Sometimes, you need a break. I know I do anyway.
So on the weekend of November 11, I packed a small bag, left my computer and my city life behind and headed to Bourget, a small village in Eastern Ontario. It only took a forty-minute drive to get there but as soon as we hit Vars, we entered another world of farms, straight roads and no traffic. Welcome to the countryside.
The Bed & Breakfast was located up a long gravel road and the rental car wasn’t too happy with the climb. Up there, away from the city noise, the silence was deafening and we found ourselves speaking quietly to adapt to the atmosphere.
We lost track of time after a relaxing massage and a soak in the hot tub. The sun set around 5:00 p.m. and darkness enveloped the buildings. It reminded me of the time Feng and I spent a few days in Deep River—the night sky was as amazing.
At 5:30, already hungry, we ended up in the one and only restaurant in Bourget. Restaurants in small towns are often hit-and-miss: you can end up raiding the convenience store because there just isn’t anything else available, or you can discover small gems. This time, the restaurant was actually pretty amazing and we agreed there had to be a French guy in the kitchen because the inspiration and the choice of ingredients definitely came from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
On the next day, we hit the Larose Forest, close to Bouvier Road. During the 18th century, extensive logging began and the huge forest of white pines was cleared for farming. However, it was discovered a sand plain underlay most of the forest and the soil wasn’t fertile for agriculture. In the 1920s, it was decided to replant the forest rather than leave the “Bourget desert” like this.
Today, Larose Forest is the second largest planted forest in southern Ontario. Amazing, isn’t it?
This reminded me of that horror flick, The Blair Witch Project! Not that I have seen it, but I do think that autumn in a remote forest is to some degree, creepy.
Last time I was in Deep River, in a similar setting, we watched the movie on my laptop. Trust me, it was scary!
Sounds like a nice trip.
I love your pics of the woods, the church, and especially the starry sky.
The church picture came out as a nice surprise, the clouds added a lot of character to it I find.
There’s an expression – “A change is as good as a rest.” You managed to get both!
Glad to hear you had a wonderful break. (Food for thought…)
Oh! Countryside pictures recharge me! 😀 I wish I could see this amazing starry sky! Awww…
I love the sky here, as soon as you get out of the city it’s wonderful.
Wow, the pics did come out great! I should add that the climb to get to the inn wasn’t that bad at all, but I would NOT recommend doing it with a Mazda 3 coupe, especially in the winter.
Yeah, that would have been an adventure in the snow…
I loved our little walk in the forest. It was really relaxing WE.
the names sound french, despite being in ontario!
beautiful woods… and wow, i think this is the first time u’ve posted so many pictures! 😀
We were surprised too, but this is a French-speaking part of the province. Everyone we met spoke French!
I love it when you take road trips. The woods are lovely.
We are lucky, Canada is an amazing land to discover.
Whoa!!! This is beautiful Zhu and I am so envious that you can just pack and relax in the woods. Living in Singapore, I think the only place peaceful is just to stay at home LOL
I love the pixs….very nice!!!!
Thank you!
Wow, that’s a pretty cool shot of the night sky! And I love the look of the woods, it looks like a forgotten part of the world.
It felt like being in a forgotten part of the world as well!
Hi Zhu!
I just wanted to say thanks again for submitting this to the BT Blog Carnival! I enjoyed it (I think the Red Berry photo is my favorite. Reminds me of the picture I took of red chokeberries a few years ago.) Anyway, this article has been included in the which was published today.
If you could retweet, stumble, or “Like” this edition of the blog carnival, I would really appreciate it. 🙂 It would also help people discover your article, too!
Thanks again 🙂
Hey Zhu,
This is our first interaction, I was going through your website…I really loved it …So real ,So pure ,So Passionate.So Simple…I am an Indian Resident currently staying India planning to apply for canada PR this year…We share lots of hobbies in common like travelling ,photography and adventure….Thought of writing to you.Also the blogs abt settling in canada are very informative and will be of great use…All the best to you..We will someday meet up in canada with our family and go for a road trip…I am also in biking and cycling..
Hi Shoeb,
Well, good luck with the immigrating process! Let me know if you have any question about Canada.