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For our mini-honeymoon, we headed up to Mont Tremblant.

We took off on the Monday, driving our slow ride in our dodgy rental car (which had unbalanced winter tires, one of which almost threadbare, causing the steering wheel to shake uncontrollably over 95kmph!) up to Mont Tremblant. It was a very scenic and pretty drive, and we arrived in time for beautiful colours reflecting off the lake.

We checked into our one-bedroom suite at the Marriott and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening finally relaxing after one really long, stressful but amazingly wonderful week. Just enjoying the moment. And after dinner we came back to discover the fireplace lighted with extra logs.

The next day we set off to explore and enjoy the sunshine. Feeling adventurous, we picked the 6.5km trail and headed up to the top of the mountain. We were rewarded by many stunning vistas, beautiful forest paths and a nice spot for lunch on a terrace at the top. And we were treated to a discounted ride on the gondola back down the mountain, as our legs were out of hiking practice and felt like jelly.
At the bottom, we stayed in the village for a bit, enjoying the last of the beautiful sunshine on a terrace. Oh how I'll miss the terraces...

The day after was rainy, but we took the opportunity to drive down to Saint Jovite for lunch and to run some errands, including picking up the ingredients to make dinner in our little apartment. Tremblant village is a lovely place to stay, but the restaurants are run-of-the mill franchises and/or ridiculously expensive. One place had entrées that started at $48!! Ouch. So we splurged on nice ingredients and made ourselves a lovely dinner instead! Much more satisfying for our tastebuds (and our wallets!).

Our last full day at Tremblant was a real treat. We were spoiled and pampered all afternoon at the Scandinave Spa. It was cool and rainy, with occasional sunshine, which made for a perfect day to relax in hot pools and saunas. By the end of the day, the sun was breaking through the clouds and Dave was fast asleep, a side effect of too much relaxation. Of course, I then had to wake him up for our massage, which put us both in a deep coma of relaxation. Ahhhh.

Which we followed by watching a stressful hockey game in which the Habs impossibly lost to the Leafs. Oh well. Maybe they were too relaxed too.

On Friday we drove back to the Mirabel/St Jérôme/St Colomban area to cook a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Yay for Thanksgiving!!! I will be importing this holiday to Australia, I have decided.

But oh how I will miss autumn in Québec. There is something for every sense. The sunny days when the sun is still warm on your cheeks, but there is a crispness in the air and a chill in the wind. A visual masterpiece with the beautiful colours and beautiful blue skies. Or the richness of the oranges, yellows and reds on a rainy afternoon. The smell of the fallen leaves. The rustling sound of the leaves still on the trees, or the kids (or squirrels) playing in the piles of leaves. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattés and the Great Pumpkin Ale by Ste Ambroise. Thanksgiving turkey.

I forgive autumn's shorter days for all of these things. I will miss it!

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