This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
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The Azores all year round from Montreal
A small archipelago of nine volcanic islands, the Azores form a delightful autonomous region of Portugal, in the middle of the Atlantic. Until now, the SATA carrier Azores Airlines linked Montreal to Ponta Delgada, the capital, from spring to fall. Now, this direct, non-stop flight is offered all year round, at least twice a week. In addition to connecting the Azores to Montreal in 5 hours, it allows you to continue your route on the carrier’s network in continental Europe (Lisbon, Faro, Porto, Bilbao, etc.) but also in Madeira and Cape Verde. On the way out or back, it is also possible to have a free stopover in Ponta Delgada for up to seven days. Located directly on the Gulf Stream, the Azores enjoy mild temperatures all year round — around 16 degrees in winter. A climate ideal for hiking, wandering and exploring this little Portugal on the high seas, without the sweat or the summer crowds.
Play Viking in the Laurentians
An ax as a door handle, horns that serve as glasses, shields attached to the walls and runes engraved on the beams… The tone is set: Eventyr (“adventure”, in Norwegian) plays the Viking theme, at the site of unusual accommodation Les Toits du monde, in Nominingue. Inaugurated last July, this little house has neither a grass roof nor the shape of a longhouse, but it has a unifying side with its large hardwood table and fireplace. Inside, no running water, but a pressure shower, a mini propane stove and a compost toilet; no electricity, but lighting by solar panels. Three double mattresses can accommodate a family or three couples in minimalist and rustic comfort, like that of the Vikings. In addition to this house, Les Toits du monde has two perched chalets, a wooden teepee, a prospector tent, a mini-house (tiny house) and a hobbit house. Next summer, a habitable pirate ship perched in a tree will be added to the lot: after Frodo and Ragnar, place for Jack Sparrow. Price (Viking house): $200 for 2 people, $20 per additional person. Several outdoor activities on site and nearby. Open all year round.
A renewed Ulysses Guide for the paths to Compostela
Quest for faith, reconquest of oneself, need for solitude or to slow down everyday life: there are many reasons which push 446,000 pilgrims each year (counted in 2023) to take one of the paths to Compostela. But how do you navigate the multitude of routes in France, Spain and Portugal? Written by collaborators recruited by the Association of Quebec in Compostela, the guide On the paths to Compostela has just been entitled to a second edition, updated and improved with maps, testimonies, color photos and new sections, including one which invites you to “think off the beaten track”. Abundantly illustrated, full of advice and full of practical tips, this mainly exploratory guide addresses a host of subjects for carrying out a journey on these centuries-old paths, from psychological and physical preparation to the itineraries, including the sites to see and the shock of return. On the other hand, it does not suggest accommodation or restaurants, and it only briefly addresses the stages of the routes. After having traveled it, we nevertheless come to believe that all roads do not lead to Rome, but to Santiago de Compostela. On the paths to Compostela, Collective, Ulysse, Montreal, 2024, 272 pages.
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