TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Quebec, We Shall Return!!!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Quebec, We Shall Return!!!

We left Old Quebec mid-day and drove to the Ile d'Orleans Island, which is just 5 kilometers away. This beautiful island is surrounded by the Saint Lawrence River. Here we saw quaint houses and farms and forests. I had visited in 2007 when it was fall and the leaves of trees blazed yellow, orange, and red. Now it is summer but everything remains green and lush. We saw cornfields and strawberry farms, and fields of grain; we saw stretches of land and the shoreline of the Saint Lawrence. Everything was picturesque. This island is a bit of paradise, although I can tell it's really cold here in the winter.

I suspect there are many artists living in this island as there were many artists' galleries. We visited a couple of them and also a handsome church from the 1600s. What also caught our eye were the small chapels by the side of the road.

I love the tin roofs of the churches and houses here; the stone houses are also quite attractive.

Back in the mainland, we stopped somewhere for a lobster sandwich (we don't have this in California). Afterwards, we headed back to Montreal.

It's the tail-end of our holiday, dear Readers, and we feel a bit sad. We have enjoyed Canada; we have seen beautiful places and met generous and kind people here.

I believe I can speak for the rest of our little group that we all want to return one day.

We have one more day in Montreal after which we return to our homes and normal lives.

Thank you, dear Readers, for following our journey in Canada.

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.