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Worth mention for travelers is the BEM Gift Shop at exit (19) of Quebec 20 heading out of Montreal. The location is very close to the highway and offers easy access and return to the road.
We had been looking for a place to purchase some souvenirs of our stay and journey through Quebec, and this location provided the place and the opportunity. The store sells both souvenirs and fireworks.
BEM had a wide range of souvenir types. We went for some refrigerator magnets of the flags of Quebec and Canada, as well as one for Montreal. Another nice item was an oven mitt with the colors and fleur de lis of the Quebec flag. Susie is building a collection of refrigerator magnets of the places that she has visited in her travels which are actually going on the family freezer in the breezeway so she can see them every time she goes out to the yard.
The two young ladies who managed the store wanted to see Susie who was waiting in the SUV (of course with the windows partially open on a moderate temperature day). They petted and visited with Susie who they called Suzi.
I discovered that only 12 days after we left our new friends at BEM, the fireworks factory nearby blew up. Fortunately our new friends were far enough away to be safe. They had been preparing extra fireworks for St.Jean Baptiste and Canada days. The local St. Jean Baptiste festivals were cancelled due to the tragedy in which two of the factory workers died.
August 8, 2023
