My Top 5 2010 Favourite Places
Favourite places can be anything but these are all places that meant something to me last year whether visited once or often.
My Top Five Favourite Places in 2010:
1. Vermont
Serene countryside, dramatic mountains, see-through streams, tiny towns with church steeples and clapboard house, and lots of small farms keeping such secrets as wine, cheese, maple syrup and apples.
2. Tulum
This ancient Mexican city presiding over a postcard coastline was one of the last abandoned by the Spanish and is now occupied by hundreds of iguanas, some as large as small dinosaurs.
3. Harry’s Bar, Hamilton, Bermuda
Every workplace needs a local, and since our office move in the summer this bar and restaurant is now just a stroll across the road. Best bar food in Bermuda.
4. Home
I always get a real buzz when I am walking through the long corridors of Gatwick Airport heading for passport control, customs, baggage reclaim and the invariably cold and dreary outside. I can never come home enough.
5. Home
I have a few places that I consider home, and although I often long to put down some roots, since moving into our new rented ocean side house in Bermuda, it has become more than somewhere to live, it has become our home. At least for the minute!
I’d have to agree with you when thinking about Vermont.
Simply stunning.
I was lucky enough to be introduced to the products of the local Catamount Brewery, (now sadly in beer heaven) and then fell in love with the place.
I was also there in the Fall / Autumn.
One of the most vivid memories of my 20’s.
The fall in Vermont must be amazing. A tiny state but big on beauty.
Vermont is a delight indeed and while there, you can venture north and visit the Eastern Townships of Quebec, which has everything one can find in Vermont, plus the added charm of the French Canadian culture, successfully married up with the old British United Empire Loyalist past.
Bob, we drove down from Montreal. What places would you recommend in Eastern Quebec?
Not to seem flippant, but I would recommend the entire area. It is most certainly geared to motoring, with plenty of picturesque backroads to explore. Of course it is a district of distinct seasons. Summer is gorgeous with the many lakes and lovely villages to explore. Fall, with its spectacular colours and winter with the many ski areas and winter outdoors activities provides an entirely different appeal. It is an area where you can find great accommodations, fine haute cuisine and on the other hand, basic Quebecois fare. I would highly recommend staying at Hovey Manor in North Hatley, a gorgeous resort in a beautiful area. Sherbrooke is a delightful provincial city. You have a burgeoning wine district in Brome/Missiquoi. You have Lake Memphramagog and many smaller lakes. I would also recommend venturing north up the Chaudiere river valley, through the area known as The Beauce and then finishing up at one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in North America, Quebec City, with its wealth of attractions and extraordinary history. I would go to http://www.easterntownships.org and http://www.quebecregion.com/en and have a look.
Thanks Bob, that is great. We definitely have Quebec City in our plans, in fact I wanted to go there instead of Montreal this last trip.
We dabbled in some excellent ice wines on our trip but I’m interested in the Quebecois food. Montreal didn’t seem to have much of this, but I am sure more would be found in the townships. Can you give me an example of Quebecois fare?
CA, traditional Quebecois fare is hard to find outside of people’s homes. The original cultural influences of a mix of French and Irish gave rise to many tourtieres (pies) employing mostly pork, but all other meats as well. The traditional pea soup, baked beans, cretons, ham/chicken/veal dishes, dishes employing maple syrup, onion soup etc.. All of which tends to be heavy, peasant food, out of touch with today’s tastes. You can likely find some typical Quebecoise restaurants, but they tend to be modern in style, combining many influences to create dishes somewhat unique to Quebec but not terribly different that a wide range of continental cooking. There are definitely regional influences such as along the St. Lawrence and up the Gaspe, where many seafood dishes are predominant. If you go to http://www.cuisineduquebec.com, you will find considerable information on the cuisine of the province. Quebec City has many world class restaurants and it does provide a gourmand field-day! One can always be brave and order poutine, which is a modern dish that is absolutely ghastly, in my estimation. My suggestion would be to fly into Montreal, book a car, drive east and explore the townships, work your way north up the Chaudiere to Quebec City, which requires at least three day. There are many delights on either side of the St. Lawrence, above Quebec City, going as far as The Gaspe Peninsula, but sufficient time would be required to do all that.
Oh yes, one other thing. Quebec is a delight to visit at any time of the year, but my absolute favourite time to be there would be the last week of September and the first week of October, when the fall colours are at their peak, the days are bright and sunny and the nights cool and crisp. Just a suggestion.
Thanks Bob, that is great.