Our afternoon in Quebec City was the highlight of our weekend. Had we ever heard of Ile d'Orleans? No. Did we find it on the map today? Yes. Did we visit on a whim? Yup. Do we love it here? Absolutely!
Despite a long line of traffic crossing the bridge to get to the island, once there it was very easy to explore. There is one main road around the island.
Our first stop was a farm that was hosting a fall fest. You could purchase pumpkins, a wide variety of squash, some fresh vegetables, apples, and more. They had a special offer: fill a wheelbarrow full of squash and pumpkins for only CAD$50. We saw quite a few wheelbarrows filling up around us, but we settled on some maple candy, a can (yes, a tin can!) of maple syrup, and an apple.
As we drove around the island, we found many tiny, mini-chapels. We still don't know the purpose of these pint-sized churches, but one of them had been converted into a very small boutique shop.
The drive around Ile d'Orleans brought us through all six of the island's quaint villages. There were many farm stands, small churches, adorable houses, historical buildings, and endless farms. This is truly a rural farm island.
At the northern tip of the island is an Observation Tower. You can climb the stairs to the top, with beautiful views back across the river to see the banks of the St. Lawrence river.
Driving through villages and past farms, we passed a cheese shop, so we stopped to have a look and do some shopping. Little did we realize that this may be the most popular stop on the island. There were dozens of people patiently waiting in line for what appeared to be some beautifully home-made cheese. As much as we wanted to try some cheese, we had other priorities, so we did not stay in line.
As we continued our drive, we saw two animated men on the side of the road, dressed in apple t-shirts, waving flags, inviting us in. We couldn't resist. We turned in, and drove the kilometer long dirt road to the apple orchard. We had found a pick-your-own apple orchard. There were six types of apples available, all color coded with paint on the tree trunk. We were invited to walk amongst the trees and pick (and sample!) any apples we wanted. Our arms full of apples, we returned to pay and chat with the orchards owners.
Further down the road, we stopped at the one micro-brewery on the island. It is located in a very charming village, with some beautiful old buildings. And the beer and view were pretty awesome as well.
Driving towards the bridge back to the city, we couldn't resist our last and final stop on the island: a distillery that specializes in black currants. We purchased some port-like wine, and a small bottle of creme de cassis. And, it was perfect timing to enjoy a lovely sunset view.
As we crossed the bridge back towards Quebec City, we both decided that had we known about this island, we probably would have spent one night at an AirBnB in one of the charming villages. What a great place to experience Quebec.
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