Quebec City and a Marvelous Mess Party

We just finished 3 days in Quebec City. 

What a beautiful place. After my trips to Ireland and Eastern Europe, I can say without a doubt that this city has some true European flair. It tops Montreal in this way by a mile. Very old and full of character. 

Our Hotel: Chateau Frontenac

It's considered to be the most photographed hotel in the world!!! Totally gorgeous.  Swimming pool, whirlpool tub, kids small pool, eucalyptus steam room...............

What a place. We got our rooms out of the main season, so it was pretty reasonably priced for a place of such renown. We didn't have a lot of sunlight on this trip, so you'll have to forgive my shadowy photo's. But, I wanted to give you a sense of the city:

 First off, lots of cobblestones and metal roofs. Lots of copper with great patina and great little alleyways. 

Art in fun places. 

Streets that can rival any European city. I have a special fondness for doorways.....

We visited the citadel right next to our hotel. As we wandered around the star shaped walls, looking for a way in, we could definitely imagine why it was never attacked. The only way to tour the fort is with a professional tour guide; this fort still houses a Canadian regiment. 

I learned that each Canadian regiment has a regimental goat-of-honor (mascot, essentially) named Batisse. Each regiment gets a goat with that name, and no other.  When theses goats pass away they are stuffed and placed in a room just especially for them. We didn't get to see the Stuffed Batisse room..... maybe next time. 

The tour was fairly interesting, though I was in the mood for joking around and I'm not sure that was appreciated. One thing in particular stuck out in my mind. The parking lot in the middle of the complex is considered sacred and you cannot step upon it.....in the summertime. In the winter, however, it is used for parking. Hmmmm. I really wanted to ask if there was a special "the parking lot is now sacred day" every year on a a certain date............but I held myself back. 

Other things we did in the city: 

The Aquarium!!!

Definitely worth a trip if you've got kiddos with you. Lots to do, lots of outdoor walking, and if your child is getting bored watching the fishes, they have got an *awesome* tiered playground with a whole variety of fun structures to try out. We watched a walrus show, which was very cute. They also offer a seal show, a scuba diver feeding the fish while you watch from inside a plexiglass tubed tunnel, and a polar bear feeding. 

The polar bears in particular made me feel pretty sad. There were two of them, both born in captivity, and some day they will be bred. Watching them stand on their paws for scraps of watermelon was heartbreaking. 

Really not cool. At the same time, once a animal is born into captivity, it has a terrible time being reintroduced into the wild.....so, I get the point that these animals would probably not make it back in their native home..... but it was so sad to see them that way. 

Made me wanna do something about it. Here are some pledges/petitions if you feel the same way:

Boycott Shell

Lots of Arctic Petitions to SIGN

We went to some great restaurants as well. 

Cafe Krieghoff was our first stop after the long drive, before we even made it to our hotel. Incredible coffee, very jazzy ambiance with a real close friendly feeling and the staff and patrons. They had their cafe chairs out on the street (even though there was a bit of a chill in the air). I had a turkey club that I couldn't even finish and the most delicious Cafe Moca you've ever tasted. 

We had brunch at Chateau Frontenac the next morning. Tons of options with everything from bacon scrambled eggs, chocolate croissants, fresh ripe fruit, and baked salmon. 

That evening, per recommendation from the hotel, we tried 

Bello.

I don't have a photo to go with it, but this place was packed to the brim with happy diners.....and, might I say, very stylish diners. This is a classy place. Yet, pizza is still on the menu!! I got myself a 4 cheese pizza and it was thin crust and perfectly cooked. My husband got a pear flambe for dessert and adored it. The menu comes in the form of a newspaper. I think I saw at least two random (not matching) chandeliers. It was funky and fun. 

We stopped by for a snack at what seemed to be very upscale fast food. I wish I could remember the name.  But their was an accordion player regaling us throughout our meal. 

Our last evening on the town we went to Cafe Du Monde and had some very classic French Canadian faire. Lots of Fois Gras, Duck, Leg o' lamb, and other bird meals. I loved the casks on the ceiling. This restaurant is right on the port. The were tons of great menu options; I chose mussels marinated in white wine. They were perfectly prepared. For dessert; profiteroles with vanilla ice cream.

What a restaurant.

On the way out of town the next morning we made sure to stop by Montmorency falls, which are reputed to be taller than Niagra. I was a little underwhelmed by the whole experience there. Not only were the falls kind of  "meh", the land surrounding the falls wasn't very well kept and had the look of some sort of gravel pit operation. Not very stylish. But, for $6 you can park your car and walk out to see them.

On our way home, we saw a whole lot of this:

Yup, that's Maine. :-)

Now, on to my usual party!!!!

Here is my Favorite from the last time:

Engineer Hats for Toys from Play Trains. Adorable!!!