The
next day saw us visiting a lighthouse - lots of local wildflowers to
look at and photograph – iris is their provincial flower. Then we
went to the Mitis River Park which is part of the Reford Gardens but
separate in that it is the conservation side. It is designed as a
simple but powerful way of immersing oneself in the Metis landscape.
They are setting up a series of very understated observation posts
starting this year. As you can see by the picture of us walking on a
pathway sided with willow, this park is very understated and all
that has been constructed is in keeping with nature, and not
expensive to build. The rock with the moss on it becomes something
else when framed with a willow screen. Alexander came to meet us for
lunch as well so we had another good chance to chat with him before
leaving.
We
visited another lighthouse – the Point–au-Pere lighthouse where we
learned about the tragedy in 1914 of the sinking of the Empress of
Ireland. 1012 people lost their lives in 14 minutes and I have to
tell you that until this time, I had never heard of it. I felt
embarrassed that I had never heard of this piece of history. We have
heard so much about other ships including the Titanic and yet this
seems to be gone by the wayside…except now - they have an all new
permanent exhibit that has just opened in June 2003. You must see
this to appreciate how hard it was to navigate the St. Lawrence and
how easy it was to have an accident. Visit
www.museedelamer.qc.ca
Then we
went to another Park to watch the sun set and perhaps see some
seals. We sat on rocks and just listened to the birds, the water and
waited. We did see some seals but they were quite a way out.
Afterwards we drove to dinner at the Auberge du Mange Grenouille a
wonderful restaurant to enjoy our last meal together before heading
to our train back to Montreal. There are a couple of pictures that
are dark but I wanted you to see them anyway, the gardens were
beautiful and I hear the rooms are very romantic. Visit
www.aubergedumangegrenouille.qc.ca
So ends
our whirlwind tour of some of the best that Montreal and the lower
St. Lawrence has to offer. I feel very confident in telling you that
every one of the gardens is worth visiting. Montreal in itself is
such a beautiful city with so much to offer anyone visiting for any
reason, but since this was a garden tour that is what I am focusing
on. Make Montreal and Quebec a holiday destination and you will not
be disappointed! A very special thank you again to Roselyne Hebert
of Tourisme Quebec for taking such good care of us – it was a trip
full of inspiration into what our country has to offer. We should be
very proud of who we are and what we have to share with others.
Visit www.bonjourquebec.com
Also a special thank you to VIA Rail for our sleeping rooms! Visit
http://www.viarail.ca/
