Quebec City Day 3

Day 3 in Quebec City was absolutely gorgeous. I got so lucky with the weather during my trip and Saturday was no different. After doing sightseeing within the city walls during day 1 and day 2, I thought it'd be nice to rent a bicycle and check out the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency (Montmorency Waterfalls), about a 12km ride from Quebec City.

When I woke up I headed down the street from my hotel to the Marché du Vieux-Port de Québec, an indoor farmer's market type place with lots of local products and vendors. I sampled some different things and bought my sister a beautiful necklace for her birthday. I also got a chocolate almond croissant and a delicious macaroon.

After shopping and breakfast, I went across the street to Cyclo Services and rented a bicycle.

The woman behind the counter explained to me how to get to the waterfalls, but all I heard was "follow the bike path" so figured that would be enough.

I should have listened a little better. I ended up biking down the wrong river for a good 5-10km before pulling out the GPS and realizing my mistake. Oops!

No matter, I realized my mistake, turned around, and followed the correct bike path to the waterfalls. After about 40 minutes, I was greeted with this:

Cable Car to the top

I made the hike to the top so I could walk across the suspension bridge and see the waterfalls from above.

It was WET!

View from the suspension bridge

The suspension bridge over the falls was a little unnerving, but offered some incredible views.

After spending about an hour at the falls I made my way back to the city, a little tired and feeling good. I stopped at this gorgeous little cafe for a cappuccino and a greek salad, and talked with a couple that lived in the suburbs and came to the city frequently to relax and enjoy the cafe.

They loved Quebec City and were glad to hear I was enjoying it as well!

Next, I headed to the Musée de la civilisation. The museum was extremely diverse, and featured exhibits on life in Quebec, history of the province, life of indigenous peoples, the Maori tribe of New Zealand, Michael Tremblay... and that is just what I had time for! I think my favorite exhibit though was the history of video games, a temporary installation that featured ALL the classics. I got to play the original pong on a table game, as well as various atari, nintendo, sega and arcade games.

Everything was hands on so the exhibit was awesome. I was extremely disappointed though; all the crowds were kids surrounding the ipads and xboxes. No appreciation for the classics!

 When the museum closed I did a little souvenir shopping and then headed back to the hotel for a rest.

For dinner I went to Le Lapin Saute for some yummy rabbit. It was warm enough to sit otuside, so I enjoyed my meal and wine with a lovely view of the Rue du Petite-Champlain.

I ordered the rabbit cassoulet. Delicious. 

After my meal I headed over to the Pub St-Alexandre for a beer and to listen to some music. I sat at the bar all night and talked to some awesome people. There was a couple from Peru who were visiting their son in Quebec City. I told them about my trip there in 2010 and how I'm mildly obsessed with their country. My enthusiasm may have scared them a bit. :)

The Peruvian couple head out and a woman from Vancouver came in and we had a great conversation about cool places to travel and some theories on why Canadians are so nice (which totally reminded me of that episode of How I Met Your Mother where Robin and Marshall go to a Canadian bar..)

After a couple beers I headed on home to get some sleep before my last day in Quebec! Day 4 coming soon..

Quebec City Day 2

Day 2 in Quebec City did NOT disappoint! I woke up to a slightly chilly but gorgeous, sunny morning and immediately got my day started. I had breakfast and then headed to La Citadelle de Quebec for a tour. It is the largest British Fort in North America and is also an active military base. The hour long tour took us through the base and the two museums on the grounds.

The views of the city from the bastions were gorgeous. 

Downtown Quebec City, outside of Old Quebec

Our guide, Javier, did a great job. He started the tour by describing the three periods of Quebec History, "just like hockey". Who doesn't love a good hockey joke in the morning?

The two museums we went in were pretty cool. The first one had a bunch of memorabilia and weapons used at the fort. The second one was at one time a prison and had information about the Royal 22e Régiment's participation in various wars, including Afghanistan.

 

By law, the name of the Regiment can only be pronounced in French. This is part of the province of Quebec's at times controversial clutch on the French language. All signs in the province must be in French first, and English writing can be no more than half the size of French writing. Storekeepers must first greet you in French.

"We Remember"

During the summer months, there is a changing of the guard each morning. The regiment's mascot, Batisse the goat, is present at each ceremony. Batisse I was a gift from the Queen of England in the '50s. They are now on Batisse XI, from the same goat family.

I loved the tour and would definitely recommend it on a visit to Quebec City. 

View of Quebec City from one of the bastions

Afterwards I went just outside the city walls to check out the Parliament building. Unfortunately there were no tours until Monday so I couldn't see it in action, but the grounds were gorgeous. 

I headed back into the city walls of Old Quebec 

My next stop was the Musee des Ursulines, a museum about the convent of the Ursuline nuns and their school for girls. It was really well done, talking about life at the school, life as a Ursuline, etc. I liked seeing the tools they used to teach the girls science, math, astronomy. I think the museum probably glossed over how difficult life was for the girls. It talked about some of the punishment used but I have a feeling the Ursulines were probably a little stricter than the museum let on.

I was getting hungry at this point but took a detour at Terrasse Dufferin, the large boardwalk by Le Chateau Frontenac, for a rest before finding some lunch.

My next stop was lunch in the main Place Royale, I had a large beer (the first of many) and a lasagne. I know not French, but the view and food was delicious.

After my late lunch I wandered around a bit, poked in some shops, and then headed back to the hotel for a bit. 

View of the lower town, from the upper town

When I got some energy I headed to L'Oncle Antoine, a gorgeous little pub for a beer. The bartender was absolutely adorable. I don't know how she handled that whole place by herself but I was impressed. She ask me what I was doing in Quebec and I told her I needed a weekend away, and sometimes I feel like I need to just take off and travel long term. She said, "sometimes when you have those feelings in your heart, you just have to follow them". The Quebecois are so wise.

After my beer I headed to Pape George for another beer and met some really cool Quebecois. They were in the Coast Guard and I had a blast talking to them. When I eventually got hungry I had the best ham and brie baguette of my life. Why don't I have these every day of my life?

I headed back to the hotel after a wonderful day 2 in Quebec City, ready for some sleep to enjoy day 3! Check out day 1 here.

Quebec City Day 1

Last weekend I took a little solo trip up to Quebec City, Canada for four days. It may seem like an odd choice, but I've always wanted to see it ever since I saw an article about "the most European City in North America" a few years ago. Plus, I needed some time to clear my head!

So on Thursday morning, off I went to Quebec City via Newark. Just landing in Newark was awesome--I always love seeing the Manhattan Skyline, Brooklyn Bridge, and Statue of Liberty. Landing in Quebec City was an entire different feeling though, one of excitement and anticipation. I was grinning from ear to ear when I got into the taxi to take me to my hotel.

I stayed at the Hotel Marie-Rollet and I can't recommend it enough. The price was awesome, especially for the location, just down the street from Le Chateau Frontenac and all the action of the Old City. The staff was kind and there were no issues with my reservation, check in, or room.

After getting settled, I went for my first stroll.

Le Chateau Frontenac, the stunning hotel that dominates the Quebec City skyline

I was greeted with some gorgeous sites.  

Old Quebec City is very small and easy to get around. If you are going uphill you know you're heading towards the Chateau and Le Citadelle; downhill was near the St. Lawrence River, so maps were pretty easy to navigate. Even I didn't get lost! 
 

Rue de Petit Champlain

Mural depicting life in the neighborhood. Visit here for more info

All the walking and traveling left me with an appetite, so I decided to have dinner at Le Cochon Dingue. This restaurant was an awesome find and had such a great, rustic feel to it.

They offered me a newspaper when they saw that I was dining alone. I was amused that the two section Montreal Gazette comprised of the "News" Section and the "Hockey" Section. Sports = Hockey in Canada.

Now I think most can agree that Canadians are some of the nicest people ever, and the service all weekend did not disappoint. The menu was a hipster paradise--locally grown, grass fed meat and sustainable produce. Yes please! I chose the porkchop with veggies and butter noodles--so delicious. 

After dinner I decided to go on a night time ghost tours. The tour was fun, super cheesy, but fun, and a great way to familiarize myself with the city.

Le Chaetau at night

Our guide Edmond told a story of the ship of the RMS Empress of Ireland that sank right in the St. Lawrence River. It happened in 1914, two years after the Titanic disaster, and claimed more lives.

Quebec City, with the grain silos on the right

Thursday night was the coldest part of the trip. I was absolutely freezing. Our tour ended inside the pitch black Cathedral of the Holy Trinity--a very eerie place to finish. After a few final ghost stories, I walked back to the hotel, curled under my covers to warm up, and had a fantastic sleep.

Day 2 tomorrow!

Glassblowing Class at Third Degree Glass Factory

I took a  glassblowing class at the beginning of this year and it was AWESOME. The class was 8, 3 hour sessions that met once a week. It was open to beginners with no glass experience at all. I'm always looking for new things to do so it seemed right up my alley.

The first class was an introduction to basic techniques, and then they got progressively more difficult. Glassblowing is extremely tedious. Glassblowers have to work constantly between the bench and the various furnaces, ensuring the glass does not harden before the creation is complete.

First, you have to gather glass from the first furnace to get started. This technique in itself can be difficult, but I always seemed to do ok here.

Make sure to cool the pipe, it gets really hot in the 2000 degree oven!

After cooling the pipe, you get the bubble started in the glass and then can gather more glass, expand the bubble, etc. I did ok on this part of the technique as well.

You reheat the glass in the second furnace, called the glory hole. I was terrible at heating. Keeping the glass heated before it hardens is a science in itself. When the glass gets really hot it's difficult to control and looks like it's melting off and becomes lopsided--I was always struggling at this!

 

After getting your bubble started and having the right amount of glass,  you start shaping your creation. This was also another part I found very challenging. The glass is so soft you really have to be careful and patient, and it cools so quickly!

Once you've formed your shape, you have to pass the art work to your partner on something called a punty--basically you fuse your work to a small piece of hot glass on another pipe. This is done so you can open the neck of what you are working on (i.e. bowl, vase, bottle, etc)

When you're done with your work, you move to another table where you add a little water to where the glass is fused to the pipe, and then tap it off. Torch your creation so there isn't any loose glass. You can also add some stamps and imprints if you'd like.

  

Immediately move your glass to the third furnace, called the kiln, to complete the annealing process. The glass has to be cooled gradually so it does not shatter.

After a few days, you're left with some pretty cool creations. I'm clearly a beginner, but here is a bowl and cup I made (they are super, super small).

If you're looking to try something new, I highly recommend classes at Third Degree in St. Louis. If the 2000 degrees makes you nervous, they also offer kilnworking and flameworking. They also do a free open house every third Friday of the month, with glassblowing demonstrations, music, food, etc. It's a pretty neat place!