The last leg of our trip was spent drifting through the charming Eastern Townships. This place always reminds of happy memories from when we lived in Montreal with our children years ago. Over a few days we explored many familiar places that always reinforced the charm of this unique pocket of the Province.
On one of our mornings, we left early with LadyBug and headed towards Abbaye De Saint-Benoit-Du-Lac. This is always a must stop for us or anyone visiting the Eastern Townships. The Abbey is a Benedictine monastic community where the monks who live there follow the rule of St. Benedict and seek God through, prayer, work and fraternal life.
As I was parking Ladybug, I spotted a monk urgently approaching us, frantically waving his arms. “Monsieur, you can’t park here,” he said. “Soon, everyone will be coming to celebrate St. Benoit’s birthday. This is our busiest day of the year!”
So, even though I was confused why he was so worried, as we were the only ones in the parking lot, I happily heeded the monk’s request and moved Ladybug about a block away. As Bernadette and I started to walk to the abbey, a string of cars suddenly swerved around the corner. It was a caravan that stretched for miles. All of whom were coming to be part of a special mass in honour of the saint. Within minutes, the upper parking lot was jammed. Just like the monk said it would be. We were lucky we listened to that monk or we’d still be parked there!
Visiting the enormous chapel within the Abbey is always worth it. No matter what religion or belief you have, or do not have, the chapel is a place of peaceful contemplation and reflection. We took our time to give thanks for our many blessings and for our safe return home.
Apart from its spiritual qualities, the Abbey is also well known for producing world class St. Benoit-Du-Lac cheeses, ciders and jams. All of the funds raised from the sales of these products help to sustain the Abbey and the good works of the monks. So, of course, we loaded up.
The Eastern Townships is also building upon its reputation for producing wines and we were fortunate to spend a few nights as Harvest Host guests at two of the region’s thirty wineries: Vignoble Clos Ste. Croix and Vignoble Domaine Bresee. Both wineries were absolutely spectacular and it is such a privilege to park your rig on these incredible properties. The real fun is not only sampling their products, but learning about the people and families who operate these businesses.
Our last stop in the province was visiting old friends Jo-Ann and Kurt at their lovely home in Hudson, Quebec, just west of the western tip of the island of Montreal. (Okay, maybe it’s technically Vaudreuil-Dorion thanks to a strange government decision to remap town lines in the area a couple years back, but it will always be Hudson to us).
Jo-Ann and I were colleagues many years ago when we worked together at a bank in Montreal. She was always fun, smart and a joy to be around. And Kurt is a super guy who specializes in telling funny stories, cooking amazing steaks, and pouring cold German beers for his thirsty guest. My kind of guy! It was such a nice way to end off our journey sharing laughs and an amazing dinner with these special friends. Even Gordie was wagging his tale a little more after our visit.
