Quebec (Part One)

After getting up early (though not 4:30am insane), I climbed onto the train from Montreal to Quebec. This trip was wonderful for a number of reasons. First, Via Rail operates more like an airline, with attendants on each car who give safety lectures and a cash beverage cart that comes down the aisle. Also, free wifi! Seriously. The whole three hour trip I was connected to internet on the train and spent the time blogging and uploading pictures to my Flickr. Awesome!

The only downside was that, after we arrived in Quebec, I discovered that the train station is at sea level ... and my hotel is ... not. Well, I survived the massive climb with suitcase in tow--thank goodness it's tiny--and learned my lesson for next time about shunning cabs.

My room wasn't ready yet, so I left my suitcase and headed out for a little walk and a little lunch. Quiet and peaceful, just the way I want my trip to go.

Anyway, on to the photojournalism segment of today's post. And it's a biggie. Quebec is one of the most picturesque cities I've ever visited. It seems like every building, every alley, every corner is a Kodak moment.

They even do beautiful things with their buildings at night.

After a lovely night in my posh--but a little warm--hotel room, I headed out for a day of writing and touristing. First, I walked out onto the terrace in front of the Chateau Frontenac, which overlooks the fleuve Saint-Laurent, the Saint Lawrence river.

Let me tell you, peeps, it was cold up there. A frosty wind was blowing off the chilly river and I was freezing inside my lightweight fleece (as you can see in the pic below). But I persevered for the sake of the blog.

Next, I took the Funicular down to the lower city--I was not about to go the way of the hike again--which is full of adorable shops and boutiques. The ride down was a little harrowing, but since the Funicular has been in operation for 130 years I had faith. Mostly.

And I made it safely to the ground. Definitely the best two dollars I've spent thus far. The lower city is, if possible, even more picturesque than the upper. I might just as easily have been in a small village in France as in the capitol of Canada's Quebec province.

I spent my morning working at an upstairs table in Le Petit Cochon Dingue (The Crazy Little Pig) admist a crazy field trip of American teens. Then I spent the early part of the afternoon walking the streets of the lower city, window shopping at the many art galleries and antiques shops, stopping in for marvelous chili and coffee at a tiny sandwich shop. Ah, bliss.

One of the craziest things that's going on in Quebec right now, and that is interfering with some of my more picturesque photo ops, is setting up for Red Bull Crashed Ice event. If you don't know about this, it's basically a race where four guys in hockey gear take off down a huge, steep ice track. Anything goes, and first guy across the finish line wins.

The track starts right near my hotel, next to the Chateau Frontenac (where I enjoyed a lovely White Pear Cosmo before returning to my hotel at the end of the day).

And goes down, over the city wall, into the lower city, where it ends somewhere near the river. The actual race is going to happen on March 20 and it's supposed to be televised. I recommend tuning in for some wild fun.

Following my adventure in the lower city, I explored a little more in the area around my hotel. More picturesque streets, beautiful churches, and photo moments. And a ton of inviting-looking restaurants. Many are closed for the season, but plenty are still open.

As in Montreal, Quebec has a lot of public art. Like this sculpture, innocuously tucked into a little alley.

I had a delicious dinner in a cafe that served me far too much bread. But, oh, it was tasty. Then, before retiring for the evening, I ventured back out onto the terrace overlooking the river, to get some night shots. If I thought it had been cold in the morning ... well, I quickly learned what cold really felt like.

That sums up my first day and a half in Quebec. If you still have any doubts about Quebec being picturesque, check out my Quebec Flickr set which already has 114 pictures in it after just over 24 hours. Amazing. And more to come.

Hugs,
TLC