Trailing Detective Gamache in the Eastern Townships
‘Welcome to Three Pines!” said Christane Guerra. “This is Louise’s home. She chose it for its peace and tranquility. It’s what inspired her.” We were standing in the pretty little village of Knowlton in Quebec’s Eastern Townships region. Guerra was talking about Louise Penny, renowned author of the Detective Armand Gamache mystery series, and Three Pines, the series’ idyllic, out-of-theway village, and home to its colorful and loving cast of characters.
Oh, how we love Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his lovely Three Pines village. We’d been pining over Three Pines since it appeared in Penny’s first book, “Still Life,” published in 2005. We’ve read all of Penny’s Gamache novels and have already pre-ordered her next novel. After a year hiatus, Penny’s newest in the series, “The Grey Wolf,” comes out this year. Oct. 29 is the official publication date in the United States.
We couldn’t wait to finally visit the picturesque area that inspired her book settings. Suffice it to say, we’re big fans, but as it turned out, there are others more fervent than us, and they were on our tour.
A little background: the Eastern Townships, about an hour east of Montreal and about 4½ hours from Boston, borders Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. It has 32 mountain peaks, miles of hiking and biking trails, and acres of farmlands and vineyards. Tiny towns and villages dot the countryside, and farmers’ markets and veggie stands line the rural roads. This is where Penny lives, and what inspired many of the scenes and characters in her best-selling novels.
After several hours in the car, a stop at the Vignoble de l’Orpailleur, one of the oldest vineyards in the region, was a welcome break. The Eastern Townships, the birthplace of winemaking in Quebec, is home to some 30 vineyards. There’s even the official Brome-Missisquoi Wine Route, linking more than 20 of the wineries. We tasted a lovely Vignoble de l’Orpailleur Brut, a clean and crisp Rose, and a
complex and tasty Gris, before heading to our destination and home for the next two nights — the Hillhouse B&B in Lac-Brome.
The lovingly restored Victorian home, surrounded by gardens and within walking distance of Lac-Brome, is bright and airy, with gleaming wood floors, and four clean and comfy guestrooms. Owners Gilles and Louise (yes, her name is Louise!) are gracious and knowledgeable hosts — and great cooks if the breakfast they prepare each morning is any indication. They also own the Three Pines tour company, the only tour sanctioned by Penny.
That evening we dined at Bistro West Brome. We were expecting to see the cozy, homey Three Pines bistro that Penny features in her books, a local hangout serving delicious comfort food. Nope. Bistro West Brome is housed in a modern and elegant Auberge. Nonetheless, the dinner was sublime, showcasing fresh, local ingredients and the chef’s sophisticated flair. We dined on tuna tataki, classic beef tartare, Guinea fowl breast, and Quebec rack of lamb.
Guerra picked us up from the Hillhouse the next morning for our day-long, 125-mile Three Pines van tour. (Larger group half-day bus tours are also offered.) We drove through the scenic town of Magog, set on the northern shore of Lake Memphremagog, on our way to the first stop: the Old Mansion House in Georgeville.
“It’s the Hadley House, in ‘The Cruelest Month,’ right?” one of our fellow tour-goers exclaimed as we walked up to the sprawling historic 1889 mansion. Yes, Guerra told us, this mansion was the inspiration for the Hadley House, where a séance occurs, and a dead body is found in the book “The Cruelest Month.” We toured the house, including the dark, creepy basement, as the caretaker told us about the ghosts that reside here. “But they’re nice spirits,” she assured us.
Georgeville is a picturesque hamlet, set on the shores of Lake Memphremagog, filled with white Greek Revival-style homes. The park at the center of the village, known as the village green, was Louise’s inspiration for the green in Three Pines. Around it are a few artists’ studios, a café, a classic general store, and the Jardin des Pionniers, a small garden in the shape of the British flag.
Our next stop was the Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-lac, a grand brick and granite monastery overlooking Lake Memphremagog. It inspired the fictional Saint-Gilbert-Entre-Les-Loups in Penny’s “A Beautiful Mystery.” The real monastery houses about 25 monks who have taken the vow of silence; the youngest is in his early 30s, the oldest is more than 100. We toured the beautiful building surrounded by gardens and nature trails, learned about the history and daily life of the monks, and listened to their beautiful and haunting chanting. The monks sell some of their homemade products in the monastery gift shop, including ciders and a variety of cheeses. We bought a chunk of Le Moine, similar to Gruyere, and the Bleu Benedictin, a soft, mild blue cheese. They also sell chocolate covered blueberries, from the Chocolaterie des Pères in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec.
“Remember when Gamache and Jean Guy fought over the chocolate covered blueberries, and there were none left to take home?” a woman in our group recalled. (No, we did not; we’re obviously not as astute Penny fans as other.)
We had a late lunch at Manor Hovey, a Relais & Chateaux property on the shores of Lake Massawippi, and visited the library where Louise and Michael, her late husband and inspiration for the kind and wise Gamache, got married. It’s also where Penny hosts Hillary Clinton when she comes to visit. Clinton and Penny are friends and co-wrote “State of Terror,” a political mystery novel.
“This is Three Pines, right?” another woman in our group remarked as we parked in the village of Knowlton. “There’s the bookstore, but where is Olivier and Gabri’s bistro?”
Guerra explained that there is no real Three Pines or Olivier’s Bistro, but Penny incorporated aspects of several towns to create Three Pines and several local restaurants for the bistro. Bummer, we thought. But Knowlton, where Penny now lives, and the nearby town of Sutton, are delightful small villages and each could very well stand in for the fictional town of Three Pines.
In Knowlton, we visited the Lac-Brome Museum, with several historic buildings, exhibits on Canadian history, and old war artifacts, including a rare Fokker plane from World War I. At least two people in our tour group were convinced that the restaurant and hotel Le Relais in Knowlton, dating back to 1849, is the model for Olivier and Gabri’s fictional B&B and bistro. They made plans to have dinner there later that evening. Of course, we popped into Brome Lake Books (“This is Myrna’s bookstore!” the same woman tour-goer said), with a corner devoted to Louise Penny books, and shelves of Three Pines trinkets. (Who could resist the “What Would Gamache Do?” sticker?)
Our last stop was Sutton, where Penny often shops and dines. Some say La Rumeur Affamee, a beautiful store filled with wooden counters and old display cases filled with fresh baked goods, local cheeses, and meat, is Sarah’s Boulangerie in the books, and A la Fontaine, in a brick building with wooden tables, old chairs and sofas, and a fireplace, is Olivier and Gabri’s bistro. Regardless, Sutton is charming, a village filled with little cafes, coffee shops, and boutiques.
Blasphemy, but we’d had enough of Louise Penny and Three Pines. We opted for dinner at La Knowlton Co., a bustling, contemporary, very real, father-and-son-owned brewpub, with great pizza, burgers, and beers. Sitting nearby were two women who had been on our tour. We’d noticed that one of them hadn’t spoken a word all day, so we asked her what she thought of the tour.
“I haven’t read any of her books; they’re not my style,” she said. “But I enjoyed the tour. It was a great way to see the area.”
For more information, visit www.easterntownships.org.