After the disappointment of Montreal, my expectations were low as I boarded the train to Quebec City but as it turned out, Quebec City was everything I thought it would be and more. The city, an ancient walled city now on the UNESCO World Heritage list, was simply gorgeous.
Le Petit Champlain, North America's narrowest street and also the centre of the continent's first business district
Being a little museumed out, I decided to spend my time wandering the streets and taking it easy. Early on in my visit, I gave up using the map and trying to orient myself, instead choosing to just wander, using the steep hills as my compass. This way, I came across so many unexpected things - street performers in random places, cute little cafes and tiny art galleries filled with beautiful paintings.
One of the many street performers
I did happen to visit two museums while I was in Quebec, albeit not your regular museums, but ones that certainly appealed to me and my love of food. The first was the Chocolate Musuem just outside the city walls. As you walk in the door, you are hit by a very pleasant chocolately aroma that is quite addictive. Despite most of the displays being in French, I enjoyed looking at small museum, but the shop attached was also like a museum as it was filled with all things chocolate. Of course, I had to make a purchase - I chose to have an iced chocolate with a small raspberry filled chocolate cupcake. Yum! The second museum I visited was the Maple Museum, which gave an excellent overview of how maple syrup is produced and what it can be made into. It would have been rude not to try any of the products, so I sampled the maple tea, accompanied by a maple and fruit tart (delicious), the different grades of maple syrup and later in my stay, I enjoyed a maple icecream.
The hostel I stayed at was fabulous and had lots of day time activities on offer compared to many of the other hostels who only seem to organise pub crawls or clubbing tours. I joined one of their tours where we went on the ferry to the other side of Quebec, Levis. Seeing a city from the water give such a different perspective and Quebec is a beautiful city from the water. Once in Levis, we visited a museum about Canada's first community bank, Caisse Populaire, founded by Alphonse Desjardins. We were lucky enough to have a free tour of his house, including seeing where he kept the whole community's money - in a black briefcase in his office.
The other side of the river, Levis
Travelling by yourself is exhausting sometimes because you have to do all the decision making on your own. You can't just say to your partner/friend/family member, 'You decide', so sometimes it is nice to just follow along behind others. This is what I enjoyed about the ferry tour - I just followed along behind people and did what I was told, a welcome change for a little while. I also got to meet some great people. I met some lovely girls in my dorm, all single girls travelling on their own, and we had a lovely time going out for dinner together and chatting over breakfast.
Le Petit Champlain again
Quebec was a lot more 'French' than Montreal and the people were much more friendly. On every corner, there seemed to be a cute little patisserie or boulangerie, just calling out to me to sit down for a cup of tea and a croissant. On holidays, I don't seem to be able to resist that temptation, so it is lucky that I went running most mornings - a good challenge on Quebec's hilly streets.
Rue St Jean, outside the walls
The main streets of Vieux Quebec (Old Quebec) were much more touristy that I had imagined, with souvenirs being sold in every second shop front. So, it was nice to escape from this regularly and wander outside the city walls where I was able to get a glimpse of every day Quebec life. Having my expectations met in Quebec City meant that I returned to Montreal with a more positive attitude, determined to enjoy my last two days in the area.
Blue skies and Canadian flags
Number 9 1/2
The hostel I stayed at was fabulous and had lots of day time activities on offer compared to many of the other hostels who only seem to organise pub crawls or clubbing tours. I joined one of their tours where we went on the ferry to the other side of Quebec, Levis. Seeing a city from the water give such a different perspective and Quebec is a beautiful city from the water. Once in Levis, we visited a museum about Canada's first community bank, Caisse Populaire, founded by Alphonse Desjardins. We were lucky enough to have a free tour of his house, including seeing where he kept the whole community's money - in a black briefcase in his office.
Quebec from the Saint Lawrence river
Travelling by yourself is exhausting sometimes because you have to do all the decision making on your own. You can't just say to your partner/friend/family member, 'You decide', so sometimes it is nice to just follow along behind others. This is what I enjoyed about the ferry tour - I just followed along behind people and did what I was told, a welcome change for a little while. I also got to meet some great people. I met some lovely girls in my dorm, all single girls travelling on their own, and we had a lovely time going out for dinner together and chatting over breakfast.
Mural in Old Quebec
Le Petit Champlain again
Quebec was a lot more 'French' than Montreal and the people were much more friendly. On every corner, there seemed to be a cute little patisserie or boulangerie, just calling out to me to sit down for a cup of tea and a croissant. On holidays, I don't seem to be able to resist that temptation, so it is lucky that I went running most mornings - a good challenge on Quebec's hilly streets.
Le Chateau Frontenac again
Rue St Jean, outside the walls
The main streets of Vieux Quebec (Old Quebec) were much more touristy that I had imagined, with souvenirs being sold in every second shop front. So, it was nice to escape from this regularly and wander outside the city walls where I was able to get a glimpse of every day Quebec life. Having my expectations met in Quebec City meant that I returned to Montreal with a more positive attitude, determined to enjoy my last two days in the area.
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