special
distillers from Germany. The raw liquor is then very smooth but for the
moonshine some lower quality liquor is added to give it a bit of an edge! They
then add a range of flavours from Strawberry to Garlic (just couldn’t bring
myself to drink that) to a particularly palatable Maple syrup. Not unlike
Drambuie – need I say more?
They also have Whisky and one
of the first batches was sold ahead of time. Here George is trying to find his
signature. Given we were all offered a small taste from the barrel the Angels
share will be larger than normal!
So as to earn our keep Helen
was put to work labelling the bottles. A time consuming process – more sales
needed so that increased automation can be afforded!
Following a great day in
Quebec during our 2016 cruise Pam had arranged for us to spend a few days in
this wonderfully colourful city. We started by visiting the Montmorency falls.
Not to be outdone by our other waterfalls this is higher than Niagra by 30
metres (total 84 metres).
What is less clear is whether
the height includes the man-made weir on top which formed part of a now abandoned Hydro
generation scheme. It does have a suspension bridge over the top which
makes for spectacular viewing and if you look closely you will see someone
flying over the top on a zip line.
Wherever you stand the view
is mesmerising. In the distance is the bridge over to the Isles d’Orleans –
our next point of call.
After an ice cream our next
port of call was a vineyard. Here the wine is from a local grape called Vandal Cliché.
This was used to produce different wines using steel or oak barrels. Production
was very small and all sold locally by Christmas! No sending shipments overseas
which was a shame as the oak barralled was particularly drinkable. (The falls can still be
seen from the Vineyard but not the intervening St Lawrence.)
Back in Quebec well maintained
flower beds were everywhere as was the imposing Chateau Frontenac.
We opted for a bit of adventure
for our first evening meal. I had three tenderloins – red deer, bison and waipiti.
The latter two were particularly tender and flavourful.
However, our second night at the Café de Paris was the top meal. The Beef Wellington was the best that I have had for a while (well since I cooked one myself!).
What more is needed for a special shared experience - interesting, subdued decor, exquisite food, a guitar player wondering around softly adding to the ambiance, great company and waiters with flare....
Night brings in a different feel. Strolling around is a little quieter. The various lit features and many attractively illuminated buildings made for an interesting and safe exploration.
The warmth of the old lower
part of the city near the international cruise berth remains a favourite albeit with some pretty expensive stores with so many “essentials”.
There were a couple of
murals. The level of detail and 3D effects needed someone with considerable skills as well as plenty of time. This one includes a history of some of the city’s key personnel.
As we wondered around it
became clear how fortified the city was with numerous walls and ditches. I have never seen so many cannon in one city.
Our timing was perfect
as, on our penultimate day, the World cycling tour arrived and participated in a 12.6 kms 16 circuit race around the
city. Most of Le Tour teams were present including the Australian team of Mitchelton
Scott. The first 10 or so circuits were
dominated by five riders two of whom were part of the Canadian team. Much excitement
and plenty of TV time!
However, the team to watch
was Sunweb with their leader Michael Matthews from Canberra. Here he is being
looked after by his team (third person in this shot if you ignore the infiltrating
Quick Step rider).
After over 5 hours riding it
came down to an uphill sprint and at 150 metres out Michael (closest to the camera) made his move….. The
rest as they say is history. A suitable reward having come 3rd and 4th
in previous attempts in this race. Helen was in awe at how little he was out of
breath when he was interviewed shortly after his win. We were certainly not up for as much discussion
at the end of our C2C walking days!
The city's dominating feature of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac hotel just demands picture taking. What suddenly dawned on me was that the
building does not widen out at the top. It is a very clever optical illusion.
The corner rounds are corbelled out and these marry with corbelling along the
walls at the same level. However, the main walls align vertically and do not step out. It
really requires a very close look!
The lighting at night also adds to the illusion
A final walk through the Port
Saint Jean to our hotel at top of the hill (Hilton) for a nightcap was a great
way of rounding off our three day stopover.
After a drive to Montreal for
our flight back this years trip was at an end. We have seen some great sights and
been extraordinarily lucky with the weather. C2C was a great achievement
(albeit we are now probably back to pre-walk fitness); Iceland was unique with
nowhere coming close to such geographic diversity and Canada was its usual relaxed
and warming experience (literally and figuratively). A flawless trip.
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