Entries about frontenac

Well, Quebec City definitely hasn’t lost its appeal. We arrived, and much to Jacks delight, we again checked in to a castle, Fairmont Chateau Frontenac. This time, we had a family sized room, with a couch! Mick loved this place! we set up our coffee station, complete with our black plastic spoon we have used since LA (they don’t have plastic spoons in most places, they use swizzle sticks!) and set off to get milk!

Jack of course, would like to eat room service every day- I’m sure he will try that when we get home! We set out to explore, and for me, I wanted to remember the last time I was here too!

Mick said it must be a really romantic place……as I grabbed his hand to hold on to! And it is. French music, accents, that beautiful lull of their language….I love it so much. I may be biased, but to me the language is so beautiful- Mick and I even talked about taking classes when we get home. (I may have also suggested we just move here for a year!)

Dinner was great- a beautiful little restaurant just over the little park from the hotel. This place, with cobbled streets and lanes, street buskers who are actually really good, and command a huge crowd, the food and how polite everyone is (except the taxi drivers- they are crazy fast, impatient and gruff!), really evokes emotion. I have had quite a few tears so far this trip, many ‘pinch yourself’ moments, many moments of pure bliss, pleasure and amazement at just how beautiful this part of the world is. I could see myself living in Canada, and loving it- I would love to see winter here!

So, Mick and I wandered the boardwalk outside the hotel, staring at the wonders of the old town below us, and excited for what the next day was to bring.

We set off (of course after I had been up at 5,30am for the obligatory sunrise photographs) and got our hop on hop off tickets. Jack, is at the stage where he hates these bus trips, but surprisingly listens intently once we get on! From the old town, the Fort, the Plains of Abraham, the lower town, the markets and the history. There is nothing not to love here.

We did lunch in the old town down below and headed to the markets. The fresh fruit and vegetables (saw brussel sprouts being sold still on the stem- amazing!), the bread, the cheese and ice wine everywhere. I often think of the luggage I’ll be dragging back and decide not to purchase various things. (Believe me, I’ve still purchased plenty and my waist is living proof!) Did I tell you how much I love their cheese?

I was very happy to see a Harpist, who Judy and I had seen on our last visit. Still playing with such love and emotion.A beautiful instrument with a beautiful sound- I bought one of his CD’s so I can lay down and dream of Quebec City when I get home.

Thursday night we went to a great restaurant as recommended by friends in Montreal. Le Saint Amour. Not cheap, very, very nice, but somewhat scary as the waist on my dress (my one and only dressy dress I wore to the wedding) is all beaded, and I was in real fear of breathing out too much and starting an avalanche of beads flying everywhere, all over the parquetry floor……..you will be pleased to know it didn’t break…..but alas, I have now posted it back home for thinner days!

The food was divine, as usual. The matching wines were perfect and the service was impeccable. We like hearing the French and the English- and a lot of time they’d come up and start speaking French- it just have been our WTF faces that made them revert to English! One waiter, turned out to be from Melbourne! He married a girl from QC and had become fluent within 4 year- theres hope for me yet!!!

Next day, we explored some more and then Jack had seen a brochure for a scary night walking tour! we got tickets and went off for dinner. We started the tour by the lady (who was dressed as a dead lady) asking us where we were from, and our names. (Take note Miss Hearty!) when Michael said his name, she responded with “Marco, welcome to the tour!) This is a joke a friend tells us of when she met her husband, and I couldn’t even look at Mick for fear of laughing too much! I did however call him Marco for the night!

I was very sad to be leaving QC, and sad to be leaving Canada. It has been an amazing 3 and a half weeks, and to be honest, I can’t wait to come back! We ventured to the boardwalk, one last time, to see the old town below us, the lights of the hotel, and the beautiful sound of music that emanated through the chilly air.

We started the arduous task of packing our cases….this i getting harder by the day, and off to sleep.

I got up and decided I needed to go sit downstairs at the boardwalk for 10 minutes to say my private goodbyes to QC. It sounds ridiculous, but this place was so magical the first time with Judy, and more magical with my husband and son. There is nothing I dislike about this place.

And just like that, we flew away, to a far away city……called New York!