Mont Megantic s famously Dark Skies... {photo not taken with my camera} Exploring Quebec s Charming Eastern Townships

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1 Mont Megantic s famously Dark Skies... {photo not taken with my camera} Exploring Quebec s Charming Eastern Townships July 23 29, 2018

2 Presenting the Manoir Hovey: our Lac Massawippi home for two nights Let s explore a region that combines village ambiance, lakeside living, specialty farms, and clean, natural space as well as any region in the world Quebec s Eastern Townships. Join a group of 5 10 people to discover local charms, stories, and hospitality... at a relaxed pace. We ll base our adventure from a succession of delightful historic inns that will be a trip highlight, all by themselves. We ll be living the good life for a week, with New England s northern, bi-lingual neighbors. Let s go! Trip Price: $3225 / person (double occupancy; single supplement, $750); price includes six nights lodging with breakfast in high standard inns and hotels; ground transportation by comfortable van / mini-van(s); 4 lunches and 4 dinners; all touring. Price does not include airfare, other meals, alcohol, optional trip insurance.

3 Itinerary: Monday, July 23 We ll fly to Montreal, where we ll transfer to our comfortable van, then drive east into the Eastern Townships region. You ll hear and see the phrase Cantons de l Est (French version of Eastern Townships), so get used to that. Our destination will be the beautiful Manoir Hovey on Lac Massawippi. The manor was built in the year 1900 by Atlantan, Henry Atkinson, as a summer retreat. Here, we ll let the lakeside setting, and fine, comfortable lodgings, gardens, and common areas sweep us away. Dinner and overnight at the Manoir Hovey. Tuesday, July 24 We ll start our day with a delicious breakfast likely served on a sunny garden terrace. (And we probably will not want to leave.) We ll embark on a scenic drive around the lake, which will feature local farms (lavender and cheese), and a traditional round barn or two. We ll have lunch in the village of Coaticook, and enjoy the local house museum (and a walk around town). Those who wish can walk across the suspension bridge over the Coaticook Gorge. In the mid-afternoon, we ll return to the Manoir Hovey, with many options. You can enjoy the lake (canoe, swim, paddle board), the gardens and grounds, the on-site boutique.

4 After dinner this evening, we ll take a short cruise on the lake on a pontoon boat. Overnight, the Manoir Hovey. Wednesday, July 25 We ll enjoy the Manoir Hovey until approximately 11:00 am, then drive to nearby North Hatley for a proper look around town, and lunch. In the afternoon, we ll embark on our drive to Lac Megantic, making a stop at a blueberry farm en route. We ll settle into our lakeside inn, Les Victorines, and probably say to ourselves I think I could get used to this. We ll enjoy dinner in the area; overnight at Les Victorines in the village of Lac Megantic. Lavender, cheese, fruit and berry farms abound; round barns are a rarer curiosity

5 Thursday, July 26 This morning, enjoy breakfast with a view. We ll then explore this northeast corner of the townships region, marked by lots of mountain and lake country (we re just north of the Maine border). Highlights will include a visit to a maple syrup farm, and our hunt for historic covered bridges! Pont couvert McVetty-McKenzie de Gould, not far from Lac Megantic In the mid-afternoon (after a short rest at Les Victorines), we ll drive one of eastern Canada s great scenic highways: La Route des Sommets (the route of the summits). This drive will take us to the top of Mont Megantic (we ll be in one of two national parks we ll visit on our Quebec adventure), one of North America s great dark sky viewing points. We ll return to earth and our inn for the overnight. Friday, July 27 After breakfast this morning, we ll say goodbye to our hosts, then drive to pretty Sherbrooke. Enjoy the upscale vibe of the city (and lunch). In the mid-afternoon, we ll drive via Valcourt

6 (home of Armand Bombardier, inventor of the snowmobile) to Waterloo and our lovely home for two nights the Manoir Maplewood. Dinner and overnight at the Manoir Maplewood (pictured, bottom of page), Waterloo. Saturday, July 28 Breakfast at our beautiful and historic inn (ho-hum). We ll enjoy a terrific driving circuit today. First, we ll drive through the heart of the Mont Orford National Park (stopping at the park s newest visitor center). Then we ll make our way to the Abbey of St. Benoit du Lac. Just wait. Besides the visuals, the brothers at the abbey specialize in several homemade culinary treats, which we plan to sample. Our drive will continue to the villages of Brome, West Brome, and Dunham, before we return to the Manoir Maplewood. Dinner and overnight at the Manoir Maplewood, Waterloo.

7 paddle-boarding on Lac Massawippi, at the Manoir Hovey Sunday, July 29 We ll depart Waterloo this morning, returning to the Trudeau Airport on our side of Montreal for our flight home. Trip sign-up: Please print, fill out, and mail a registration form and deposit (details, mailing address on the registration form). You can find a registration form after the photo gallery that follows.

8 Photo Gallery [Find trip registration form on the last page (print page 11).] this page: Welcome to North Hatley a summer colony for southerners?!

9 Degustations-a-plenty; below, St. Benoit du Lac

10 small town charm... often featuring something homemade On top of the world the view from Mont Megantic

11 Plenty of scenes like these await: Mont Orford National Park; meal with a view

12 Trip Registration Quebec s Eastern Townships, July 23 29, 2018 Please print and mail this registration form, along with your $750 / person deposit (check, payable to Explore Up Close), to: Explore Up Close, LLC 613 Poplar St. Spartanburg, SC Your Name: Mailing Address: Telephone: Name of person(s) traveling with you (if applicable): ; Contact information (if different from yours): Telephone: Lodging specifics (requests will be honored to the degree possible): room with two (2) beds room with one (1) bed Enclosed is my check, payable to Explore Up Close, in the amount of. Final trip payment is due on May 24, Refunds can be granted prior to that date, minus a $100 service fee and any non-refundable vendor monies (hotel and guide bookings, etc.). (864) chumley@exploreupclose.com