One of my side trips from Quebec City is the pastoral island, Ile d’Orleans, located just half an hour by car from Quebec’s capital city. I have read about this beautiful place prior to my visit and I was made curious of its bucolic countryside living.
So this was really just a day’s outing which means I did not have any special route in mind. So yeah, I am going on a road trip to the unknown in Ile d’Orleans. But I did manage to pick up a free tourist guide booklet at the tourism office in Quebec City (this is across the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac Hotel on Place d’Armes) which has very good information in it such as nice places to eat and drink. There are farms and orchards as well that you can go to for fruit picking, and even cider and cheese factories to visit.
The island does promise a little French country feeling as well and I quite like that.
My first stop was the village of St. Petronille. It is the village on the left tip of the island near the bridge. The booklet says there is a nice restaurant, which is actually an auberge, and is situated next to the water offering great views to Quebec City—Auberge La Goeliche. Now this surely caught my fancy. Hmm, I could have a drink here and if I liked the place, perhaps continue for lunch.
As I drove to the restaurant, I passed by the village of St. Laurent and saw a group of people harvesting fruits along the way. I stopped for a bit to see what they were doing but did not get out of the car. I had the idea that they were picking strawberries. I have self-picked strawberries many moons ago in Baguio City, Philippines and I have been wanting to do this in the Netherlands as well. Perhaps this coming harvest season I will drag the Dutchman with me. The last time I had a close encounter with strawberry plantations was during the Cameron Highlands trip in Malaysia with my parents a few years ago.
Anyway, moving on and arriving in St. Petronille, I saw many beautiful traditional wooden houses in the village. Most of them are painted in calming pastel colours. St. Petronille village is pretty and very serene. This is indeed the bucolic living, deep in the countryside and on an small quiet island, which by the way is just half an hour from Quebec City. I had to ask myself if I could live here.
When I finally arrived at the restaurant, which is located on the tip of the island facing Quebec City, I quickly surveyed it and was not amused that I have to sit inside because the outdoor terrace was closed for the season. There is a lookout beside the property though with benches and a gazebo so I stayed put for a while.
Going back on the road I stopped by a boutique souvenir shop. The advertisement on the road looked fascinating, so I parked the car and went down the steps. When I neared the boutique shop, I realised that it is closed. Too bad. I lingered for a few more minutes checking out the garden as it was beautiful, with well maintained grass and charmingly set on a hilly terrain with views to the water.
In the car I dug back in to the tourism booklet and found another restaurant suggestion. It is located in another village. Alright, back on the road again. Until my next stop and the next village! À plus tard =)
THE VILLAGE OF SAINTE-PETRONILLE
THE VILLAGE OF SAINT-LAURENT
Travel Period: October 2015
Destination: Ile d’Orleans (Quebec), Canada
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)