Charlevoix (part II)

*You can see Part I of our trip to Charlevoix here. 

Charlevoix really was incredible! Our second day there it was overcast and rainy all day, but we didn't care. We played in the hot tub for a little while but spent most of the day exploring. The tide was way out and there was such a playground awaiting us of rocks, shells, and of course, the ice cold salty water of the St. Lawrence.

 

I couldn't believe our kid's abilities even on such rough and rugged terrain. Our two year old was literally climbing boulders covered with slippery moss! They were all wearing Saltwater Sandals which are so awesome for adventure - they're water proof and have really thick soles. I wore my Birkenstocks for all of our adventures and was totally set. I still think it's crazy that I bought these sandals for a trip to Tanzania in 2005 and they're still going strong! Buying quality over quantity is the way to go - they've lasted me over 10 years!

It was especially fun to see our kids dive right into nature, since they live in such a different landscape back home. They were naturals! We all decided that a sandy white beach was not our thing, and that this rocky, dark sanded beach was our version of paradise. Iceland will be more of the same, so I'm glad they're on board!

Clover took to the adventure without hesitation, but she definitely had a few more spills than the rest of us. She was never hurt, but she fell in the water a lot which was pretty cold! We spent a lot of time cuddling her but then she's jump out of our arms looking for blue rocks without warning, haha!

 There were so many opportunities in Charlevoix to say, Isn't God creative? Isn't God powerful? There was no lack of teaching moments with the kids, that's for sure.

On our third and final day we packed up right away, said goodby to our Airbnb, and headed to a nearby town (Baie St. Paul) and stopped an an alpaca farm on the way! More pics to come!

Baie Saint Paul + Alpacas!

This is actually Charlevoix Part III but who turns a three night getaway into three posts?! So I gave it another title. See how I slid under the radar there? Honestly, I was just so camera happy on our trip because everything was SO gorgeous! Charlevoix really took my breath away - the salty sea air (we were right where the St. Lawrence river turns into salt water and becomes the seaway, leading to the Atlantic), the rolling hills (the roads were seriously like a roller coaster), and the cute little towns we passed en route. See?

When we said goodbye to our awesome Airbnb, we vowed that this would be the first of many summer stays by the sea. As I said in my last post, we don't usually spend money when we're traveling aside from getting there (in this case gas money for the four hour drive) and accommodations (our super affordable Airbnb). We buy groceries and stick within our regular grocery budget and do free activities, like exploring the beach. But...

As we were driving home we passed an alpaca farm and I almost died! They wisely put all the babies in the pen closest to the road and I mean how does one keep driving when they see this precious animal!? It's like a lamb and a deer had a baby. We jumped out and paid the $20 admission for our whole family to feed these cuties and wander around the lush backdrop. It was well worth it!

Apparently alpaca wool is really valuable because everything in the gift shop was over $80, haha! But I seriously was so obsessed with these little guys! Which is saying a lot, as I'm known as having a bit of a black heart for animals.

The kids loved the alpacas and it was fun to spontaneously stop and have one last adventure!

Then we headed to Baie St. Paul which was the largest town to us and about 20 minutes driving from our Airbnb. It was a really cute little stop and we basically ate a picnic lunch which we'd packed before leaving, stretched our legs, and grabbed an ice cream cone for the road. It was a great way to end a lovely little getaway!

Like in most places in Quebec, there was an imposing cathedral that is now more or less unused and empty. I always like to go in and have a look - admire the architecture and hope to strike up a conversation with a nun if I can find one. There was no one in this vast church, just many candles lit and a sign saying that it costs $4 to light a candle. I found a Bible and opened it to Matthew 21:11-13 and carried on.

Baie St. Paul is such a cute town! I would love to stay inside the town sometime, though it would mean not being near the water, which was dreamy. But look at this place! It reminded me of Stars Hollow ;)

If you're looking for a picturesque, fun, and affordable getaway and you live anywhere near Montreal, you've got to get yourself to Charlevoix! Can't wait to go back another time!

la Malbaie, Quebec!

Last week we took a mini-family vacation up to Charlevoix, Quebec and stayed in la Malbaie! For those who have asked, Charlevoix is one of Quebec's most beautiful areas - it's cottage country and is around two hours from Quebec City. This part of Quebec is where the St. Lawrence river becomes the St. Lawrence Seaway, so the brackish water almost like being in the ocean, except inland! It's so cool! 

(my swimsuit is from a collaboration I did with La Vie En Rose and I love it!)

Our Airbnb was so beautiful with tons of natural light, total privacy (needed with all those windows!), and a hot tub. We put the hot tub down to 92 degrees (with the help of many buckets of water, lol) and the kids played in there for hours. I read over half of Anne of Windy Poplars (trying to read all eight before our trip to PEI in August!) and soaked up the hot sun.

There was no humidity at all - just hot sunny days and crisp cool nights. Basically perfection. The kids ate cheese curds on the beach and I marveled at how gorgeous Quebec is. Such a diverse province with mountains, lakes, rivers, woods, cities, not to mention the culture and history here. I could seriously never leave this province and be quite satisfied. I had to laugh when I realized that I only packed all black suits for me and the kids. Monochrome family! Mine is from la Vie en Rose a Quebec-baded company that I'm thrilled to be working with this summer. Oli's is from Kortni Jeane from a previous collaboration, and the girl's are thrifted :)

The tide was way out at the beginning of our time at the beach and there were little pools everywhere. By the time we left, three hours later, the tide was back in and all of this area where we were playing was totally covered, including the big rock Lily and I were frolicking on! Water is just so amazing.

At one point we had a big old family nap in the living room - something that screams VACATION in my mind. One hiccup was when our Oliboy woke up with a sore tummy and proceeded to throw up a few times that day, with several happy hours of perfect in between. It's like it came in waves but they were really spaced out. So he'd be sick, everything would stop, but then he'd feel great for 2-4 hours so we'd sneak in hot tub time and family hikes, and then he'd be sick again. He's the world's greatest sick kid and never complained and was so sweet the whole time.

During one of Oli's stretches of feelin' good we drove out to a national park that has a huge salmon reserve and beautiful water falls. It was so dreamy and we were the only ones there. Hiking at 5pm is probably not the wisest decision during black fly season and at mosquito-o-clock, but we made the best of it and had so much fun. Yes, we were covered with bites at the end, but we had a blast! Most of the pictures are blurry, because iPhone, dusk, and moving kids... but still worth posting, I think :)

Lets talk kids clothes for a minute. Lily's grey tank is from Wildly Co (made in the USA) and her blue hoody, as well as the striped tops on Oli and Chloe are from Montreal merino wool company, Luv Mother (also they have 40% off right now!). My favourite thing you'll see in these pictures is Chloe's Tilley hat. It was a gift to me from my Pa (my grandpa who died when I was in highschool), and all of our kids have worn it in recent summers. Now it's Chloe's turn and it warms my heart so much to see our littlest wearing my childhood hat - a hat that I've always associated with my dear Pa, who wore his Tilley hat every summer for my entire life. Annnnnd just like that, a family vacation post has me in tears.

If you've never used Airbnb, I highly highly recommend. You can use this link for $30 off your first stay anywhere in the world! And if you're interested in our exact Airbnb (I have had a few requests already!), feel free to e-mail me and I'll send you the link. We'll be using Airbnbs in Europe this summer (we leave in mid-July!) and this trip definitely got us excited for a longer, bigger adventure!