French Flavours and the Fall

FRENCH FLAVOURS AND THE FALL

Being collected from East Grinstead by Titan Holidays' pick-up service and taken to Heathrow was an effortless way to start my trip to Canada. After just six hours in my comfortable plane seat I arrived in Montreal.

The first thing I noticed on arrival was the amazing colours of the trees, every tone of red, orange, yellow and brown--an artist's paradise! The mountains appeared to be on fire, but it was the magic of the Fall colours playing tricks on my eyes. My first two nights were spent at the Chateau Le Chancelor in the Laurentian Mountains, a romantic hideaway, with spectacular views over the lake. In winter the lake is for ice skating and you can learn to ski here too.

The food was the start of many mouth-watering meals of the week. Like everything else in Quebec, the food has a French influence and is to be taken seriously--the locals are extremely passionate about it.

We ventured to Mont Tremblant to seek out the attractions on offer. We rode on the cable cars and chairlifts to the mountain top and luged part of the way down. Luging is dry tobogganing at great speeds down a winding track--so crash helmets are a must!

Next was Quebec City, an historic walled city, and we travelled there from Montreal by Via Rail. I was very impressed with the high level of service, comfort and cleanliness of the train. Travelling first class we enjoyed the first class lounge and a hot breakfast during the three-hour journey. The scenery en route was charming. It was Thanksgiving weekend and Halloween, so te imaginative and decorative displays of the houses and gardens on view along the rail track kept us amused!

We stayed at the Hilton hotel, which has superb views over the city. Some rooms have views of the famous Chateau Frontenac, which is the well known landmark of Quebec. I treated myself to a rooftop swim in the heated pool--open air and invigorating--but lovely if you stayed under water!

Quebec is great for strolling as it has lots of cobbled streets to explore, with many shops, bars and quaint restaurants.

Finally, Montreal! Known as the city that never sleeps. Our route took us through the Eastern Townships. We stayed at the Grosvenor Hotel which has direct links to the underground shopping tunnels--Montreal has a huge underground city to keep you out of the weather.

There is so much to do here for all ages and tastes. The Bio Dome, with its local wildlife, is full of history about the area and even has real penguins; the Grand Prix race track, the Casino, Olympic Stadium, Museums, Art Galleries and theatres are a list of just a few.

This part of Canada is completely different from the Wild West and Rocky Mountains--but its charm and beauty are just as captivating. And that's how I feel, captivated!
If you’d like to know more email me: gill@hallmarktravel.com

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