Night Images of La Belle Province - Pt. 3

All these photos were taken in the Town of Lanoraie, along the St. Lawrence Seaway at night. We had spent the day in Louiseville & Lavaltrie & had come back to rest in Lanoraie. We quickly went for a walk along the waterfront before the light faded entirely. It was lovely there except for the mosquitoes which were thick. I dislike mosquitoes immensely but wanted to see what I could before the light was completely gone.

My French relatives were very much involved in the planning of the tourist information and the art works that now exist along the waterfront. They also helped to plan for a small stage (I didn't get a good photo of it) so that productions could be presented on  the waterfront.

My 80 year old relative wrote and produced a historical play which was enacted on this small waterfront stage. She was a bit younger when she did this creative work.  All in all it was a real treat to see the work the relatives (all sisters) had been involved in and to hear their passion for the cultural work they seem to do so much of. Her and her two sisters have a passion for history, geneology and writing. She says she has about 4 more books (in her head) but is running out of time to put them on paper.

Church on main street near the water front.

It is said that when the French explorer, Jacques Cartier passed through Lanoraie in the 16th century, the Iroquois had already been established in the area. They called place Agochanda or Agouchonda, which means a place to stop and eat and rest.

The parish in this area was established in the late 1600s but development of the village didn't really occur for another few hundred years.  The small town is steadily growing with the current population at about 5000 people who predominantly speak French.

My next travel post will feature the historic house where we spent the night and then we will drive north to Quebec City and farther. Join me later.

Join in with others for Skywatch Friday here.

Images from La Belle Province - Pt. 1

When we arrived in Joliette on an early summer's day, the sky was partly cloudy and partly sunny. It had rained earlier in the day and it was very humid.  I was so tired from the overnight flight and had absolutely no sleep on the plane.

I took these sky photos in anticipation of Skywatch Friday but never got around to using them for that purpose.  I really didn't feel up to photo taking on my first day but felt I needed some photos for the record. Hopefully my photos improved as the trip went along. I will be posting more in coming days if you want to come back and take a peek. Thanks for visiting!

 

My cousin took us for lunch at this chain restaurant in Joliette. It was incredibly busy in there and it was non-stop line-ups right up until we left.

A relative we crossed the country to visit.  She is well into her 80s and can still run several blocks without getting very winded! I also got a chance to meet her younger sister who is 80.

The lobby where my cousin lives.  It is a good thing we didn't stay with her as she had originally planned.  The heating in her apartment was on full blast and the temperature outside was hot and humid.

It is always interesting seeing what you can see in the village streets. There had been a bit of a flood as we arrived in town and a diversion of traffic going on as they repaired the town streets.

In these next set of photos we are on the way to Lanoraie, another small town. I may have these photos mixed up as to where they are but the three small towns in close proximity are: Joliette, Lavaltrie and Lanoraie.  We first went to Lanoraie and backtracked for dinner to Lavaltrie.

 

The map below is interactive. You can click on it and find out exactly where we were.

This sign was very common throughout the province. It means "For Rent". It is a sign you will seldom see where I live.

You will see large, beautiful churches in every city, town and village in the Province of Quebec.

The Catholic Church is the predominant church in the Province of Quebec. It is common to see large grave markers in Catholic cemeteries.

I love seeing the signage in French.

The country side around these parts is very beautiful and also very near to the St. Lawrence Seaway (which you can see peeking out in the background).

There are many beautiful homes in the area too.

 

This beautiful driveway leads to the waterfront home of a very wealthy person in the area.

 

This home is lovingly kept by one of the family members for other relatives who currently live abroad. I got to stay here overnight and absolutely fell in love with it's quaint charms.

I'm joining up with Our World Tuesday this week.

Images from Montreal, Province of Quebec

Crossing into Canada at St. Bernard-de-La-colle (sometimes called Blackpool Border Crossing)

The line ups were not that long but as always we seemed to be in the slow lane. When we got to the customs officer he was very nice and very chatty. That might explain why the line was so slow to move. At least it was a pleasant change to have a friendly customs agent.

City skyline as we approached Montreal from the south.

I am not sure what the name of the bridge is but as we drove around, I discovered it is closer to Old Montreal.

Finding one's way in a new place is always challenging but Montreal seems to have good signage compared to some of the places I travelled just prior (like Albany, NY where I couldn't find the sign to enter the city from the freeway).

 

I always like to see horse drawn carriages in a large city though I wouldn't like to be riding behind a smoking tour guide.

We easily found our way to Old Montreal (Vieux Montréal)

I love these French/European style buildings and rounded corners.

Notre Dame Basilica completed in 1829.

It is located on Rue Notre Dame (Notre Dame Street).

I enjoy street scenes.

The Canadian Grand Prix Races had concluded the day before we arrived hence the flags in every shop.

I didn't catch the name of this restaurant but I recognize it as one that Anthony Bourdain featured on one of his layover television shows.

Tourist Information Center in Old Montreal

Street Scene

CBC Montreal is the tower on the left as seen through the trees. You can see all the satellite dishes around and a lovely old church too.

A full on view of the CBC Towers

Quebec Court of Appeal

Three flags: Quebec (blue & w hite) & Canada's flag (red & white) and the City of Montreal (red, white, blue, pink & green).

The city skyline shows a lot of construction going on. It seems to be the case everywhere we visited and is the case here at home too.

Making our way to the Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport, renamed after one of Canada's Prime Ministers.


 
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