Though we may still be in a travel ban, I thought I’d share a fantastic place that needs to be on your bucket list!! Warning though! It’s a chilly one… But worth it!
Old Quebec
This old city has that Harry Potter feel to it. Most of the buildings date back to the 19th century, some dating back to the 17th and 18th. There’s an upper and lower portion of the old city which you can easily access on the funicular. There are a lot of steep streets as well, just a heads up!
I visited during the winter carnival, which was in the month of February. Yes, very cold!! Hey, if you’re going to visit Canada, why not get the full effect! I went with a coworker of mine. We made sure we had every single part of us covered with some sort of hand warmers, wool, thermals.. Anything to keep us warm!! I actually think we may have gone a little overboard. We probably looked as if we were spending the night in an igloo in Antarctica. I found myself sweating at times!!
The winter carnival lasts about 2 weeks and I believe it’s always in February. There are snow sculptures, an ice castle, hot cocktails called Caribou to warm you up. Caribou is like a warm wine that looks like an experiment when being made behind the bar. Still delish!
We stayed at the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. It’s a BEAUTIFUL luxurious hotel in the most perfect location in Old Quebec. You can certainly find great deals for this hotel through discounted sights online. There’s a century old toboggan ride right next to it. I had never been on one before and oh my lord… Lugging these long, wooden sleds up the steepest hill was tough! But, we knew what fun was ahead. Once we got to the top, down we went… Sleighing down this hill reaching nearly 40 miles per hour! I thought I swallowed my tongue for a quick minute. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been skydiving before, the toboggan may have that beat by a hair… Give it a whirl!!
Old Quebec has great food and delicious sweets!!!
drizzled with chocolate sauce! Yum
From our hotel, we hopped on a bus and drove over to the Ice Hotel called Hotel De Glacé for a portion of the day. It was about a 1/2 hour drive outside of Old Quebec. The bus drops you off and you walk around the hotel for only about an hour, maybe two! This hotel is absolutely amazing. First of all, you can’t believe the entire thing is made of ice. Second of all, you can’t believe there are people who actually stay there over night! It’s right outside a big ski resort so I suppose you could go into that resort and use a warm restroom if you needed too. The ice hotel is only there from maybe Dec-Feb. Then they knock it down and rebuild a whole new one next year with a whole different look. It is a once in a lifetime sight to see if you happen to be visiting that area during those months. I’ll be going back there for sure…
You may have gotten cold just looking at these pictures, but, it certainly is a trip worth taking!! Suck it up, layer up, and plan ahead for next year! Trust me, you won’t regret it. And if you hate the cold, then I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you… Cheers!!!