Postcard from Quebec City

Bonjour mes amis! One of the items on my summer fun list as written here is to meet up with friends in Quebec City in July. For this family vacation, we decided to fly to Quebec City and stay close to Old Town Quebec where most of the attractions are. We've been to Quebec City before, however, some of our friends have not, so this is an opportunity for us to re-visit some of our favourite sights in this beautiful city and create new memories with friends.

We had a record-breaking heat wave the entire week that we were there. The daily high temperatures were about 35 Celsius (95F). With humidity it felt like 45 Celsius (113F) but we kept cool and carried on. We did most of our sightseeing either early in the morning or later in the afternoon into evening, and stayed indoor during the day. Coincidentally, Canada's 151st birthday and the Festival d'Été de Québec (FEQ) were on in the same week so we enjoyed great celebrations and music as well.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Quebec City or Ville de Québec is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec, on the Atlantic side of Canada. It's about 800 km (450 miles) north east of Toronto.  You can get there by planes, trains, automobiles, or boats as the city is right by the St Lawrence River. The airport code is YQB.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT QUEBEC CITY:

• Quebec City is a walkable walled city with a unique European feel and is incredibly well preserved after 400 plus years. It's the only walled city north of Mexico.
• It's a mostly French-speaking city with visible signs of French culture, architecture, and cuisine, including the quintessential poutine. Want French patisserie and boulangerie? Check! Enjoy un petit café? Check! If you don't know French, no worries, as staff in the tourism industry are bilingual in English and French or multi-lingual.
• Charming Old Town Quebec is a UNESCO World Heritage site, perfect for me to wander, browse, and admire several national historic landmarks in a compact space.
• It's a city where I feel like a kid, excited to walk along the ramparts, touch huge cannons, climb uphill to the Plains of Abraham to get a good view of the St Lawrence River below, listen and watch the street artists perform under the statue of Samuel Champlain, or take a peek at the artisan shops. The combination of hills and river offers some spectacular scenery (plus good workouts for the legs and lungs!). Oh, if you're not into hills or walking, no worries, there are funiculars and horse-drawn carriages which are attractions on their own.
• It's so Europe and so close that I can visit and enjoy without leaving Canada.

Without further ado, please see some of my photos below. Click on the images to enlarge them.

HISTORIC LANDMARKS: Too many historic landmarks to list here, however, every time I go to Old Town Quebec, I always visit Le Château Frontenac hotel (dated back to 1893), Dufferin Terrace, the Plains of Abraham, the Citadel, and the various gates such as Porte Saint-Jean, Porte Kent, Porte Saint-Louis that are part of the fortifications.

Le Château Frontenac celebrating its 125th year

Dufferin Terrace and St Lawrence River

Plains of Abraham and the Citadel

Porte Saint-Louis, part of the fortifications

View of Porte St-Jean Tower

Cannons along the rampart

Grande Allée Drill Hall completed in 1887

Notre-Dame Basilica Cathedral dated back to 1647

Notre-Dame Basilica Cathedral interior

STREET VIEWS: There are plenty of eateries, art galleries, and shops along Grande Allée Est, rue Saint-Jean, avenue Cartier, all the small streets in the Old Town, and rue du Petit-Champlain in Lower Town. Quebec City is also dotted with welcoming greenery, fountains, art statues, and flower beds.

Grande Allée Est lined with eateries

avenue Cartier and its funky street lamp shades

rue du Petit-Champlain from Escalier Casse-Cou

Hilly rue Sainte-Ursule towards rue St-Jean

Parkette across from Hotel de Ville

Tree-lined sidewalk along Grande-Allée Ouest

Splash pad in Old Town Quebec

Another tree-lined sidewalk with old lamp posts

Pretty summer flowers

FESTIVAL D'ÉTÉ de QUÉBEC (FEQ): Quebec City summer festival is an annual 11-day music festival. This year, it's on from July 5 to 15 with a great line up of performers at various stages in the city. We were able to join in some of the performances and let me tell you, this city knows how to celebrate!

All in all, I've again had a wonderful time in Quebec City and another amazing trip this year. I'm now back at home enjoying summer in my city, and plotting my next adventure.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about Quebec City.

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

I wrote about my trip to Quebec, the largest province in Canada. To continue my own celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, in this post, I’ll write about our family vacation on Prince Edward Island (PEI) a few summers ago. Prince Edward Island is known as the “Birthplace of Confederation”. It is the smallest province in Canada, on the Atlantic coast. Its capital is Charlottetown.

My favourite experiences on Prince Edward Island:

1. Exploring Prince Edward Island National Park and the seashore. We rented a few cottages within walking distance to the PEI National Park. A stroll from our cottages to the sea to watch sunrise and sunset every day was wonderful.

Aerial view of Prince Edward Island

2. Sun and swim at the wide open, red sand beaches. The water was clear. The sand dunes were big. We spent hours building sand castles, walking along the beach, looking for beautiful shells, and simply relaxing.

Brackley Beach, PEI

Protected sand dunes, PEI

Brackley Beach, PEI

3. Riding the Confederation Trail. There was hardly any traffic, the ride was scenic, and the terrain was fairly easy.

4. Enjoying fresh seafood such as lobsters and mussels. We walked to the local seafood store which had fresh catch of the day.

Fishing boats and lobster traps, PEI

5. Checking out the lighthouses and their history.

Lighthouse, PEI

Signage about the Gale of 1851, PEI

6. Taking a tour of the Province House in Charlottetown, the birthplace of Confederation.

Welcome to Province House, PEI

Inside Province House, PEI

7. Enjoying an outdoor performance at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown.

Confederation Centre of the Arts, PEI

8. Visiting the historic houses on the island, such as Dalvay-by-the Sea or Beaconsfield Historic House.

Dalvay-by-the Sea, PEI

Beaconsfield Historic House, PEI

9. Visiting the site of Lucy M. Montgomery’s home in Cavendish. Fans of Anne of Green Gables would love to do this.

10. Taking a free, self-guided tour at Cow’s Creamery and enjoying a scoop or more of ice cream on a fresh waffle cone.

Direct flights from Toronto to Charlottetown take about two hours. Charlottetown International Airport is easy to navigate. PEI is the place to kick back and relax! We came home feeling rejuvenated and had fond memories of our island vacation.

Happy Islander Day (February 20) to residents of PEI!

Quebec

I read an article in a local newspaper about 150 ways to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation this year. I thought about my various trips across Canada in the past and how unique each destination was.

In this post, I’ll write about my experiences in Quebec city which is the capital of the province of Quebec, the largest province in Canada.

Quebec was founded by the French explorer Champlain in the early 17th century.  With 400 years of history, Quebec is a great city to explore. When I am in Quebec, the French language, food, historic architecture, and joie de vivre make me feel like I am in Europe without the transatlantic flight.

My favourite experiences in Quebec City:

1. Walking in the Upper Town of Old Quebec, up to the Plains of Abraham to get a great view of the Citadel and the famous Chateau Frontenac Hotel.

View of Chateau Frontenac, Quebec

Sign at Plains of Abraham, Quebec

2. A stroll along the Dufferin Terrace overlooking the St Lawrence river and the surrounding area.

St Lawrence River from the Dufferin Terrace

3. Exploring the fortifications of Quebec, including the Citadel, a National Historic Site, and watching the Changing of the Guard ceremony in the summer. Quebec is the only fortified city in North America north of Mexico, with close to 4.6 km of walls and gates.

4. Wandering in the Lower Town of Old Quebec and Place Royale with stone buildings and narrow streets, or taking a horse carriage ride.

5. Exploring the Petit Champlain’s district where cobblestone streets are lined with bistros and boutiques.

6. Enjoying a coffee or meal at one of the outdoor cafes, and watching the world go by.

7. Attending an outdoor performance on a summer evening right outside Chateau Frontenac.

8. Browsing for antiques at rue St Paul, or visiting the Marche du Vieux-Port.

9. Visiting the Aquarium du Quebec.

Sandcastle at the Aquarium du Quebec

Aquarium du Quebec grounds

10. Taking a side trip to see Montmorency waterfalls.

Montmorency waterfalls, Quebec

Quebec is located about 800 km (500 miles) from Toronto. I have travelled to Quebec city by train, by car and by plane. VIA Rail has regular train service between the two cities, with connections in Montreal. Non-stop flights from Toronto to Quebec city take about 1.5 hours.

Have you been to Quebec city? What were your favourite experiences when you were there?