“Travels to a Different Time”: 11August2004: Around Charlevoix Along Marine Shore Park Road

Instead of heading East on Shore Road it was heading west on Marine Park Road. A 95-kilometre drive to Tadoussac. Many small towns were passed through. No art galleries to speak of. Of note was Port au Persil a small outpost off Route 138. A steep road leads down to the town with a spectacular view of the St. Lawrence River. We stopped by the side of the road the town and took a rest at picnic benches overlooking a small waterfall. There were a few people having lunch including a couple enjoying a bottle of wine. Drink wine in public in Toronto and expect a ten-year prison sentence! Point au Persil’s church is constructed of wood and is very simple. We drove to the pier and discovered a quaint restaurant “Petit Madelaine”. It is part of an auberge. It was so charming we made dinner reservations. We headed to the outskirts of Tadoussac. There were several towns on the way but Port au Persil is the most beautiful. We stopped at Pointe Noire which afforded a spectacular view of the Saguenay Fjord. The park rangers told us there where whales to see in the morning but no such luck for us. Dinner at Petit Madelaine was exceptional. The chef enthusiastically described her dishes. We all had cipet which was a pastry with turkey, beef and lamb. Dessert was a warm caramel brioche. The dining room had 15 or so tables and seemed to be popular amongst lesbian diners. Did this have anything to do with the restaurant being run solely by women? We enjoyed this country dinner immensely. Returned to Manoir Richelieu and had a fantastic steam bath and dip in the saltwater pool with Andrew.