Viva La France... oh wait, we're in Canada!
Trip Start
May 08, 2010
1
16
19
Trip End
Nov 22, 2010
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Monday, November 1, 2010
a) when people said everyone 'spoke' french in Quebec they really meant, yeahhh they obviously all spoke french, but everyone would be fluent in English as well, and that menus and signs would be in English.. (haha) or...
b) I would miraculously be able to speak fluent french when I arrived in Quebec.
Well neither of this things happened (how strange I know?!) My first tip off was at the airport when I asked a taxi driver where the buses left from, and he gave me a blank stare, and then said something in french...
'ummm, ahhh... never mind' I said, slinking away. Lol.
In the end we got a taxi to our hostel as the bus wasn't as close as we thought. Checked in and walked up the 3 flights of stairs (with my pack AND another bag haha) to our dorm room.
We were pleased we almost had the whole room to ourselves- only 1 other person than us, in the 8 bed dorm.
The rest of the night was pretty chilled, once we'd gotten settled we ventured off to find some dinner. Ended up at an Irish pub (can't escape them wherever you go it seems!) and had a nice hearty burger and fries meal, with a side of trusty ol' d.coke!
I had the vegetarian burger with feta cheese and roasted peppers, it was actually quite delicious!
Our first full day in Quebec was mostly spent wandering around the city trying to get our bearings, and just taking in all the beautiful scenery.
We set off from our hostel, grabbed some breakfast- bagel with jam and an apple/cranberry muffin to share- then proceeded to just wander around the city, ambling along, taking photos, walking into shops etc.
Went past Place de l'Hotel de Ville a beautiful building, from the 18th century-now the town hall.
Walked past all the old cannons still in place just inside of the walls of Quebec, ready to defend the city!
Next it was onto the Chateau Frontenac (yet another Fairmont hotel). It is the most photographed landmark in the city, and there's no surprise why. I think its definitely the prettiest and grandest, out of the other 2 I've seen- Banff and Lake Louise.
For dinner we tried this tiny Italian restaurant Piazzeta. Jess and I went halves in a goats cheese/sundried tomato 'piccolo' pizza and a chicken pesto penne pasta. The waiter was really nice and got the chef to divide both of the dishes up onto one plate for each of us. Coupled with a delicious glass of italian white wine, and the result was Ce' magnifique!
Second day we stumbled upon this little area called Quartier Petit Champlain- an cluster of pedestrianised streets filled with tons of unique shops, restaurants and bars. It was so cute, I really felt like I was in some tiny town somewhere in the middle of France.
Apparently the buildings that now house the shops used to be home to artisans in the 17th century, and dockworkers in the 19th century.
Our favourite shop by far though was 'La Fudgerie' (can you guess what they sell??) mmm yum! So many different types- and all made in Quebec!
From there we walked along the waterside to Marche Vieux Port, where they have a farmers market. A tad disappointing- not as many stalls as we were anticipating (I guess it must be busier in the summer) but we did buy some delicious soy chips! Lol.
The next day we were intending to do a tour of parliament house, but we spent to long wandering around the shops to get back in time.. so we missed it. Walked around for a bit more, had lunch went back to the hostel as it had started to rain. Had a bit of a cheeky nap (hehe) walked up to the supermarket to get some supplies for dinner (a big bowl of stirfry veggies in teriyaki sauce with tuna.. YUM!) and then had a lazy night in at the hostel playing cards. (I know, we're cool!)
This morning we woke up early hoping to do the walls of Quebec (La Citadelle) but alas, it was still raining! No go. So we went out for breakfast- a bagel with jam and a hot chocolate- chilled out in the cafe for an hour, before coming back to the hostel, checking out and then making our way to the train station for our journey to Montreal!
I'm writing this from the train (they have wi-fi! Awesome!), so for now, that's all from Quebec...
Stay tuned for a Montreal update soon.
Love,
xx
