Côte de Beaupré—a side trip from Quebec City



Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupre

After breakfast the next day, we headed straight to the shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre, an incredibly majestic structure. The basilica houses the miraculous statue of Saint Anne. Many pilgrims go there in the hopes of getting healed. After saying some prayers, we asked the priest to bless the religious items we bought at the gift shop and also got a family blessing. We were no longer able to explore the museum. Instead, we decided to ascend the wooded hill beside the basilica and do the Stations of the Cross. It was a solemn experience praying at each of the 14 stations that depicted the passion and death of Jesus Christ. The life-sized statues were made of bronzed cast iron. This Way of the Cross was built over a period of 32 years!

Stations of the Cross

As if our day had not been packed enough, we decided to drop by a winery we passed on the way to Montmorency falls. The vineyard was atop a hill and the view, which overlooked the water, was simply fantastic. We were allowed to try the grapes at the vineyard (not really good for eating) and we bought some Bivouac (from wild cherry, perfect for dark chocolate and dried fruits).  It was all good until we got home and realized that the guy managing the place pulled a fast one on us. For our purchase, he wrapped the same bottle he had opened for the tasting—which he separately charged us for! I emailed the company to give them a chance to claim it was an honest mistake but I never got a reply. That has never happened in any of the wineries we visited in Ontario! Needless to say, they will get no further business or recommendations from us.

Our last stop before heading back to Montreal was Montmorency falls. At 83 meters, it is one and a half times higher than Niagara Falls. With all the walking we had been doing, we could not muster the energy to climb the hundreds of steps for a panoramic view of the falls. So, we took a cable car to get to the top. The views were stunning from inside the cable car. And at the top, we got more lovely views of the falls. We even walked on the suspension bridge over the falls to get a closer look. After visiting the basilica and seeing this beauty of nature, we felt truly blessed. We no longer hiked and explored the other points of interest at the park. We also passed on enjoying a lunch at the elegant Manoir Montmorency and went on our way.



Montmorency falls

We started the drive back to Montreal at past noon. While we were on the lookout for a place to have lunch, the girls decided to take a nap. So, hubby and I decided to just keep on driving until we found something of interest. And something of interest we did find--the Fromagerie Bergeron!  With regional cheese makers producing award-winning cheese in recent years, we couldn’t really go home without having had a sample! So, lunch was crackers and brie in the car. When the girls woke up, they had the same thing (along with other snacks). We were quite satisfied for the next couple of hours until we got to Montreal—just in time for a snack of poutine (what else?) at La Belle Province. Let`s just say, it wasn`t the healthiest of meals we had that afternoon. But it sure was delightful!

Quebec on Dwellable