Who likes Poutine? Quebec Does!!

Once again we find ourselves on a train for 4 hours bound for Quebec City. Leaving the business of Montreal behind us we had time to sit and chill out before exploring another city.
We arrived in Quebec City and already we get the picture of a relaxed and quant place. The train station, Gare du Palais, is a lovely red brick building which was only a short walk from the place we were staying. We were greeted by our host Emilie and her cat Berlin (as in the city). She was so friendly and welcoming, another great find on Air B&B, and like our host in Montreal provided us with all the necessary information and maps to help us navigate our way through this beautiful place. Emilie had her own specific map of her and her partners favourite hot spots. Food, bars, bakeries, supermarkets and tourist attractions. We settled ourselves in and ventured of in search of dinner. Emily was just minutes away from a little street with many shops and restaurants. We were staying in lower Quebec City. For anyone who's been there is a wall that separates lower city (newer Quebec) from the upper city (old Quebec). There are stairs at various locations to get you to the upper part of town.

After a good nights rest we took ourselves off to explore. Emilie said the Observatoir de la Capitale, the observatory building which gives you a 360 degree view of the city, is a good place to start to plan out our day. Quebec City has so much rich history we had no idea where to begin. So we decided to walk to the Plains of Abraham which is famously known for the battle that took place in 1759 between the Brittish and French. It is now a beautiful grassed area that many people visit to take in the sun or take a walk. For every plane there must be a fort that lies close by. La Citadelle de Quebec is the largest British fortress in North America and remains an active military base, it is also the home to the Governor General of Canada. We did a tour around the grounds and were able to watch some re-enactment's by the school of re-enactment of scenes from the 1700's. We wandered through Old Quebec and the Old Port. Writing this it doesn't feel like we did much but we covered a lot of ground. We really only had 2 days to explore and on the 2nd day we lost all motivation and hung out for the day. We were so tired form the last 4 weeks we decided a day of rest was needed. We went to the pub that evening for dinner and drinks with Emilie and 2 of her friends to watch the (Ice) Hockey. Montreal Canadians were in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. Lets just say the Montreal team had not been in a final since 1993 so this was a big deal. Unfortunately they lost but it was a fun atmosphere.
Well this concludes our time in Quebec City. Short but definitely sweet. A place I could easily come back to. We went back to Montreal for the night before our long journey on the train to New York was to begin.

Love to all

Peace

Re-enactment French Soldiers

Roof of the Citadelle, the grass is there for camouflage from the invaders

Pide piper

View from the Citadelle, of course the castle is the Fairmont!

Entrance to The Citadelle 

View from the Observatory, The Citadelle

Planes of Abraham 

Me with the Quebec flag

Stairs to upper Quebec

on the ground at the Plane of Abraham

City Bridge. We were stopped here by some girls guides on
a photo scavenger hunt who needed a photo of people from far away.
I think we were the furthest they could get.
Needless to say we made their day!

baby bus that Andy was highly amused at.

Streets of Old Quebec City

Maddie and Andy
          

Montreal! Oui oui we don't speak French!

Well in the last blog I said we needed to write more frequently. So here I am sitting on the train to Quebec City writing a post. Montreal... What can I say. What a beautiful city! anyone visiting Canada should seriously consider coming to Montreal. It is buzzing with art, music, food, culture and the list goes on. There is something for everyone in Montreal. The city turned on its wonderful weather providing us with glorious sunshine for 2 out of 3 days. Anyone who saw my post on Facebook about the language turning from English to French on the train had a little insight into how I was feeling about being in a non English speaking place. I dug around in my brain and managed to pull out a few words from the memory bank from high school and most people are bilingual so it wasn't all that bad.

We arrived at our place of accommodation. We booked through Air BnB. If anyone has done this you'll know what I'm talking about. Our host was Jean, a France French guy who has been living in Montreal for years. It was very centrally located and not very far from great food and drink as well as tourist attractions. He has a cat called ice which I was super happy about and he was such a charmer. Jean made us feel very welcome and gave us all the insiders tips for touring around Montreal. I highly recommend air BnB for anyone going to a new place. Obviously read the reviews but if you get a good host it makes all the difference.

On our first day we had a little sleep in and spent the afternoon exploring Old Montreal. We wandered around taking in the sights of some of the oldest buildings and churches. Unfortunately due to seasonal closures there were some things that weren't open but we were still able to take loads of photos. We have seen some funny sights when walking around. For example, push bikes are very common in Canada particularly in Montreal and we saw an older gentleman with an oxygen tank strapped to his bike attached to nasal prongs. Well at least he's getting some exercise I guess.
Because we had a late start we just wandered to the city and looked around the shops in the underground city. We window shop these days, no room for extra things.

Old Montreal

                                                                   Old Montreal

                          Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum

                                                               

Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal

City Hall

Day 2: we got up early ate a big breakfast and ventured off to get ourselves some bixi bikes, similar to what they have in Melbourne, you hire a bike for a certain amount of time, you get a new code every time you pick up or drop off a bike. There are stations everywhere in the city so finding a bike is never a problem. We rode to Mont Royal 'The Mountain' which overlooks Montreal City. It was such a lovely day and we sure worked up a sweat walking to the top. But it's so worth it when you get there. We asked a lady to take our photo with the view behind us, we were chatting to her for a little while about Canada and Australia and then she had to go because she had to work. So we walked back down to the bikes and rode though the city back to old Montreal because we didn't have time to go to Pointe-à-Callière Montreal Museum of Archeology and History or see the Norte Dame Basilica.
So you were probably wondering why I mentioned the lady taking our photo at Mont Royal. Well there was a Marco Polo exhibition at the museum and we were waiting for a tour to start and there she was. The lady who we met on the other side of the city who took our photo was taking the tour. What are the odds. Any way we made our way thought the museum learning about the history of Montreal and then went to the Basilica. Now I don't do church but this place is spectacular! As soon as you walk in you're taken away by the shear beauty and size of this place. The church was founded in 1642 and between 1672 and 1800 the church was brought to glory. Then came the organ nearly 100 years later. 4 keyboards and approx 7000 pipes. I would've loved to have heard it in action but it was not to be. We ventured home to freshen up for dinner. We went to a local restaurant as recommended by Jean to experience a local Montreal dish which was a twist on shepherds pie. It was scrumptious. We then had a date at the circus. We went to see Cirque du Soleil's new show Kurious. We really didn't know if we wanted to spend the money to go. But we got cheap tickets and what would we be if we didn't see the famous circus in it's birth place? It was pretty damn good! On the way home we stopped in to a lovely dessert place and had Brownies for dessert and went home to bed. Was a big day.

                                                     Mont Royal (The Mountain)

Notre Dame Basilica

Notre Dame Basilica

7000 pipes at Notre Dame Basilica

Day 3: We woke up to rain :( oh well a bit of rain will not dampen the spirits. So we went off to find us a bike and rode to the Biodome. We were a soaked by the time we got there but we'd soon dry off. The Biodome is part of the old olympic stadium, the Velodrome which held the indoor track cycling in the 1976 summer games. The building has been turned in to 4 mini major eco systems found in the Americas. Tropical forest of South America, Laurentian Forest of North America, Saint Lawrence Marine eco system and a Polar Area. It was interesting to see but i felt a bit sad for some of the animals that were in there. Probably a bit small. We decided to navigate the train system rather than brave the rain again. We made our way to a place which, according to a shop assistant we got chatting to, has the best poutine in all of Montreal. Poutine I hear you ask and start googling. It is amazing if you get a good one. It is hot chips, gravy and cheese curds. I know it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen but it is so delicious. Then there are other versions with added toppings and so much deliciousness. Full to the brim we waddled to find some bikes to try and work off the goodness we had just consumed. We ended up back at home in a slight food coma and sat in the spa and pool for a while.

Biodome

Well this pretty much concludes our time in Montreal. We had a very late dinner with Jean and headed to bed. Saying our goodbyes to Jean and Ice we headed to the train station where our next stop will be Quebec City.

Until the next time... Peace out

Love Maddie and Andy xxx

Let the Travel Begin

Andy and I had planned to keep this blog up to date, writing regularly, however time gets away and here we are nearly 4 weeks on from the last post. Lets back track to when Fiona and David (F&D) arrived. Whilst we were  all still in Whistler one thing Andy forgot to mention was that we went ZipTrekking. WOWEEEEE what fun that was. We soared through the air starting at 1000m elevation on Whistler Mt. This tour featured 5 zip lines including the newest and one of the longest which was 2400ft with a 30 storey decent. For someone who doesn't enjoy heights, I loved it! We were attached to the lines with a harness and were sent hurtling through the forest, in the rain not to mention, at mind numbing speeds but you couldn't wipe the smile from our faces. Even Fiona enjoyed it and she hates heights! We learnt a thing or 2 about the rich and rare eco system that Whistler is situated in as well as learning about the wildlife that occupies the mountains.

We traveled again to Banff this time without snow boards in tow. We dropped F&D at The Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise. Look it up! It is amazing and so beautiful. It was not in our budget so Andy and I sadly left and went to Banff to check in to the backpackers. We spent the next couple of days hunting wild life! Yep Andy wanted to see a Bald Eagle, a Bear, a Moose and a Wolf. What we did see was mountain sheep, squirrels, deer, elk and geese! Those who know Andy would know he was very disappointed. All I could do was laugh and every now and then say "oh look! a bear!" I know I am so mean. We met back up with F&D having afternoon tea (high tea) at the Fairmont and walk on the lake, which was still frozen. I was a little hesitant because it's late in the season and everything was starting to melt but I found my balls and did it. I'm not going to lie I was scared. We spent another couple of days in Banff where we met up with our friend Matt and met his lovely girlfriend. We took a gondola up to the summit of Sulphur Mt which overlooks Banff for a 3 course dinner. Unfortunately it was very cloudy which made it terrible viewing and resulted in no photos. Disappointing for F&D. We said our goodbyes to Banff and again Whistler and made our way to Vancouver.

Lake Minnewanka, Baff

'Oh what a feeling', on Lake Louise

Standing on Lake Louise

On Banff Gondola

High Tea, a bit dark but you get the idea

We spent the first couple of days in Vancouver with F&D. On the way in to Vancouver we made a couple of stops. Shannon Falls just outside Squamish and we walked around the Capilano reserve where the suspension bridge is.

Shannon Falls

Capilano Bridge and Reserve

Pretty tulips. They're everywhere!

Andy and I wanted to ride around Stanley Park again so we set off to do that while F&D walked some of it and rode the horse and carriage. It was so nice to see the Park in a different season When we arrived all the leaves were falling, there were no flowers and hardly any animals. Spring is such a beautiful time of year. Flowers, blossoms, baby animals, and greenery. We chose the perfect day to see it. Such a contrast to the day we went last year. The sun was shinning, it was a little cool in the shade but it was buzzing with activity. In such a happening city it would be so nice to wander in to Stanley Park for a breather.

Another day brings another adventure. We walked to the south of the city to visit Granville Island. It's not really an island per se it's an area which promotes local and handmade. There are markets to wander around, a building designated to kids, micro breweries and distilleries, art and craft, jewellery and the best bit FOOD! so much good quality food and beverage. Cakes and pastry, cheese, meats, nuts, coffee, tea, fresh produce the list goes on and on. Andy and I revisited this place a couple of times before we left.

We saw F&D leave and we went to stay with my friend joe, from Tasmania, for the remainder of our stay. While Joe stayed at his girlfriend Sarah's place we were made to feel right at home by his house mate G or Giray, from Turkey. He made our stay very enjoyable and this week saw lots of good food, drink and plenty of great conversation. We were very grateful for Joe letting us have his room for a week.

Andy and I really didn't do very much while we were at Joe's we planned a bit more of our west coast USA tour and we got new tattoos. Snowflakes to represent our winter spent in Canada. I forgot how painful getting a tattoo was but I sat through it and the end result was amazing.

The day had finally come for us to farewell the West and welcome the East. We flew in to Toronto where we were met by Seamus and Livia, friends and colleagues from Cairns. It was so lovely to see familiar faces. They took us to great place to eat, we drank loads and played a board game called Catan. I won the first game beginners luck I guess. We drove to Niagara Falls stopping at all you can eat sushi for $15 on the way. Yum! Now Niagara Falls, holy shit that's some water! Some of it was still frozen from the very cold winter the East coast had and did I mention there was a whole lot of water? I was amazed. It was incredible. The Canadian side trumps over the American side. Suck it USA!

Canadian Falls

USA side (See what I mean)

After wandering around the falls Andy and Seamus decided they wanted to go to the Casino to play 3 card poker. There were no tables playing for less that $10 a hand, so Andy sat down and played his $20 on the ultimate Texas holdem' table. Oh the budget of a backpacker! he walked away even and went and blew it on the roulette table. He had fun!  While in Toronto I celebrated my 29th birthday. Seamus and Liv had won a $500 gift card for a liquor store in Toronto so they hosted a house warming/birthday party. We had a lovely evening meeting Liv's friends. Seamus attempted to make cocktails as delicious as they were they were far to time consuming. We stuck to the basics and didn't go to bed until 3am! The next day was my birthday as well as mothers day. Andy and I had brunch at a lovely place near Seamus and Liv's place. The previous day I had bought myself a ring made by a local artist. Happy Birthday me :) and I found some beautiful smelling freesias, which remind me so much of Tasmania.

      
Well again another day with something to do. All 4 of us walked to get brunch at a little cafe which is where Andy and I decided that we want to do a food blog. So watch this space. We went to High Park to see the cherry blossoms, which according to Liv it's the done thing in Toronto. If the weather changes or there's rain and wind it spoils them so as soon as the blossoms are out people of Toronto flock to the park. We then made our way to the city to watch the baseball. We stopped into Liv's friends house for a drink before the game and following tradition we got some street meat (Hotdogs) so cheap and so good! The baseball was eventful the Toronto Blue Jays won. YAY! Well our time in Toronto came to and end, we strapped on our back packs, said our farewells to Seamus and Liv and headed to the train station. Our next destination is Montreal.  

until the next time... Peace out

Maddie and Andy xxx