Saturday August 19, 2017

Manoir Papineau

We get up a bit early today, have a light breakfast, shower, and pack the rest of our stuff. We finish loading the RAV and then go to leave the parking garage. Our key does not seem to be opening the door even though the light turns green on the card reader. Carol goes to ask someone and they show us a different card reader and it works. The RAV is out in the daylight for the first time in four days and we drop the keys in the key drop and are on our way. We hit several detours going through Montreal and eventually hit the highway and smooth driving. An hour and forty five minutes later we arrive at the Manoir Papineau, another Historic Site.

Read the Sign

We get luck as there is a 1015 English tour and it is 1008 when we get there. Otherwise the next tour would have been at 1215. Mr. Papineau became leader of the Patriot Party in 1826 and was instrumental in writing 92 resolutions demanding elected legislative council and other rights for the Canadian population. The queen of England rejected all of them and then in 1837, the party rebelled. The rebellion was squashed by the British army and he and other party leaders were ordered to be arrested and then hanged. He escaped to Saratoga New York for two years and then to France living in exile for another 5 years. Eventually pardoned, he returned and built the Manoir in 1850. He became involved in politics again and then eventually moved to the Manoir full time living to the old age of 84.

In Montebello Chateau

After our tour we walk down a trail to the Montbello Chateau next door. The chateau is owned by the group that bought the Manoir and surrounding acreage in 1929 for the sum of 75,000 dollars. The new owners wanted a private club to entertain their rich friends and had no interest in the Manoir itself. They built the enormous Chateau Montebello and eventually made a deal with the Park Service in the 1990’s to take over the Manoir as an historic site. The chateau main lobby is impressive and we are told that the chateau itself is the largest wooden building in Canada.

Ottawa

Back on the road we drive through downtown Ottawa and decide it may be a city to come back and explore. It has some grandiose looking tremendous Victorian looking buildings on the shores of the Ottawa River. After stopping for the lowest gas price we have seen in Canada (about 3.05 US dollars a gallon), we push on to Mattawa. We hit some torrential downpours for short distances along the way. Then it dries out a bit and we take a picture or two of the Ottawa River which we have been following. We arrive in the town Of Mattawa and have Thai food for dinner. Green curry for Carol and Pad Thai for Charlie. It is very good. We then take a short drive to the waterfront and then to our hotel on the outskirts of town. The sun is out so we are hoping tomorrow will be a better day weather-wise.

Expenses                                                                                                                                       Gas 33 CAD                                                                                                                                 Thai Dinner at the Voyageurs Inn 35.05 CAD                                                                        Ice cream for Dessert 2 CAD                                                                                            Welcome Inn 96.05 CAD