Quebec City

JO had a great idea for a spontaneous trip to Quebec City to beat the heat we were experiencing in Cambridge.  We had had to cancel a West Coast trip at the last minute and I think we both were hoping to do a little traveling so this trip also filled that void.

We left around 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday and were in Quebec City by 4:30.  The drive was long, but manageable.  The only downside was that once we crossed the Canadian border we had to turn off cellular on our phones so we actually had to use handwritten directions and paper maps.  Oh the horrors!

We stayed right in the old city at the Hotel Champlain and so we were exploring by 5:00 pm.  I was actually worried that we might not be able to find a place to eat, thinking things might close early on a Sunday, but that wasn't the case.  Everything stayed open late and we were able to do a lot of exploring that first night.

The old city is enclosed by a wall and you are able to walk all around that wall.  It's a really neat way to take in the views and see what the city has to offer.  After walking around the wall we headed down all of the streets, visiting shops, scoping out restaurants, and watching the street performers.  JO was really excited to check out the Castle, which is now a the Fairmont Hotel Frontenac so we headed over that way.  The Castle is so cool and it is kind of like walking back in time when you are on the grounds.  We headed inside, checked out the art at the gallery, and "somehow" ended up at the hotel bar (you know I love a good hotel bar) 1608.  

1608 is a really classic, old time bar that reminded me a lot of the Last Hurrah at the Omni Parker in Boston.  The bar is a semi-circle in the middle of the circular room facing the St. Lawrence River, so you get some nice views our the almost floor to ceiling windows.  We grabbed two seats at the bar, grabbed some drinks, and toasted to being on, and having the ability to take, a spontaneous adventure.

After our drinks we continued exploring the old city before settling on a restaurant with a nice patio for dinner.  One of the things I loved most about Quebec City is all of the patio dining.  Every restaurant has a patio, which is usually pretty large and sometimes two levels, so you can get an outdoor table with ease.  The patios are usually really well decorated and adorned in flowers and plants which just adds to the atmosphere.  Plus, the weather was perfect for dining outside and we made sure to take full advantage of it while we there.

We wanted to continue the night so we grabbed dessert and bubbles on another patio before heading back to our hotel for the night.  Quebec City loves their uplighting and I kind of wish Boston would do something like this.  The uplighting gave the city such a neat feeling!

This is actually a manufacturing plant but you would never know

 The next morning we headed to the Park de la Montmorency to see the waterfalls.

Then we spent the rest of afternoon driving around Ile d'Orleans, a decent sized island just a short drive from Quebec City.  Orleans is known for it's wineries, cheese shops, and chocolate shops.  We pretty much ate our way around the island, stopping at everything we saw.  We had a lovely lunch on the patio of one winery overlooking the grape fields and St. Lawrence River.

Life is good!

On our drive back JO may have used this giant potted plant as a rotary (although in his defense we went back to see if anyone else did the same thing and sure enough we saw someone drive around it like a rotary, but I still don't think it's a real rotary!)

We were pretty tired after all that eating so we took a nap at the hotel before going out for dinner.  We headed just outside the old city walls to explore the strip of restaurants we had seen on our way into the city.  We had another fun patio dinner before heading back to explore the boardwalk and lower part of the city.  Quebec City is a city made of different levels along the cliffs and the lowest part is known as "Little Champlain."  I love the quaint feel of Little Champlain.  It's so calm and cozy and adorable.  We grabbed some gelato and walked around keeping an eye out for the art in the alley ways.  Eventually we walked up the long flight of stairs back to our hotel.

Just some "alley art" made out of garbage bags and lit up with blue lights

The view of the castle from Little Champlain

The next day we didn't exactly know what to do so we set out walking towards the Citadel, because everyone said we should visit it.  We ended up taking the wrong route along the boardwalk, and it was actually a bit warm, so when we did actually end up at the Citadel we ended up passing on the tour.  By this point we had already walked a bunch but we decided to head towards the Fine Arts Museum, which ended up being a bit further than we thought it would be.

The main exhibit was actually on loan from the MFA in Boston but we did enjoy looking at some of the other galleries.  By this point my feet were really hurting so we headed down Rue de Jacque Custeau to check out the shops and patios there.  We found a lovely two tiered patio, with an awning to keep the sun at bay.  Lunch was perfect!

By the time we got back to the hotel my feet were throbbing and when I checked my Iphone I realized we had walked eight miles.  Our plan for our last night was to not do as much walking, but we ended up walking almost another four miles exploring the craft show along the docks, avoiding the rainstorm, dining in Little Champlain at a great Italian restaurant, and grabbing another drink at 1608.

Double Rainbow

These were delicious!

The next morning we headed home, recharged and just in time for the heat wave to have left Cambridge!  I loved everything about Quebec City, well maybe not the 11 miles of walking in the wrong shoes, but everything else was perfect!  I loved how you were in a foreign country that speaks a foreign language but everyone can speak English, the plentiful outdoor dining, the stunning views, and the spring/fall like weather.  I would love to go back again!