While I’m a contributor to We Blog the World, the below blog post is the copyright of the Canadian Tourism Commission. Please link back and credit all content used to Canada is a Big Place. You can also check us out on Flickr and @biglaceblog.
When I’m travelling, the most mundane task of driving a car is all I need to cure a bit of the homesick blues. I know I’ve only been on the road for a week, but I drive everywhere in Vancouver and it makes me feel at home.
So, I could hardly wait to get into our Talon and hit the road to Charlevoix, a region about an hour from Quebec. We had a day and a bit for our “culinary field trip”, and while I was excited to try the cheeses, beer and freshly baked bread the region is noted for, I knew that the scenery would be equally as breathtaking.
And my dear friends, if you need a new angle or just that extra-added inspiration to write, this place will inspire.
Rolling hills blend seamlessly with the untamed vegetation: The beginning areas of the farming land are marked by geometric patterns and a succession of animals grazing enthusiastically. Not to mention the fields of knee-length grass dotted by jelly bean-coloured wild flowers that are a serene backdrop to the sunset.
When we arrived to the Baie-Saint-Paul, an angry thunderstorm surprised us, but it got over it. The sun was out again in a matter of minutes. Since the cheese producers we were going to visit were closed, we drove a little further to La Malbaie, a resort town that is one of the first vacation spots in Canada. If you’ve ever driven the Oregon Coast, it’s a little reminiscent of that drive, but with less intensity and more charm. The Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu and the golfing is the main draw for visitors, but I really loved the narrow-and-curvy streets and the feeling that I was in a coastal fishing-type of a village.
After a hot meal and warm tea, we drove back to our hotel, listening to the late Michael Jackson. The radio announced his death and played his music non-stop. A perfect ending to a glorious day…
Victoria Revay is a broadcaster, journalist and on-air personality. She has worked at BCTV on the Global Desk and regularly filled in for Pia Shandel’s show on CFUN 1410 am as a radio producer.
She was channel editor, citizen-journalism hustler and video presenter for Now Public, has appeared as a new media expert and trend/lifestyles expert on shows such as City TV’s Breakfast Television, CKNW 980, CBC radio and the Leo Laporte Show on G4Tech TV.
