Spend Your Days the way you want to spend your life
  • Home
  • About
    • About Miranda
  • Destinations
    • N. America
      • USA
      • Canada
      • Puerto Rico
    • Europe
      • Czech Republic
      • England
      • France
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • Vatican City
    • S. America
      • Argentina
      • Belize
      • Brazil
      • Ecuador
      • Galapagos
      • guatemala
      • peru
    • Asia
      • Bali
      • Borneo
      • cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • japan
      • Malaysia
      • Singapore
    • Africa
      • Morocco
      • South Africa
    • Pacific
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
May 10, 2013 | in North America, Travel

Europe… in Quebec City, Canada

quebec city canada

Whilst weekend tripping in Montreal, Mr. M & I decided to take advantage of our proximity to yet another Place We’d Never Been Before: Quebec City.

Quebec City came highly recommended from Mr. M’s aunt & uncle, who claimed it was more than worth the 3hr drive from Montreal- although honestly, convincing us to visit somewhere new is about as difficult as persuading Cookie Monster to break his diet.  The very mention of a New Place (or a warm chocolate chip cookie, now that I think about it) makes our eyes go all muppet-googly.

Day #11,161: Mr. M & I woke up early & excited (or at least early… I require a bit of coffee before transitioning into full-on ‘excited’) for our Canadian Roadtrip Day.

lhotel montreal canada
I could not figure out the reason behind my odd smugness in this picture until I saw the coffee cup in my hand. I remember getting the ratio of coffee to milk to sugar exactly perfect that morning. It happens so infrequently and tasted so darn right that I needed photo documentation and took it as a good sign for the day ahead.

Like a small child, I admittedly become insufferable on long trips without coffee & snacks.  I read billboards out loud.  I test out new dance moves and block Mr. M’s driving visibility.  I sing along with horrifically bad pop music… although, if we’re being real, I do this with or without roadtrip sustenance.

One pecan brioche, two coffees, and three short hours later- eh, maybe not so short depending on whom you ask, as Mr. M got roped into several sing-a-longs (“Sir Mix-a-Lot!!  This is my JAM!!”)- we found ourselves in Quebec City.

Like the Death Star mothership, it’s difficult to ignore the drawing force of Quebec City’s grand dame hotel, The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac.

fairmont quebec city canada
The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is a mouthful AND an eyeful.

Like a European castle, Le Chateau is monumental and stately, presiding over the St. Lawrence River.  It also has some pretty nice public restrooms, and we really had to pee after all that road trip coffee-drinkin’.

fairmont chateau frontenac quebec city canada
This being November, the Chateau was all done up in Christmas splendor.

With empty bladders and restless legs, Mr. M & I decided to head out on a walk.  Le Chateau sits on the Terrasse Dufferin, a wooden boardwalk that promenades you along the river down to the Citadel of Quebec.

terrasse dufferin quebec city canada
Le terrasse. Which sounds so much more elegant than plain old ‘terrace.’

The Citadel was built after the War of 1812 when Canada was expecting more trouble from those très pesky Américains.  It was never really used as a fort- sadly, as whoever designed it did a great job making it Super Stealth.

citadel quebec city canada
The fort part is all underground, so you really couldn’t see the citadel until you either fell in the moat or got shot by a Canadian mounty.  Rest assured that security isn’t quite as tight as it was in the 1800’s- no sign of armed mounties on our watch.

The Citadel was so stealth that there were a bunch of cautionary signs posted to prevent ignoramuses from walking into the fort’s moat.

citadel quebec city canada
Mr. M was highly amused by the so-called “danger de chute.”  I still hold that the signs are interfering with the process of Darwinian evolutionary selection.

The views from The Citadel were beautiful, but it was coooold!  I suppose that’s what you get when you decide to visit Canada in the winter.

quebec city canada
Ooh la la, the views!  My hands are tucked waaay up into my puffy sleeves for minimal loss-of-fingers-to-the-elements.

Old Quebec is the only city in the Americas north of Mexico that’s still encircled by a fortified wall (apparently they really wanted to keep us Américains out after the War of 1812), and today it divides Quebec into the Upper and Lower towns.  Because the old city is on a hill, these monikers are quite literal (upper town is up and lower town is… low)- there’s even a lazy man’s funicular right in front of Le Chateau Hotel that’ll whisk you, literally, downtown.

funicular quebec city canada
I still like this picture of the short & sweet funicular, despite Guy in Baseball Cap messing with my lower lefthand corner.  Do you ever wonder how many pictures you’ve accidentally wandered into, as a result of which you’re now displayed in a picture frame on some stranger’s wall? (Or on their blog, as the case may be.)

Mr. M & I meandered through the Basse-Ville (lower town) down the Rue du Petit-Champlain- supposedly the oldest street in North America- past all sorts of whimsical little restaurants and cobblestoned streets.

quebec city canada
Tres jolie!
quebec city canada
Well, isn’t this perfectly Parisian?

Montreal has the reputation of being a slice of Europe in North America… but quite honestly, Old Quebec City felt far more Parisian in its mingling of monument and quaint charm.

quebec city canada
I LOVE this door along Rue du Petit-Champlain.  Color makes me swoon.

Somehow Quebec City, which I’d never considered as a destination until planning a trip to Montreal, ended up being one of the highlights of our trip to Eastern Canada.

notre dame des victoires quebec city canada
A little cobblestone courtyard containing both the Notre-Dame des Victoires chapel and a Prada store.  Quaint luxury, we’ll call it.

Tummies grumbling from all that cold weather walkin’, we were ready for some warm, hearty vittles and took a table at the Aux Anciens Canadiens (34 rue St-Louis), a restaurant known for traditional Quebecoise fare.

aux anciens canadiens quebec city canada
The restaurant is located in what’s thought to be the oldest house still surviving in Quebec City (built in 1677). Assuming you’re not interested in throwing out mad ca$h, get there by 5:30pm for scrumptious lunch specials at a relatively reasonable price. 3-courses with wine for $20, yo!

Quebec doesn’t always lend itself to vegetarians (our tour book had a section entitled “Eating Vegetarian in a Land That’s Definitively Not”).  Happily, while Mr. M was lunching on his caribou + venison meat pie, I got to try one of Eastern Canada’s most famous eats: poutine, which consists of French fries topped with gravy and melty cheese curds.

aux anciens canadiennes quebec city canada poutine
It’s an ooey gooey ugly-ass mess.  But also a surprisingly yummy & satisfying antidote to the winter chill.  Bib yourself, or be okay with gettin’ sloppy.

The sun was setting as we made our way back to Montreal, but we thought we could pull off one last stop at the nearby Montmorency Falls, which I’d heard were fairly spectacular.

montmorency falls quebec city canada
The picture makes it look far better than it did in real life, and you may rightly be detecting a little bit of faux enthusiasm here…

Darn Iguazu seems to have spoiled us for life.

We made it back to L’Hotel in Montreal just in time to order some Canadian ice wine and catch the Brazilian band playing downstairs.

lhotel montreal canada lobby
A little ice wine does the body good.

The perfect international end to a perfectly international day.

Details of the Day:

Be sure to stop by the year-round Marche du Vieux Port Farmer’s Market (160 Saint-André Quai).  Mr. M & I were overwhelmed with the luscious variety, even in November: blueberry syrups, Parisian macarons, Quebecoise tourtières (meat pies), maple liqueurs… mmm… And public restrooms, which are always helpful.

It’s more than doable to station yourself in Montreal and make a daytrip to Quebec City!  It’s a 3hr drive each way, but this just allows you more time to enjoy conversation or car sing-a-longs with your driving mate.

quebec city canada
Particularly beautiful ironwork along the terrasse boardwalk.

**If you’ll be heading to New York City any time soon and find the concept of road-tripping with me to be somewhat intriguing (minus the sing-a-longs, of course… nobody finds that intriguing)… good news!  My Manhattan-based trip itineraries on Unanchor.com (2-Day First Timers Guide to Manhattan and Lower East Side Neighborhood Tour) are FREE through midnight, May 10th.  Woo hoo!!  Free stuff is the best.

I’ll trade you an itinerary for a review on Amazon.  Sound good?  Download away!  Enjoy, and let me know if you’ll be in my city anytime soon!**

Want More?

Merlions & Tigers & Durians, Oh My!
Let Them Eat Cake
Miranda in Wonderland... or Rotorua, New Zealand
You Can't Go Home Again... Or Can You?
The City of Brotherly Love, Part Two: Free to Stroll
Rebuilding Warsaw
Tags: Canada culture food Montreal photography Quebec City winter world heritage site
Join Discussion
10 0
Previous StoryHigh Above Manhattan Next StoryStreet Art Around the World

Comments

  1. jalal michael sabbagh.http://gravatar.com/jmsabbagh86@gmail.com May 10, 2013 Reply

    Stunning post.Wonderful pictures.jalal

    • msdulce May 12, 2013 Reply

      Thank you so much, Jalal!

  2. pamasaurus May 13, 2013 Reply

    Welcome back! I've fallen off the face of the interwebs, too, so don't feel bad. Life is busy, yo! I've decided that I MUST go to Quebec City. Your photos make it look so wonderful. It's time for me to get my passport, I guess, haha.

    • msdulce May 14, 2013 Reply

      Word. Life *is* busy! And I'm pretty bad about creating dedicated blogging time when the going gets busy. :} Ha! Yes, seeing as how you live kinda, sorta, relatively close to Canada, I'd say it's definitely time to get your passport. :) Quebec City is worth it!

  3. gallivance.net May 16, 2013 Reply

    Miranda, once again you have introduced me to a city I haven't yet visited - and is now on my must-see list! Thanks to you, that list just keeps getting longer! Beautiful photos, and your signature hilarious stories never fail to keep me amused. Looks like the perfect place to visit when things here on the island get steamy this summer. All the best, Terri

    • msdulce May 25, 2013 Reply

      You always have such kind words, Terri, thank you! Yes- judging by my colorless, frigid hands at the end of our day exploring, Quebec City may be a little better suited for a summertime visit! :)

  4. gourmandchic May 18, 2013 Reply

    So glad to see you back! Then again I have been gone for awhile too due to my dad being ill. I miss hearing from you and reading your posts. But I am back now :) Love this post. I love Quebec. I was there last year with Francis. I should post about that too! xxx - Nicole

    • msdulce May 25, 2013 Reply

      Hi Nicole! I'm so sorry to hear about your dad's illness- I've missed reading your posts, but be sure that we'll all be there to continue reading about your travels whenever you're able to return. In the meantime, take care, & best wishes to your dad!

  5. Pingback: A Winter Weekend in Montreal | Spend Your Days

    […] To explore my next day’s adventure in Quebec City, dipping into Canada’s most infamous dish, click here! […]

    Reply
  6. Pingback: 2012: The Retrospective

    […] … then went to the other end of the temperature spectrum and spent a fun but frigid three-day weekend in Montreal and Quebec City. […]

    Reply

Cancel Reply

(not be shared)