QUEBEC

In September 2009, we stayed a week at a bed and breakfast, Le Giron de L’Isle, on Île d’Orléans in the St. Laurence River. Down a quiet lane, overlooking the river, the place is owned by Lucie and Gérard Lambert, an affable, accommodating couple who run a clean, comfortable, quiet place, and who dish up multi-course breakfasts all guests rave about.

One day we crossed the bridge to look around Québec City (mobs of tourists), and another day we went to Baie-Saint-Paul, another tourist trap downriver from the City. After Baie-Saint-Paul, we ventured further east along the shore of the St. Laurence, headed for La Malbaie, but the day was waning, so we turned around before we got there and cashed it in for the day.

Except for those two days, we hung out on the island, checking out all the little villages, eating dinners at a couple of nice restaurants, and lunches at a pastry shop that dished up pretty good pizza.

Île d’Orléans is a peaceful place. Bucolic farms (apples, strawberries, other fruits and vegetables; cows) cover most of the island, with the villages strung out along the shoreline. The islanders are house proud; seldom did we see a house that wasn’t well-tended, with flowers gardens in the yards, mown lawns, and laundry on lines. Then there are interesting little French-Catholic churches in all the villages.

One day, in the rain, we had a tour of a snazzy manor house, Manoir Mauvide-Genest, in the village of Saint-Jean. In these photos you’ll see a few interior shots taken there.

These photos give a good sense of Île d’Orléans, and just a taste of Québec City.