(Belleville/Trenton/Picton, Ontario, Canada)

Going on a road trip for my birthday…it’s the kind of thing that I always took for granted. This year, however, the situation was just a little different. I first had to ask myself if this was the right thing to do.

I compared the COVID-19 numbers for Kingston and my proposed Quinte region destinations of Belleville, Trenton, and Prince Edward County. There was very little, if any, active infection in any of those places. That was essential, because I wouldn’t want to be exporting or importing anything. After loading up on masks and beverages, we headed down Highway 2 to Belleville. Or was it Mexico, en route to the Netherlands?

For lunch, we ate on the back patio of Chilangos, a Mexican restaurant that’s been open for a couple of years. Much to my delight, they now offered horchata. It’s a milky rice-based beverage with vanilla and cinnamon, and it’s really good when the weather is warm. It was the perfect accompaniment to my spicy enchiladas.

After some shopping in Belleville, we moved on to Trenton. Right now, the main attraction for me there is the Trenton Delicatessen. It is a treasure trove of European specialties…especially Dutch ones. I stocked up on kroketten, atjar tjampoer, interesting varieties of true Dutch gouda, and salty black licorice (dropjes), to name a few. Although I have never spent more than a couple of weeks at a time in the Netherlands, all of these foods remain special for me. Some were introduced to me as a child at home, while others I really got to know when visiting relatives across the sea.

From Trenton, it is a very short drive to Prince Edward County…also known simply as “the County”. It is “almost” an island jutting out into Lake Ontario. While I remember it as a primarily agricultural area with a famous beach (the Sandbanks), it has really gentrified in recent years. It’s now filled with wineries, cideries, and B&Bs.

Wellington, in particular, seemed to be totally transformed. There were sprawling new homes on the outskirts, and signs for artisanal lemonade in the newly bustling downtown. We saw many cars with Quebec license plates, even though Wellington (see photo at the top of this post) is about 4 hours from the Quebec border. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, I doubt that many visitors to the County lived more than an hour away.

After leaving Wellington, I thought it would be cool to bring home some cider from the “County”. I had no plan; I just envisioned stopping at some quaint little cidery in the middle of nowhere. Sure enough, we found Crimson Cider just before arriving in Picton. I had never heard of it before but, after a quick outdoor tasting, we had a bottle to bring home.

Rather than rush home via the bridge at Deseronto, we decided to take the ferry from Glenora to Adolphustown. The ferry (it only takes about 10 minutes) is free, as it is considered part of the provincial highway system. After another 30 minutes of driving, we were home just in time for dinner. Overall, it wasn’t an epic trip. But I think we appreciated it far more than other pre-pandemic local trips. If the conditions are right, we hope to embark on another area road trip before too long.