Ange and her family discover Saint-Jean-Port-Joli in a different way

Saint-Jean-Port-Joli is an ideal destination for creativity, even in winter!

A bubble of romance

Setting off on a spontaneous Saturday afternoon getaway, we first landed at the beautifully decorated door of Conter Fleurette (link in french). You enter this floral space as if in a perfect little bubble of romance, the perfect way to set the tone for the month of love that is just beginning. Laura’s attention to detail, delicacy and good taste are everywhere in this luminous ancestral home in the heart of the village.

Once you’ve been round the house a couple of times (and made a few sounds of wonder here and there), you can extend your visit with a ¨Fleur o’clock¨ tea in the conservatory overlooking the rear courtyard. Imagine yourself in the late afternoon sunshine, vintage mug in hand, snuggled up on the pink velvet sofa sipping a comforting mallow, apple and lime blossom herbal tea, watching from the corner of your eye as the florist makes her bouquets. What a sweet atmosphere this boutique has!

Fun in bulk

We then walked along the river – our classic – to stop off at La Cambuse (link in french), a great bulk grocery shop showcasing a range of local producers, as well as a thrift shop with carefully selected items. Of course, the kids were drawn to the big jars of colourful sweets!

For our part, we filled up on original and delicious snacks: yoghurt-covered almond mix with matcha tea and café latté, mini pretzels and really funky coconut/cari cashews!

The self-service aspect in itself is a great activity for the kids, and above all a good opportunity to talk about where our food comes from, over-packaging, and so on.

Bring your rag!

The seaside-style cedar shingle building houses a number of inspiring social economy projects on a human scale. We went down to the floor below, where a delightful discovery awaited us! L’Atelier batard (link in french), the name is a tribute to the dog that came into their lives at the same time as the project, a workshop-boutique that repurposes second-hand clothes by adding unique screen-printed designs, was holding a ‘Bring your rags!” day, where visitors were invited to come and have their garments screen-printed.

We were completely charmed by their nature-inspired prints, and my boy was able to personalise his black cotton fleece with a superb white moth (the ink glows in the dark!). It’s an original activity that takes place once a month, so we’ll definitely be back!

The duo of owners, a designer and an illustrator, explore different creative techniques, and the fruits of their self-taught experiments pique our curiosity.

Nice late afternoon fire

To finish off the afternoon, we were in the mood for a bit of movement and fresh air, so we drove just five minutes to stop at the foot of the Tour de l’Innovation.In addition to offering a magnificent view of the river and the Musée de la mémoire vivante, it also gave us access to the Domaine de Gaspé trails. The trails are on both sides of the Rivière Trois Saumons, and in winter we can cross it on a safe, signposted ice bridge. We made our way through the forest down to the river, arriving at a small hut where we built a fire (all the equipment was available on site) and enjoyed the warmth as we ate our snack.

We ended the day on the riverbank, where the sunset was even brighter than the fire. A surprise from Mother Nature that we thoroughly enjoyed!

Photos: Ange Hébert-Corriveau