RAINBOW ICE AT HAWAII ICE IN VALOIS VILLAGE

In front of the train station close to my daughter's school, there is a place that is an oasis called Hawaii Ice. My first visit there was for a cappuccino, which was excellent. I learned that the owner spent as much time as he could in Hawaii, and by the end of stay, I wanted to visit it too! The next time I went was for the ice, and it was still clear that the guy could work in a tourist office for Hawaii! Take a picture by the surfboard. Mahalo!

Rainbow Ice. There is a cool machine that shaves the ice from a giant ice cube. Pick your colours or your flavours. Eat. Perfect on a summer day. 

ST HUBERT EXPRESS MONTMAGNY

On the way to our last day of our Quebec summer road trip, we stopped at a Days Inn hotel in Montmagny with a pool and an adjoining St. Hubert Express. It was a great last night, in a generous quiet room remarkable for a fancy sink outside the toilet and bath. The pool was cool, but we were not the only swimmers. Rebecca stayed in, proving she is part polar bear. The breakfast was included, and supper was a no-brainer. Montmagny is a close drive to the amazing Quebec city zoo, which was our last destination the next day on our way home.

Hot chicken sandwich and peas, with green salad and coleslaw.

The classic "Zoo", or Animalerie with chocolate brownie cake and extras.

DESTINATION: JARDIN DES METIS

A very interesting sweet onion grilled cheese with apple wine on a sunny day with my gorgeous daughter  in an unforgettable garden. Argousier=SeaBuckThorn. Miel/piment d'Espelette=Honey/Espelette Pepper.

DESTINATION: MALBAIE

Charlevois is an area renowned for food extraordinaire. This sure was true at the Chatêau Richelieu in LaMalbaie, apparently named by Samuel de Champlain, presumably for the state of the bay at low tide, but take that idea from a flatlander with a grain of salt. I can imagine landing in the bay at high tide and not being about to leave at low, but I suspect mariners wouldn't make that mistake, and the ice might have more to do with the real story. All that to say, we ate VERY well at the hotel, with lots of local products - cheese, bread, strawberries. There were oodles of places to eat, but on a nice evening, the terrace could not be beat, and this is where we saw our very first Beluga whale on our very first morning there!

Cheese platter to share

Way to much to share with one kid who only likes bread, but she did try two cheeses and ate the plain crackers

Cavatappi pasta with garlic bread. It was yummy, but with the baby onions and the blue cheese, I ate way too much on this "shared" (unevenly) meal. I can't wait till my daughter develops a more complex palette!

Perfect pyramid shape on a base of white chocolate and a simple presentation

French toast with red pineapple, strawberry coloured with whipped cream that was supposed to fizz but was all fizzed out. Still, a generous french toast.

Porridge and fixings - raisins, brown sugar and maple syrup. 

Fire pit viewed from the terrace. Great views but you can't climb down to the water unless you leave the property by road. Roasting marshmallows was a fun evening tradition. 

View up to the hotel. There were 3 pools and 2 spas!

Coat of arms for the property

The down-to-earth Malbaie. Bread and cheese two ways at our local haunt Chez Ginette 

Nothing like ice cream in the summer!

Malbaie's bridge. The train and tourist town is here, just below the Fairmont, by road. Colder than it looks!

DESTINATION: TADOUSSAC

My plan was to whale watch and cross the St. Lawrence to the Gaspésie on the same day, coming from Chatêau Richelieu in Malbaie, but then my daughter saw the beach when we crossed to pick up people for the whale watching tour (We had gotten on at Baie-Ste-Catherine, where I would stay next time). Although Tadoussac is famous for being Canada's oldest village, it was the beach that couldn't be missed. So we crossed over the Saguenauy river on a free highway ferry and walked up and down until we found our hotel. It was nice to see the Hotel Tadoussac, but for a tiny room and the price not including breakfast, we just took a picture. We stayed at the Hotel Le Pionnier up the street, and the walk up and down went quickly, with the view of the water on the way down , and the Hotel and the tiny church simply called Tadoussac Chapel (The oldest wooden church in Canada, built by the Jesuits for the Montagnais) to pass by. I was happily surprised that we were able to get a top floor room with a decent view, especially fun later that night with the torrential rains that passed by.  The breakfast was great, and the beach was amazing! Now I am looking for the lucky owner of the beachhouse. That would be the place to be for a few days!

Tadoussac Beach with a view of the boardwalk and chapel

The Grand Hotel Tadoussac

Tadoussac Hotel and Chapel

View from the boardwalk, waning tide

The perfect beachhouse. Who owns you? I would love to stay there for a few days!

DESTINATION: METIS-SUR-MER

Menu and Proprietor. We sat in the solarium and tried to peak over at the river.

My first destination in the Gaspésie was Métis-sur-mer. I had never heart of it before, but it led me to a place that was a collection of summer homes owned by the wealthy English speakers of Montreal who escaped the heat on the cooler coast of the St. Lawrence at Metis-sur-Mer. The only restaurant in town (just off the highway, really)is a little diner called Place Petit Miami. The service was friendly and the food was generous,and when I asked for a platter of fish and chips to split with my daughter, they brought us two plates with all the fixings twice, with no discussion or problem and no additional cost. We split a sundae and the meal was complete. I hope to stay in one of the tiny cabins next time. Call Danielle below for details at (418) 936-3411.

My share. Imagine if I wasn't splitting it?!

It may lack in presentation, but it was a perfect finish.

DESTINATION: STE. FLAVIE

Hotel lobby painting, a little Chagall-esque

I have been fortunate to visit the Gaspésie three times now, and for me it always begins with the Marcel Gagnon art complex at Ste. Flavie. A family run business that includes first and foremost art, and secondly a great view of the Saint Lawrence, has been a highlight since I first saw it. M. Gagnon is Quebec's Gaudi. His home is covered in statues and mosaics,  and the art gallery extends out into the water with his famous collection of statues called Le Grand Rassemblement or The Big Gathering, and into the lobby and restaurant on walls and tables, down to the key chains and outdoor seats. This time, I noticed new wooden statues on rafts on the water of the changing tide, and for the first time, I stayed in the hotel and ate breakfast there, both a treat I hope to repeat in future visits. My daughter was thrilled to show her art to Guillaume and Ghislaine, and this year we met Marcel and Ghislaine's grand-daughter!It's a feast for the eyes, even if you stay for two full days!

 Another place I never miss is the Vieux Moulin, Hydromiel, and pick up honey, honey meade, and this year, soaps, in that perfect hexagonal shape that seems to be everywhere, from Birks jewelry to the  honeycomb!

Yummy rhubarb bubbly wine for dinner. I've never found it elsewhere!

My daughter's cheese melt on crusty bread. It was an expensive sandwich, and when I asked them to hold the lettuce and tomato that comes with it, the just made it into a side salad, which she didn't eat. 

Pizz'art!

It seems a shame, but these happy tables are often covered over with dinnerware!

Breakfast with a delicious rhubarb strawberry jam that you can buy to take home with you!

My daughter's ample breakfast with fresh strawberries

Playing on the rocks with Le Grand Rassemblement. Kids can slide down to the beach in a bright yellow slide (adults too, if you dare!)

Even the room key had M. Gagnon's art. Chamber 4 is on the highway. I would try and stay beachside next time, but that would require booking in advance!

Wood and stone. Notice the pregnant statue to the right in the mid-ground.

A cheery face

Sunset from the restaurant. If you are two, you can often get a seat by the window.

More conventional art in the hotel room, but un véritable Marcel Gagnon quandmême!

Le P'tit Prince de Ste. Flavie, a little run down, but still magical.

ART DECO MONTREAL

I have found over the years that we have a handful of art deco buildings in Montreal, and its style always makes me think of New York City and the grand Empire State building. The first building I ever recognized in this style was the Aldred Building in the Old Port, and later I came to realize that the Atwater market and the University of Montreal were a prominent example as well. Later, I found a way to walk to work and pass Pierre Elliot Trudeau's house called Maison Ernest Cormier, on Pine Avenue, which has an exquisite standing female motif that echoes a sitting one with caduceus (medical cross with snake) on the Montreal General Hospital.

Northwest entrance to Livingstone Hall off Cedar Avenue

Consulting an online list of others, I have started to get to know a few others. I will post my pictures as I gather them.
Here are some more links I am finding as I research online.

http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.ca/2012/11/crescent-building-montreal.html

http://artdecomontreal.com/buildings/

Montreal Botanical Gardens Administrative Pavillion

Drummond Medical Building - note the ironwork balcony and marquee, and the brick "crosses" under almost every window, and the ribbons of vertical brick interrupting the coupled columns of windows, so typical of the style.

Dominion Square Building, v
iew from Ste. Catherine Street. Classic design with insets to allow for more natural light. 

Beautiful doors

Exterior window with lantern 

Seahorses and shell motif in brass

Front lobby from 2nd floor

Amazing interior chandelier

Banister

Griffins in coloured interior motif

McGill's Roddick Gates' clock tower

Lady Amy Redpath Roddick was a writer of 17 books, and many are online, like The Romance of a Princess. She  donated the gates to McGill in memory of her husband, who was a physician and dean of the Faculty of Medicine from 1901- 1908. They say she wanted a clock because he was a punctual man, but there are reports of all four clock faces showing different times!