Our second stop on Wednesday was Île d'Orléans, it's located in the Saint Lawrence River about 3 miles east of Québec City. The island represents the tidal divide of the St. Lawrence, where fresh water begins to mix with the sea. Île d'Orléans was one of the first settlements for New France in the sixteenth century, and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace ancestry to early residents of the island. One road circles the perimeter of the island offering visitors a look back in time with historic homes and churches, vineyards, sugar shacks (maple syrup), delicious bakeries, fruit stands and drop-dead-gorgeous scenery.
Île d'Orléans is a National Historic Site of Canada and has six individual villages: Saint-Pierre, Sainte-Famille, Saint-François, Saint-Jean, Saint-Laurent and Sainte-Pétronille. They all have their own special things to offer. The village of Sainte-Pétronille on the western end of the island overlooks the impressive Montmorency Falls, as well as a view of the St. Lawrence River and Québec City.
A view across the St. Lawrence from Saint-Pierre
Maison Drouin, located in Sainte-Famille, is the oldest house on Île d’Orléans and has changed little since 1730. It belonged to the Drouin family until 1984 and is now open for tours.
Les Fromages are artisan cheese makers. They produce cheeses in the traditional methods that date back to the early 1600s.
Saint-François Observation Tower gave us a 360º view of the north-eastern point of the island, looking out towards the St Lawrence. More stairs...this vacation has been all about climbing stairs.
Looking north from the tower
Looking east toward the Saint Lawrence River
We stopped in Saint-Jean at La Boulange for lunch. Stan had vegetable soup with homemade bread and I had a pesto/three cheese pizza. The crust was light and amazing. We also bought pastries for breakfast...they were very good.
Eglise de Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans built in 1737
There's a great religious heritage on Île d’Orléans. There are eight churches on the island and six procession chapels. Procession chapels are signs of popular devotion, were generally built at equal distances form the parish churches and were gathering places during processions and religious celebrations.
Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans...we just couldn't pass up a good chocolate shop.
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