LET’S VISIT TROIS-RIVIÈRES!

Trios-Rivières, Quebec, Canada……. I love the sound of the name of this charming town.  I love the views and history too!

Trios-Rivières is the cultural center of Quebec’s Maurice region.  This picturesque city was established in 1634, the second - after Quebec City, in 1608 - to be permanently settled in New France.  With its strategic location, it played an important role as all eyes looked west to trade fur with the First Nations peoples.  “Three Rivers,” the city’s anglicized name, is located where two islands break the waterway into three channels before it spills into the St. Lawrence.  Today, stately century-old buildings form the core of the Old Town.

We enjoyed our day in Trois-Rivières, or as our guide called it - Three Rivers.  We took a morning tour which included a coach tour around the city, a visit to Notre-Dame-du-Cap Sanctuary, and then a drive out of town to a “Sugar Shack” where maple syrup is made.  On a side note, I started to realize that almost every place we visited in Canada so far has something named “Notre Dame” and Canadians are proud of their maple syrup!  After all, the Canadian flag has a maple leaf on it!

Here are a few pics I snapped from the coach:

Our coach took us to our first stop - The Sanctuary of Notre Dame du Cap (Our Lady of the Cape.) Our guide said that a church can be called a Sanctuary after it is visited by a Pope.  In this case, the church was visited by Pope John Paul. II in September 1984.  Notre Dame du Cap is also considered to be a Basilica.  It is of modern architecture and the organ has the maple leaf as the focus of its design.  It is stunning!

Outside there are statues depicting the stations of the cross set in a beautiful garden setting.

There is also a charming smaller chapel/church on the property. This is the original church and inside is a famous statue of Mary.  It is now considered to be a shrine honoring the Blessed Mother because of the “Notre-Dame-du-Cap” miracle.  This miracle refers to two distinct events:  the Miracle of the Ice Bridge (1879) and the Miracle of the Eyes (1888).  In the first event, an unprecedented ice bridge formed on the St. Lawrence River, allowing parishioners to transport stones for a new church after a mild winter.  In the second event, three witnesses saw a statue of Mary open and close its eyes during the church’s dedication ceremony.  A Mass was being said while we visited, so we weren’t able to go into the old church.  However, I was able to capture a photo of the inside and the statue of Mary as I peeked through the open doors.

After our visit to the sanctuary, we headed to the countryside to learn how maple syrup is produced and to enjoy a tasting.  The owner of Du-Bois-e also referred to as simply “the sugar shack”, has owned the property for many years and at 74 years of age, one could see how much he still loved and was so proud of his maple syrup!  Not only do they produce their own maple syrup, they also host weddings and special events in their charming facility and garden.

We returned to the ship and enjoyed lunch on board.  Here are a couple photos that we took from the pier.

After lunch, Mark and I wandered the quiet streets of Trois-Rivières.  It was so colorful!  Fences, umbrellas and even the Main Street was full of colors!  Charming!

My favorite story of the day:  we stopped by a grocery/convenience store to grab a couple of things.  As we checked out the clerk was rather “cold” - didn’t smile or offer any conversation.  As we completed the transaction, I smiled and said “thank you”.  No reaction.  I then said “Merci” and she laughed and said “You’re Welcome!”  We all enjoyed that moment!

It just taught me that the French speaking locals want to be respected and are proud of their heritage!

C’etait une bonne journee! (It was a great day!)