Baby Anna’s first road trip on the Route des Navigateurs

The first official outing with baby is always a milestone. Even more so when you give birth in a confined space and the first encounters are through a window. But that’s another story. For now, I’d like to tell you about our first little road trip with 4-week-old baby in May 2020.

I was looking forward to this day, a little feverish, excited and anxious. Would she be okay in the car? Would breastfeeding outdoors be okay? Would she be too hot or too cold? You know, the river air isn’t the same!

By the time I got to the 132, I’d forgotten all that, I was just so happy. I had this feeling of freedom, it was beautiful, warm. It was as if I were experiencing this road for the first time. The first time with Anna. I wanted her to love the Route des Navigateurs as much as I did, the gourmet stops, driving with the windows down, the St. Lawrence, the beautiful ancestral homes. I hoped that one day she would be as enchanted as I was by these simple moments.

We drove on and stopped to say hello to Ann-Rika from the O’ravito café. Sandwiches, shrimp guedille and galettes would add happiness to our waterside picnic. The family headed back to the Fromagerie du Terroir de Bellechasse. An essential stop to complete our lunch of regional flavours.

At the Marina de Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse, we finally spread out our large fouta. Then we started eating while baby slept peacefully to the sound of the wind. It was surprisingly warm. It seemed as if all the stars were aligned to give us a sweet moment. Which doesn’t happen every day with a newborn. We understand each other.