A breath of Missisquoi County

Have you ever felt genuine happiness by eating chocolate after an exhausting day of biking? I did and I would do it again. I had a wonderful time biking from village to village, taking break in each of them to eat a little something or enjoy the local museum. The scenery is exceptional. No matter where I stood, the picture I took was a perfect postcard.

Quick Tips:

If you come during spring, apple trees are in bloom,but if you come during fall, the apples are ready to eat! Here is an abstract map to give you a little sense of direction. From west to east along St-Armand road are the villages of St-Armand, Pigeon Hill and Frelighsburg. North of St-Armand is town of Bedford, north of Bedford is Mystic and east of Bedford is Stanbridge East. The distance between each village is about 10 km.

Best Way To Get Around:

It is impossible to reach the region by bus, so you have to come by car. If you come from US on interstate 89, St-Armand road is the first road on your right in Canada. If you come from Montreal by rte 35 and 133, its the last one on your left! Once you are there, biking is, by far, the best way to enjoy the scenery.

Mystic is another beautiful village of Missisquoi county. It's impossible to get lost, as there are only three streets in this tiny village. L'Oeuf, french for "The Egg", is a "restaurant/auberge/chocolatier" as says the sign. Because it is built in what used to be just another house in the village, this bed & breakfast/restaurant offers a cozy atmosphere. The tables placed in a pretty garden in the backyard allow you to appreciate the country and your meal at the same time.

L'Oeuf is famous for its exquisite chocolate and this reputation is well- deserved. After a day of biking, I felt no guilt and took several bites of every kind of chocolate they had. I can't recommand anything in particular, all is delicious.

To digest my chocolate, I took a few steps outside to admire the neighbor's twelve-side barn, something I never thought could exist. I was told it opens to the public once a year, but it didn't while I was there.

Chemin St-Armand is one of the most popular biking roads of the province, though not for beginners. I don't believe there is even three feet of flat country. It is all ups and downs. Add to that the narrowness of the road and the cars coming at 100 km/h. Once in a while, take your eyes off the road and take a look at the scenery: green hills, golden fields, colourful farms, horses, cows, and ducks.

For the expert cyclist, the ultimate challenge is Joy Hill. In Frelighsburg, follow route 237 towards United States. You will find 15 km of climbing road. My car hardly made it all the way up. Imagine your legs! Once you are on top, take a look back at the view, look down to what you have climbed and you'll understand why it is called Joy Hill. Then, take out your passport, because you are almost at the American customs and the officers are not exactly friendly since 9/11.

Missisquoi museum is a small local museum, nevertheless it uses three buildings in the pretty village of Stanbridge-East. The main entry is in the old mill. The theme of the temporary exposition in the first room changes every year. When I went last year, the exposition was about the different Churches of the region. The other rooms recreate life in the XIXth century. The basement presents the village (school, dentist, blacksmith) while the first floor represents the interior of a house (kitchen, living room). The objects that couldn't be placed in those rooms are displayed on the second floor (military uniforms, toys).

The ticket of entry allows you to visit the General store and the Barn. The General store closed in 1950 and stayed as it was. You still can see the hats, the fabric, the tools, the saddles that were on sale then. The small staircase in the back is now useless: the last person who dared to climb it came back through the floor! The Barn is five minutes walking outside of the village. There you can see ancient agricultural machinery as well as old sleighs that could be lended by Santa Claus!

If you take time to read every card placed under every object, the visit takes about two hours. Every object was given to the museum by local families, so the museum tells the story of the locals. My grandparents lived in that region. After that visit, I felt I understood their world a little better.

Bedford fair is the oldest agricultural fair of the province. Since the middle of the XIXth century, the little town stops for a weekend in August (not always the same date) to celebrate its local products. The event starts on Friday with a parade in the streets. Half of the population proudly parades while the other half is watching. Firemen, policemen, scouts, knitting club... every organization of the town is represented. Children look forward to this event because it is tradition for participants parading to give away candies.

The admission to the fair ground ("terrain de l'exposition" in french) costs two dollars, free for children. There you can vote for the biggest cow, the best apple pie or the prettiest knitted doily. The organizers made some concessions to modern times: 2 or 3 roller coasters, loud music, a dance floor and a party that ends at wee hours of the night.

During this weekend, the quiet little town wakes up. For people born and raised in big cities, it is an occasion to learn what country life was 100 years ago... and still is today.

On Eccles Hill road in Frelighsburg, a grey stone is dedicated to the memory of Margaret Vincent, only victim of the Fenian Raids. A stone is stone, nothing new there. But the story of how the poor lady died is somehow ironic. In 1866, Canada wasn't yet independant of Great Britain. Some Irish of United States, who called themselves Fenians, decided to take action to help their starving fellow-countrymen still in Ireland. They would militarily take the poorly defended Canada and then exange it to England against the independance of Ireland. The Fenians crossed the border in Vermont, heading towards Montreal where the British troops were stationed. They never got farther than Frelighsburg, the army meeting them there. At their arrival in the village, British soldiers ordered the population to stay home until the fight would be over. Margaret Vincent was a little deaf, she didn't hear what was said. Seeing someone disobeying, a nervous rookie shot her...