TROIS-RIVIÉRES, QUE. - “Our prison was so out of the way that in the old days prisoners had to go to Montréal or Québec City to be judged. Then they’d be returned to us here in Trois-Rivières, to serve their sentence, or be executed.”

MONTRÉAL - After sampling a saison flavoured beer with the most unlikely of ingredients – mustard — we try a smoked rye porter paired with not just any poutine, but one with a rich sauce à la bière.

OKA, QUEBEC - We didn’t really blend in with the festive Canada Day crowds because our bikes were laden with heavy saddlebags. It was mid-afternoon and the sky was heavy with rain but it didn’t matter – the energy at the intersection of Rideau and Sussex streets in Ottawa was electric. We dismounted our bikes and pushed past the throngs dressed in red and white and waving their Canadian flags, our bulging saddlebags jostling the ankles of adults and the strollers of toddlers.

MONT-TREMBLANT, QC - With the snow still swirling outside my window and the town nestled in a valley below, it’s like I’m looking into one of those snow globes from my youth.

MAGDALEN ISLANDS - The French television crew flying with me and two tourists in the helicopter off the coast of the Magdalen Islands touch a very sensitive subject as they spot blood traces on the ice floe beneath us.

MONTREAL - Dozens of laughing children are running after huge floating bubbles. My son Noah is among the mix of locals and tourists chasing the super-suds along Place Jacques-Cartier.

EASTMAN, QUE. - The first shock is the bucket of ice water in my room with a note attached telling me to splash the chilly contents all over me, then quickly hop into bed. That, the note says, will guarantee a good night’s sleep. The second shock is that it works!

QUEBEC CITY - We have transformed into dwarfs with pointy green hats. Suddenly, I feel shorter and wonder if I will grow a long white beard.

QUEBEC CITY - The red-and-white icing covering the biggest birthday cake I’ve ever seen is making my mouth water in anticipation. I want to swish my finger across the top to taste the sugary sweetness, but I don’t dare.

TERREBONNE, QC - The street names in this sleepy little bedroom community located about 25 kilometres north of Montreal awaken my curiosity to its past.