More than a thousand Canadian towns in 106 days: that’s the epic scale of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. In this continuing series, we’ll keep pace with the run and introduce you to some of Canada’s most intriguing “torch towns.” Next, the Olympic torch goes to Canada’s suave, bilingual (French and English) province of Quebec.
Day 40, Dec. 8: Beaconsfield, QC
Day 63, Dec. 31: Val-d’Or, QC
Beauty in “la belle province” goes deeper than quaint cobbles and haute fashion. It’s there too in St. Lawrence River lighthouses, fossil-rich fjords and the Quebec Winter Carnival, the world’s largest winterfest.
Elegant Montréal is Canada’s fashion, festival and gourmet food capital. Founded in 1608, Québec City mixes four centuries of Old World charm with dynamic celebrations like the New France Festival. In the Quebec countryside, follow the signs marked with a white chef’s hat along the Flavour Trail around Charlevoix, go snowmobiling in the so-called white triangle region and discover the heart of French-Canadian culture at a sugar shack party—complete with traditional fiddling, tourtière and hot maple poured over snow.
Greet French-speaking Québécois with a simple “bonjour” and you’ll be rewarded with smiling hospitality everywhere you go.
Getting here:
The pretty bedroom community of Beaconsfield sits on the west end of the Island of Montreal on the shores of Lac St. Louis. It’s just a short 10-km (6.2-mi) drive from Beaconsfield to the VIA Rail Dorval station and to Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montréal, which connects to flights from around the globe.
Val-d’Or is about 520-km (323-mi) drive north from Montréal—or a short flight from Montréal to Val-d’Or Regional Airport on daily scheduled flights.
Torch Town claims to fame:
Torch festivities:
Beaconsfield’s Centennial Hall is the place to be Dec. 8 (from 6 to 8 pm) when the Olympic Flame will be welcomed with Quebec flair in this city with a 60/40 Anglophone/Francophone population split.
Les Pieds Légers de Laval (“The Light Feet of Laval”) will perform traditional Québécois dances while a local hip-hop group from 8 Count brings a modern dance edge and a winning attitude: one of the dancers from theschool was a finalist in the recent So You Think You Can Dance Canada competition). Beaconsfield resident Trevor Payne, a recipient of the Order of Canada, will conduct the renowned Montréal Jubilation Gospel Choir, and Salty Dog will bid adieu to the Torch with a lively round-up of Celtic fiddling.
On Dec. 31, the New Year’s Eve celebrations will start early in Val-d’Or. There’ll be a whole afternoon of school sporting events and team challenges as well as a youth hockey tournament outside the municipal arena. The ceremony begins at 6 pm with the lighting of the Torch around 7 pm, and after it leaves the city will celebrate its own 75th anniversary—and a new year—with a 45-minute program of music, dance, sketches and outdoor figure-skating.
Worth a side-trip to:
www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/accueil0.html
www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-torch-relay/
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