SUMMER IN SAINT-SAUVEUR

If you want to really enjoy the area the four-star logwood hotel is a perfect spot to spend some time - it’s perched at the top of the mountain with a picturesque view of the Valley of Saint-Sauveur located in the Laurentians.

Apart from the fine accommodation, guests can savor excellent cuisine in the dining room. How about gratine snails with mushrooms or wild boar

During the summer Saint-Sauveur is filled with tourists like myself, all eager to have a great time in Quebec. As we got off of the AutoRoute Des Laurentides (highway) at exit 60 I could see in the distance a sign for Les Factories Saint-Sauveur. An outlet mall? How did they know? It was like a dream come true for me. With stores such as Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Guess, Samsonite and even Cadbury Chocolates I couldn’t contain the shopper within me and I arrived in town with a brand new Guess? dress that I just adored.

Our next stop was at 2435 rue de L’Eglise in Val-David, 15 minutes from Tremblant or one hour north of Montreal, where the largest exhibition of ceramics in North America is held every year, 1001 Pots (see the listing in our Check It Out! Column.)

The open-air market style surroundings was filled with 30,000 items handcrafted by international ceramic artists. Anything that could be used for practical, ornamental or decorative purposes can be found here, from planters to teapots, bowls to plates, vases to figurines, you name it and you’ll see it displayed here.

We walked down Principale Street and came across a very small and crowded cafe called Brulerie Des Monts. We decided to have the Foret Noire sandwiches with old fashioned ham and Swiss cheese with Dijon mustard, tomatoes and lettuce and each sandwich is served on a choice of bagel, butter croissant, baguette, whole wheat or white bread.

There is also an amazing array of coffees and teas as well - expressos, lattes with names like ‘Avalanche’ and ‘L’Everest’ just to name a few. The Brulerie Des Monts was doing great business. Sitting out on the patio sipping a specialty coffee and eating a sandwich while watching people pass by made for quite a leisurely afternoon. The menu itself is a classic with a beautifully etched close-up of a man cradling coffee beans in his hands.

At Hotel Mont Gabriel we gathered information about a historical train station in Saint-Adele and decided to check it out. This small structure stood beside tracks that went on as far as the eye could see. Inside the train station of Old Mont-Rolland there was a museum dedicated to the history of the line.

In a small room there was a miniature display of where the tracks lead and significant information was supplied by a narrator who explained how the train line made a difference in their area. The miniature props must have been a labor of love by the creator because I noticed there was minute attention to every detail. Located right beside the mini-museum is the rental shop where tourists go to rent bikes for the day and follow the tracks. There is also a small cafe in the station where they serve hot and cold drinks to people passing through.

In true female form, I could not wait to do some shopping (again!) and we took an early evening stroll down Principale Street we found several little boutiques that sparked my interest. Many of the stores had one-of-a-kind designs and there was a type of store for everyone. Near the end of the street I found a really cute store that sold really funky clothes. I ended up buying a cute halter top with black and white American dollar bills on it- so unique! After an exciting purchase I like to kick back and relax for a bit.

I had seen a couple of horse drawn carriages going up and down the street and decided an evening ride would be relaxing. Instead of circling the busy streets I asked the driver to go into the residential area. I really got a good sense of what rural life is like. Many of the houses were painted in different shades of blue, which I thought was kind of unusual, but very pretty. In the middle of one property stood a small fenced garden with lush green grass and purple and white wild flowers growing and a small windmill in the center.

The whole street was utterly charming and serene. All this sightseeing was making me hungry so we decided to check out the Biftheque Steak House. As I took my seat on the patio (which was incredibly crowded) I could see all the lights of the restaurants and shops on the street. And by the way the chicken and ribs are really great here.

Thanks for the memories, Magalie. We sure had a great time in Saint-Sauveur.