Letters Home: Quebec City, Quebec Canada... July 2

Quebec City! We got to Quebec in the early morning after a 3 hour train ride from Montreal. We decided to take the 2 mile walk from the train station to our hotel. Well.... the map did not show the tremendous amount of hills! It was hot, humid, and we were STARVING by the time we got to the hotel. Fortunately for us, Lonely Planet had a great recommendation for food in Quebec. For anyone who has read any of my other blogs, specifically my Paris post, its pretty obvious I am obsessed with crepes. Of course, we went to a creperie! It was called Casse-Crepe Breton and it was delicious. We parked up in a small table by the window to people watch and enjoy cappuccinos and crepes. I got a delicious asparagus, spinach, and cheese crepe and was practically in heaven at this point!

Walking through the ramparts!

walking OVER the ramparts!

We noticed right away how different Quebec was to Montreal. Yes, both places were in the Quebec province and both places language was French, but other than that it was quite different. Quebec city had all cobblestone streets and was actually quite small. It had a very European feel to it, so much so we kept forgetting we were in Canada! We would even catch ourselves saying, "what a cute french town... wait, er I mean Canadian.. no Quebec!"

the first skyscraper built in Quebec

As we got to Quebec early, we started to site see after we ate. We walked along the old original ramparts that engulf the entire city. We also walked along the boardwalk of the famous, Chateau Frontenac; which is the worlds most photographed hotel. As the city was so small, we knew we could do all the sights in one day, but we had two full days. So, we took it easy after our small tour. We heard rumors that Cirque du Soleil did a free performance on Tuesday nights at 10pm, so after dinner we walked down to the Old Port to see. Well, it was no rumor, it was true! We were mesmerized. Cirque du Solei is truly an amazing and incredible experience! I was so shocked and entertained by their humor, beauty, and performances. We felt so lucky to be a part of this experience... and better yet, for free!!

waiting for Cirque to start

part of the show!

The next day, just so happened to be Quebec Day. We seriously had THE BEST luck while on our trip. In Montreal for Canada Day and in Quebec for Quebec Day! We did the entire city walking tour in about 4 hours. Old Town of Quebec is actually an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We got to see many fun things we normally wouldn't see if it were not Quebec Day, such as a parade of the old militia, displays of the old weaponry, and a lot of street performers. It was very exciting! We really fell in love with Quebec as it was so small and quaint compared to the big city of Montreal. We felt like we got to relax and just take everything. We didn't feel rushed in the two and a half days we had there, as there was time to see everything.

Again, with our amazing luck, there was a fireworks display for Quebec Day. Fortunately, our hotel was the Hilton (thanks to my husband being a travel agent we got "hooked up") and they gave us the best room in the hotel. It happened to look down upon the entire city and the entire wall on one side was a window. We had a perfect view of the fireworks over downtown while relaxing in bed.

fireworks for Quebec Day

Montreal was fantastic and another must while visiting Canada. It can be done in one day, but take two full days to really take in the beautiful city. It is romantic, comforting, and where else can you go to see a free Cirque du Solei performance? We were sad to leave the relaxing city of Quebec early the next morning, but we were so happy that we were able to fit it in. Also, it ended up being my husband's favorite city out of the three we visited... who would have thought?!