At The Laurentians

Thursday, August 13, 2009 · by Bern37 photos

Last Saturday, we attended an afternoon get-together at the Laurentians, a ski resort region located north of Montreal.  It’s about 70km away from our place.

It was our first road trip.
Approaching the cottage country.
McDonald’s golden arch, not!

We planned  a side trip to a local theme park.  We arrived at the place thirty minutes earlier than the park’s opening time.

Waiting patiently for the park to open.
Au Pay de Merveilles is a fairy tale theme park offering more than 42 activities including mechanical rides.
Upon entering, we were greeted by this spooky house.
Nah, my kids chickened out.
Instead, they ran towards the cushioned playground.
Can you spot Gabby here?
The kids had so much fun here.  They ran, they jumped; they laughed, they shouted.
To them, it was a taste of freedom.
The first ride they took was Spin the Apple.
They insisted that I ride with them.  I agreed.  The kids spun the apple to the max.  It was a fun ride, except that I got dizzy at the end.
The helicopter ride.
They enjoyed it so much they wanted to ride again.  But we had more places to go and see.
More playgrounds…

… and themed houses.

This confused me a bit because inside were mascots of Little Red Riding Hood and Loulou the Big Bad Wolf, yet outside were the rocking chairs of Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear of the Goldilocks story.

“Blanche-Neige el Les Sept Nains” which means Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
“Le Petit Poucet” or Tom Thumb.
Inside is a mini labyrinth.  We let the boys practice first before we proceeded to the giant maze.

We spent a little over twenty-five minutes in the giant maze.  My concern was that one of them might need to ‘pee’ before we find the exit so I took the lead in the end.  Well, let’s just say that we were able to get out… thru the Entrance Door!  My kids accused me of cheating and wanted to re-do the maze until they find the Exit.  I didn’t want to go back there so I threatened them with “no lunch”.  That kept them quiet, and obedient.  Hah!  I love it when Mom wins.

They were humongous slides, about four of these.  The other ones were longer and higher.  The boys loved it.  But I was already projecting the dirt in the laundry.

The kids played the giant gameboard above.  They had fun throwing the giant die.  I had fun watching Riel pick it up every time.
They also played mini golf and they were actually good.
Mini Ferris Wheel.

Remember getting that sinking feeling in your stomach when you ride a roller coaster or ferris wheel?  Well, the kids describe the sensation as “my birdie jumped up to my tummy”.

We continued our journey, then I sensed a problem.
The boys have low tolerance for stinky smell…
… we were right smack in the middle of a petting zoo.
They were not interested to pet the animals.

We left the theme park after lunch, then decided to check-in in our hotel first to freshen up before we go to the get-together.

Resting for a while.
Our room had a mezzanine.
Up there were the beds.

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By the way, here’s our family picture: no head turned away, no squinty eyes, no bunny ears, no tongue stuck out, no funny faces…

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QOTD.  On my actual road test this morning.  Driving Test Officer: Madame, you check your mirrors and you check your blind spots, okay?  Me: Okay.  (Drive… drive… drive)  Officer: Madame, you check your blind spots.   Me: Okay.   (Drive… drive… drive)  Officer: Madame, you know that checking your mirrors is not the same as checking your blind spots.  Me: Ummm, how do I check my blind spots “properly”?   In short, I did not get my license today.  Damn those bad habits.