This morning was clearer and we woke up to a good, warm, sunny morning. First up on the list was to head south to see L’Abbaye de Saint-Benoit-Du-Lac, an abbey that French monks built, overlooking Lac Memphremagog. They began it in 1912 and, after several additions, renovations and modifications, today it sits in regal beauty in the midst of a fairytale surrounding, tucked away in the hills of Canton de L’Est.
The abbey has a large property with orchards and gardens, a cider mill and a fromagerie. After visiting the church with it’s magnificent organ (see photos) we visited the shop and bought a ridiculous amount of cheese, chocolate, duck rillette (which was to die for) and cider, all made by the monks.
After fortifying our stash, we headed north and then east towards Lac Megantic. First on the list was to go and visit the Astrolab, an observatory in Notre-Dame-des-Bois. This observatory allowed Canada to become part of the leading edge of astrophysics research on the world stage and is located in a Dark-Sky Reserve, a large geographical area (that includes local towns) that has made a commitment to keep light pollution to a minimum.
Once in the Reserve, we purchased a ticket which allowed us to go up the hill to Mont St. Joseph which has a spectacular view of the surrounding area. There is a small chapel there as well. We then carried on to Mont Megantic where the observatory is located. We weren’t able to go into the observatory but the ride up the mountains and the spectacular views were well worth the effort. We were a little early in the season to be able to catch the films that are offered at the main information building but they have an interpretation center as well during peak season.
We finished the day by heading to Lac Megantic where we lucked out and found THE MOST AMAZING house to rent. Sylvie, the owner, has done a magnificent job of renovating this house and it was such a pleasure to spend an evening and night there. Look for it online. It’s called Maison du Lac in Lac Megantic. We found a Metro and SAQ, loaded up with some wine and more charcuterie delectibles and had another marvellous evening.
Lac Megantic is a beautiful lake and the town itself has recovered remarkably from the terribly tragic train explosion a number of years ago. The house we rented was just on the edge of the explosion area and, while a lot of infrastructure (roads, parks, gardens etc.) have been rebuilt, there are still quite a few building lots have have yet to be redeveloped so there is yet a noticeable gap in the town. We saw the rail track and the big bend where the train came off the rails just down from where we stayed. It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for the people of this beautiful little town to have gone through so much loss.
No comments:
Post a Comment