Bonjour Québec

Some time ago, my wife (hereafter referred to as Véronique) and I planned a combined 40th birthday getaway (I guess that would be an 80th birthday getaway), sans child.  Véronique turned forty in August and I turn in December so we thought we'd split the difference and go in October.  We both like to travel, but since the arrival of our son, Rémy (his French Canadian name), traveling hasn't been the same.  That isn't to say it hasn't been enjoyable, but sleeping in doesn't generally happen and neither does going out much past 8pm.  Since both Véronique and I have traveled to and enjoy Europe we elected to go to Canada.  Pourquoi?  Because it was much, much easier to drive to Europe these days than to fly - cheaper, too.

For those that haven't been to the Europe of Canada, I have one word for you:  Go.  I also have another word if you go this time of year:  Jacket.

The drive from Connecticut to Québec is about 8 hours and we elected to shoot straight up through Vermont on Rt. 91.  We stopped in Brattleboro for lunch and were lucky to have found Amy's Bakery Arts Cafe, which overlooks the Connecticut River, makes their own delicious artisanal bread, and has the requisite crunchy Vermont vibe.  The drive north through Vermont was gorgeous and though the leaves were a tad past peak, the hills didn't lose any of their majesty when the leaves started to brown.



Arriving in Québec by early evening, we checked into the Manoir Sur-le-Cap hotel, a stone's throw from the more famous and certainly more visually impressive Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.  Yet for price and location, Véronique and I were very quite satisfied with our hotel. After settling in we ambled around the old city in search of dinner.  The Old City is the heart of the tourist center of Québec and there were no shortage of restaurants competing for diners.  After surveying several restaurants on both Rue St-Louis and Rue St-Jean we landed in Le Patriarche, just off Rue St-Jean on Rue St-Stanislas.  The restaurant's gimmick was to serve things in threes so that if you ordered an item you got a three different tastes of it.  Since Véronique and I are almost vegetarians, we didn't partake in the restaurants local game specialties, but did enjoy their creamy butternut squash soup and a scallop appetizer.  I enjoyed a main course of fish (halibut, monk, and shrimp), but Véronique thought her vegetarian (risotto, ratatouille, pomme au gratin) main course was just okay.  My favorite part of dining here is that I was completely underdressed for the pretentious atmosphere.  It made me feel very famous and aloof.

The next day we awoke to snow! Unusual even for Québec in October it was nonetheless a genuine winter storm.  The winds blew fiercely and the freezing rain and snow pelted us throughout the day.  But since vacations are rare for us, we braved the elements and wandered the Old City in precipitation- obscured daylight.  We traipsed both haute-ville and basse-ville, the upper and lower tiers of the city.  The upper part of the city sits atop a 200 foot cliff overlooking the Saint Lawrence River and one can easily see how its vantage offered quite the military advantage.

We eschewed the traditional inclement weather destinations like the museums and instead ducked frequently into cafés for shelter, sustenance and alcohol.  Despite the poor weather, the city's many charms were readily evident.  Thanks to its French heritage, landscape, and history, there were numerous buildings, streets, and vantages that compelled me many a time to exclaim, "I feel like I'm in Europe."  I said this so often it became my comedic refrain much to my darling Véronique's eventual forced amusement.  By afternoon's end, we climbed the so-called 'breakneck' stairs and sought shelter in the famed bar of Le Château Frontenac.

We sat ourselves at the circular bar where I enjoyed a generously poured vodka martini and Véronique sipped on a bloody mary.  Véronique raved over her caesar salad and I was reasonably pleased with my smoked salmon sandwich.  Véronique followed her salad with a South African chardonnay and thereafter we crossed a snowy and windblown Jardin des Gouverneurs Parc‎ to our hotel.  Tired from the days excursion, we took to bed and promptly fell asleep for the next two hours -  the possible highlight of our trip.

Still mostly full from our late lunch, but vacation guilted into not skipping meals, we opted to for a light and unassuming dinner.  By the time we roused ourselves from our nap and showered, it was a bit later than the usual dinner hour.  As we wandered around we found many restaurants quiet.  We chose Pizzeria d'Youville and were impressed with a really nice Greek salad, the cheesy pizza pie. and our waiter, a skinny Rafael Nadal look alike.  Sated and tired, we trekked up the hill, past the Frontenac, and settled in for the night.



With the promise of sunny weather, Véronique and I woke before 7 to see the sunrise over Lévis, the city across the river to the east.  It was a frigid 23 degrees, but it was clear outside and as the sun rose we were treated to a glorious view of the Saint Lawrence River, Le Château Frontenac, and even a brave hot air balloonist (insert Heene reference here).  Determined to make the most of what was to be our only sunny day, we walked up the hill behind our hotel and ventured over to the Citadelle and then wound our way downhill to what was one of our favorite sites in Québec, the food market called, Le Marché du Vieux-Port.  The market showcases a multitude of local produce, wines, cheeses, and other specialty foods from the Québec region.  The bounty was impressive and hunger inducing.  We settled on a bit of produce to go along with some delicious cheeses, bread, and local wine.  The market is open everyday from 9 until 5 and it's well worth a stop.  We made two!

I am growing bored with the play by play of our trip which means you stopped reading several paragraphs ago.   I do want to mention a few other highlights of our trip and here they are in short order.  Café du Monde - traditional French bistro right on the Saint Lawrence River.  Restaurant L'Astral Hotel Loews Le Concorde, which is a rotating restaurant high atop the city from where we enjoyed the view and a very expensive glass of champagne.  Also, go beyond the Old City walls and check out Rue St-Jean west of Place D'Youville.  We found many interesting stores, especially those with an "epicerie" focus.

After four days in a foreign land, Véronique and I departed for home for États-Unis.  We missed Rémy very much and were, like many weary travelers, looking forward to sleeping in our bed.  Québec has much to offer and is well worth a visit (or two).  With its rich history, architecture, landscape, European feel, fine food, and easily navigated streets, I heartily recommend a Québec.