Narnia
Trip Start
May 07, 2008
1
87
90
Trip End
Jan 06, 2009
Quebec City,
Quebec,
Canada
Monday, January 19, 2009
Well, we dropped off our hire car and caught our train to Quebec. The journey, via Montreal, was smooth and fine. We were given meals and drinks and we had our i-pods and everything was really cosy. Although long.
We got to Quebec at 9pm and Ashley came to meet us with Diane, his girlfriend and his beautiful daughter, Michelle, aged 6. She looks like a princess with long blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes ever. So adorable.
They live just outside the city centre in a really lovely quiet residential street with big tall threes but the snow was ridiculous!! It looked like their house had been snowed in!!
Michelle and I
! I'm not talking inches of snow here, I'm talking FEET of snow! Well, after 10mins, Diane went off to get her pyjamas on and when she did this I knew I'd love her! She obviously felt very comfortable with us which was fantastic! Ashley, David and I sat about drinking Baileys and catching up while I did some colouring in with Michelle! Very therapeutic!!The next day, Sunday, Diane set out such a wonderful breakfast!! Fruit, toast, croissants, cereals! It was like being in a Hotel. They were such lovely hosts and made us feel like old friends. Afterwards, Ashley opted to show us around Old Quebec City. I really wanted to see the old architecture. But first of all, before we ventured out in the car, we had to shovel the driveway!! Overnight, the snow had buried the car!!! So, David, Ashley, and Michelle with her tiny shovel, helped dig while I took photos! Michelle came into the City with us but Diane stayed at home. Unfortunately, the weather that day took a turn for the worse. It was a blizzard. You couldn't physically look up or your eyelashes would become stalagtites! It was beautiful but absolutely spine-chillingly sub-zero freezing. To be more precise, -30 including the wind chill.
So, Quebec City is the capital of Quebec and is one of the oldest cities in North America. The predominant language is French. Unlike parts of France where, if you can't speak any French then locals get very irritable (although I've always tried to converse in France so I've not yet met an unfriendly French person), in Quebec everyone is just lovely and if you only speak English then they will smile and be friendly and teach you a few words of French, if you are willing to learn. French Canadians seemed very hospitable indeed.
The Quebec architecture is absolutely beautiful and charming and really feels like you are actually in France or at least a European City with small winding alley ways, stone buildings, big iron gates and ornate windows with shutters
Ashley, David and Michelle digging out driveway!
. It's quite gothic in places too. If you have seen the film, "Catch me if you can" with Leonardo Di Caprio, parts of it were filmed in the small square here outside the church. (David: The bit near the end where he's caught in his massive printing press room.) Quebec City is a bit like Canterbury in Kent or York as it has managed to retain the old City walls where most of the stunning architecture stands today. We walked into the Chateau Frontenac Hotel, to thaw our cheeks from the Arctic freeze outside. This is a stunning building sitting atop a hill with an ornate iron promenade down below where you can look out over the Saint Lawrence River. The Hotel was actually built for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1893 as a means of attracting more 'high class' travellers to their trains! It stands tall and proud and inside it is opulent and sparkling and beautiful with chandeliers, marble and mirrors. It was also used in a Hitchcock film "I believe". (Never 'eard of it!) We went for lunch at this restaurant/café in the centre that Ashley frequents. It was a typically French affair with checked tablecloths, wooden chairs, happy jingly french music and very smiley French speaking staff! It was warm and cosy, I had THE most incredible French onion soup with soggy bread and onions - OH GOD! - and we all had a 'bowl' of coffee!!!! You could swim in it! It was a fantastic atmosphere.
Quebec City skating
I made some mickey mouse ears out of napkins for Michelle who took great delight in putting them on all of our heads and then wetting her knickers at the sight of it! Her favourite game was also "where's the scarf/hat?" which basically involved hiding the said article and then getting one of us to guess where she'd hidden it! Bless her. When you're 6 years old, sticking a scarf under your bum is a truly ingenious place for hiding a scarf..NO ONE will guess it is there!! The walk through the City was fascinating. Quebec City completely grabbed David and I by the heart strings because of its beauty and history and architecture. More importantly though, we adored the snow. You just don't get snow like this in the UK. What we get in the UK is a heavy frost! The average snowfall in December is approx 30inches!! (about 3 foot approx). However, while we were there it was more like 5 foot - no exaggeration! Everything just looked so serenely exquisite. Like a magical Disney film. In summer in Quebec City, the average July temperature is approx 35!!! What a great place to live!
In Quebec City the week end when we would be in Montreal, sadly, was going to be the Red Bull Crashed Ice Race. This is an ice skating race held in Quebec City every year where skaters have to compete with each other skating through Old Quebec City along elevated (built with scaffolding) iced slopes to include jumps, stairs and hairpin bends along the route
My Mickey Mouse napkin ears on Michelle
. It looks lethal! Apparently, the average speed of a skater along this route is approx 60mph!! Go to www.redbullcrashedice.ca for more info and some incredible pictures!! So, while we walked around the City we witnessed the vast preparations for the elevated iced course with TV presenters practising their scripts from atop the slopes, firemen checking safety conditions, workmen hosing the ice down...really interesting. (David: Including the discovery that you can indeed make ramps and slopes out of ice. Helped, I'm sure by the utter coldness: heat is literally sucked away here in Quebec.)To complete our snowy trek, Ashley kindly took us to Dollorama - basically "the pound shop"! David and I had pashminas as scarves, useless large-knit Peruvian gloves - or no gloves AND no hat in David's case. It was Aladins Cave. We got togged up like Michelin Men then went back home where I did more colouring in with Michelle and relaxing on the sofa in front of the tv. Blisssssssss.
The next day, David and I headed out alone. Ashley had booked us onto a Dog Sledding activity!!!!!!!! I was hopping with excitement and couldn't get out of the door quick enough. Diane and Ashley offered us their car to borrow to get us to the dog sledding place, about 30mins away. It was so generous of them! We'd met Ashley, a random stranger, on the train journey through the Rockies, and he'd invited us into his home with his family, where we were given home cooked food, a comfortable bed, hot showers and now they were lending us their car!! They were so incredibly generous! David and I were very lucky. So, with our Sat Nav we got ourselves, eventually, to the Dog Sledding forest. I say eventually because the snow was coming down thick, the roads were an ice rink and all the salt on the roads resulted in the windscreen looking like you were peering through net curtains instead of glass!
Quebec City church
! The windscreen wipers were great..when the water wasn't frozen! As soon as we got to "Aventure Inukshuk", the lady took one look at our summer anoraks and jeans, tutted at the stupid English people and threw us some mega ski-trousers, mega knee length Michelin-Man coats and yeti-sized ski boots to haul on. I couldn't wait for David to finish wrapping himself up, so I ran outside to where all the dogs were kept and I............WENT CRACKERS!!!! They were so GORGEOUS!!!! They are all chained up to their kennels because when they see people all they want to do is play, lick your face, be stroked, tickled, fondled, loved and walked so if they weren't tied up they'd go nuts and probably start fighting with each other. As soon as I walked over to the first one, he jumped straight up at me with his giant furry paws on my chest! I don't agree with all this vile dog-licking-your-face business but they were so excitable I might have let a little tongue slide over my cheeks on several occasions simply because I was too busy burying my face into their beautiful necks! (David: Oh, I see... I have to read it here first. You couldn't tell me to my face?) We were free to walk around the whole area hugging all the dogs before we were led to sleds.
There was a family joining us on the dog sledding trek through the snowy forest, so there would be 3 sleds in total
Red Bull Race route by Chateau Frontenac Hotel
. On every sled had to be one person on the back standing and operating the brakes and one person sitting in front and......er...........well...enjoying the experience! David agreed to do the braking while I sat and took pictures. There are no ropes to steer the dogs. The sled is steered by a simple mechanism called your body! Lean left, the dogs and the sled will go left, same for right. To stop you gently depress the metal bar until it comes to a stop and the dogs obey. On each sled had were 6 dogs. They were all attached to each other by body harnesses but they weren't restrictive, the dogs were free to do a pee/poo if the sleds came to a stop. (David: Or not come to a stop. Leaning to steer, like a giant skateboard for an Ice Queen, was a piece of cake compared to keeping a keen eye on all the dogs arses. Because, without warning they would start pooing, and you needed to hit the brakes instantly, else there'd be a pile-up. Luckily I have years of video game practice to thank for my lightening reflexes.) The harnesses did not dig into their bodies, they were eager to get going, were very receptive to our responses (we had to issue orders in French, "On y va!!" (let's go!), "Allez!" (Go!). ...And we were off!! David was fantastic at steering the dogs. They knew the route off by heart anyway. Their little legs galloped through the soft fluffy snow like horses running a race on turf
Chateau Frontenac Hotel
. It was absolutely fantastic. I sat taking photos in my Michelin man outfit and despite the ski-wear, the arctic wind turned my fingers blue as I sat screaming to the forest "woooooo! Go dogs! Go!" and while David leaned his body left and right and shouted out "Allez! Allez!" to donor, blitzen, Rudolph or whatever their names were. (David: Except the bits where I had to jump off if we came up to a slope and run along... at one point, I jumped off at a run and my legs went into the snow up to my knees... I have no clear idea of how I managed to get my feet back onto the 2 inch ski-runners... I should really have been dragged along behind.)They always put the feistiest dogs at the back of the sled and the laziest at the front. Every time the sled stopped for a photo opportunity or whatever, the dogs at the back, nearest me, would just go crazy with eagerness to get going. The 2 dogs at the front however were having a whale of a time jumping on each other's backs and messing about and the 2 dogs in the middle were placid and patient and kept looking over their shoulders as if to say to their howling companions at the back "guys! Guys! Be cool!"
The scenery was absolutely exquisite. We rode along acres of narrow paths bordered by firs smothered in white fluffy snow, through vast barren fields blanketed in several feet of icy flakes and up small hills where David had to assist the dogs by jumping off the sled's runners at the back and run himself while also pushing the sled. (David: See, told you?) It was like being in Narnia, just stunning landscape with our beautiful huskies panting and pulling us along.
The whole dog-sled trek lasted about 1.5 hours
Picturesque shopping lanes in City
. Afterwards, back at base camp, I thanked all the dogs and gave them a big tickle and hug before they were un-harnessed and returned to their kennels and the dogs were very happy and lickey-facey again! nice. I asked a member of staff how she chose which dogs to take out every day. I was told every dog is taken out for a run every day at different times so they are not chained up 24/7. They are fed regularly, watered regularly, properly monitored by vets and vaccinated and are clearly loved by the staff who give them tickles while issuing orders. Their coats are full and soft, their eyes are clear and bright. We saw no sign of neglect or abuse or limited freedom. I was absolutely buzzing after this. I almost cried when I had to leave! The dogs were so gorgeous and friendly, I wanted to take them all home. It's a fantastic organisation. You can also go on 2 & 3 day husky treks involving camping in forests for a very reasonable price actually. I will be doing this I think! Go to www.aventureinukshuk.qc.ca for more info! There were no bears around - hibernating season but during the summer when bears are rife the organisation offer wildlife spotting treks in the forest. Sounds great but don't fancy bumping into a bear hiding behind a tree really. I'll stick to winter husky treks I think..........That night, after a swift light dinner, Ashley took David and I to the Ice Hotel nearby. I didn't even know there WAS one in Canada. I thought the only one was in Sweden somewhere. This ice hotel was absolutely incredible - temperature ranging from -3 to -5! and a fully working hotel in so far as you can sleep and drink there. There are regular rooms and then various individual themed rooms, themed by the creative ice carvings on the wall, from ice hockey players to celtic dragons that look like they should be in a Harry Potter film! Stunning work that must take hours to sculpt
Ashley, Michelle and I (in disguise)
. There is beautiful soft lighting in each room of neon reds and blues and greens and animal furs on the beds to keep you warm! The whole place is literally built from ice blocks. The beds are a platform of ice blocks so don't expect a swallowing duck-filled mattress! But if you slept there they will provide you with proper sleeping bags as well as the animal furs to keep you warm. There are also small chairs in the rooms....made from ice and doors to each room are yards of fabric draped closed for privacy. There are toilets in the Ice Hotel and apparently these are heated - thank god!We were free to wander around, look in all the rooms and take photos. One room we went into was called the Arctic Spa and as well as a big bed and your own bar you get a small private outside area with your own Jacuzzi and hot tub. Nice. Like a proper Hotel, there is a bar where we had some drinks. You could even pay by credit card! Drinks are served in massive 'ice cubes' with the centre part removed for the liquid. I had a Baileys and it was tricky to drink because instinctively you want to put your lips on the edge of the 'vessel' to drink but because the ice cube is so thick and square and to stop it running down your chin, you have to kind of gently rest your lip on the thick edge but primarily just pour it into your mouth. Your bottom lip freezes in the process but the Baileys soon warms you up again. Weird sensation. Beside the bar is another room, like a 'lounge' area with ice benches, another bar and stunning neon lighting to make it look like a nightclub. There was also a big roaring fire within a glass box where you could stand and warm your hands. Just behind the bar was an ice slide!! You climb the ice stairs, sit down on the top of the slide and whooooooosh your way down an icy slope back down to the ground! David went on this and loved it! Ashley took photos and I watched the kids slide down and go back up, slide down and go back up giggling and guffawing away
Michelle looking down at the snowy city
.There is also an ice chapel!!! The ceiling has been carved into a gothic arch. There is a platform at the end with an ice lectern and there are ice benches with animal fur blankets to sit on. It is so romantic and exquisite with pretty colourful lighting. Just fantastic and all the ice sculptures around make the place so visually exciting and magnificent. The ice Hotel is only open from January to March. Apparently, they then demolish the whole thing and re-build it from scratch for the following January. Sometimes with different themed rooms. (David: One observation I made, or rather, had confirmed, was that all the ice was dry. You run your hand over the surfaces and your hand remains dry. Which doesn't make it seem as cold, since you don't have a wet hand... normally, all that water shepherds the lovely warmth out of your body.)
The next day we had to leave Quebec for Montreal to visit friends. We said our sad goodbyes and Diane dropped us into town to wander around for a bit before we caught our train. To put some time sense into this blog, today was Obama's inauguration. David and I wandered around Quebec old city some more. Today, was stunning blue sky. It was still snowing but no blizzard so we could look properly at buildings and vistas over the river without stalagtiting our eyeballs
A snowed in door
. Quebec is a small City but quaint and pretty and friendly with boutique shops, local restaurants, craft shops. Beautiful ornate street lamps. Pretty wreaths of ivy and berries adorn shop doors. Fairy lights glisten in boutique windows. People smile and say Bonjour to you as you pass by. Love it love it love it. Like a fairy City! (David: With a mile of scaffolding supporting a mad race track mad from ice... they're mad too... brilliant place.)We managed to see some of Obama's inauguration as we waited for our train but it was all in French and could only be heard through a tiny alarm clock radio that was wired up to the waiting room tv due to an electrical malfunction! Our train journey was only about 5 hours but it was a good one with more food and drinks served to us. I got my French and Spanish mixed up and accidentally said "si" to a crew member when she asked me if I was going to Montreal. I quickly corrected myself with "oui" but as a consequence she was convinced I was Spanish, even though we explained to her that we were in fact English but had spent a lot of time in South America which is why we still had Spanish in our head. No, in her mind, I was Spanish and so kept saying "si" to me from thereon! Sigh!
Next stop: Montreal.
Love, us xxxxxxxxx
