K & L's Travel Blog

We’ve been home for a few days now, but we’ve been busy with little time to organize ourselves enough for a blog. Our return trip has left us feeling quite positive and lucky. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on the things that go wrong and miss the luck. But in the long run, our good fortune flying in and out of LaGuardia Airport in what looked to be a tropical downpour has smoothed over any negativity we were harboring about dead batteries.

We held fast to our new commitment to “slow travel,” taking three entire days to cover the ground between Sacre Coeur and the Montreal Airport. In the past, we would have done it in one, but this time we took a day for the morning 3.5-4 hour drive to overnight in Quebec City and time to settle in and spend another day there. The enormous ships were still there at the quays, but this time the crowds were much more manageable in the city streets. We left our bags at the rental place and went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. We sat outside on a lively street and shared uninspired fish & chips at the Buffet de Antiquaire. Then we enjoyed wandering the neighborhood until our check-in at 3:00. 

Le Manoir des Remparts was an “automatic” hotel, with self-serve check-in/-out that overlooked the waterfront beyond the ramparts. We were lucky to have a front room with that view. The entrance and key were retrieved via code. The “Key Café” made us nervous in anticipation of failure, but the instructions were clear and the process was flawless. 

That night we discussed the option for going to a nice restaurant for lobster and went to a nearby pizza place instead. It ended up being a perfect choice. We walked the ramparts up to Chateau du Frontenac and enjoyed the scene as the moon rose over the river.

The next morning we had plenty of time to pack and get to the train station before our 12:30 train back to Montreal. I left Kitty with our bags and went to our favorite bakery in Saint-Roch for a couple of sandwiches. We managed the train well, finding our seats then reading and enjoying lunch on the three-hour ride. 

Things went smoothly on the Montreal end of the journey. We disembarked and went up an escalator and made our way through the underground corridors to the wine store, then emerged at the St. Elizabeth hotel to find a taxi waiting. We enjoyed the deluxe feel of the Hilton Garden Inn after our rustic hotel and enjoyed an unexpectedly great dinner at the hotel restaurant (Semaphore) for our last night in Montreal.

We arrived at the airport an hour earlier than necessary but spent the time chatting with another couple who had made the same mistake. We ate muffins and drank our coffee and then left at sunrise for LaGuardia. As I mentioned, NYC was experiencing a record-setting rain event that Friday, and the airport was full of crews with mops and buckets trying to keep people safe. I got drenched just trying to reach for our gate-checked bags. We were sent around the airport from gate to gate and heard numerous flight cancellations. At one point everyone’s phone alarm rang simultaneously in warning as a nearby terminal flooded. With each gate change my optimism that we’d make it home waned. At the last one the woman announced, “The bad news, another gate change. The good news, you have a plane!” Her pronouncement carried the surprised enthusiasm of Bob Barker. We too felt like winners, amazed to be so lucky and only 1.5 hours late! Our thanks to Mary E. for her flexibility on the Asheville end.

Now we’ve had a few days to reflect on our time. We’ve talked about our experiences in Quebec, things we’d expected (French is the lingua franca, and the farther north you go, the less English is spoken) and what surprised us (accessibility is limited, with elevators and escalators in short supply). The pedestrian walkways in Quebec City and Montreal seemed to take forever to cycle around, but once they did you could typically cross on a diagonal as all traffic stops. Unlike Germany or even Nova Scotia, everyone jaywalks. We were surprised to see what we’d presumed to be lost American brands seemingly thriving: A&W Restaurants, Bell telephone booths, Betty Crocker utensils, Dairy Queen. 

The history in the cities is palpable and visible: statues, monuments, historical buildings, plaques serve as constant reminders of wars lost and won. I learn that the ramparts upon which our hotel stood was built for fear of a US invasion. 

I also wonder if the only way to understand Quebec is by imagining the winters. What is that oval space with the walls and lovely lighting? An ice-skating rink, of course. Why are the sidewalks full of holes and cracks? From the wear of winter! Why are the doors so heavy? To shut firmly and keep out the cold! Why are there so many street cleaning trucks and laborers running daily over every street? The street cleaners must have some bargaining leverage to maintain their work despite the season. We’d been amply warned to expect road construction due to the limited work season but were still surprised at the extent and intensity of the roadwork and building construction.

The restaurants with their thick stone walls and cozy fireplaces must come alive with the bitter cold and snow, and the artificial ivy that adorns the walls in Montreal must look lovely in the dead of winter. The same might be said of the colorful city lights: if they are this lovely in fall, I can only imagine the reflection of the lights off the snow.

All this said, I think September was the perfect month for us to travel. It’s the one month when the festival season slows down in Montreal. And though the Quebec fall color fest hasn’t yet started in full, we were surprised to see early flashes of red maple on the roadside near Tadoussac. The weather was great, with a wide range of temperatures. Some days demanded shorts but others (e.g. whale watch) called for our winter woolies. The one day of heavy rain we had was perfectly timed for a break from sightseeing and engaging domestic chores. In Sacre Coeur, nights were in the low 40’sF with daytime temperatures in the 60’s.

We feel as though it was a great trip overall. I appreciated having the luxury of time to spend in each place. Kitty could have used less time in Quebec City, but I found I appreciated that last day and evening. Slowing down helps us to be more reflective, to process and to understand what we’re seeing and experiencing. The itinerary served us well, and our time at the cabin in Sacre Coeur was a welcomed break from big city life. The week-long stays gave us time to develop a familiarity with our neighborhoods and directions. And as always, the Canadians we encountered were friendly and helpful, and in Quebec seemingly grateful for even my most awkward attempt at French. 

We highly recommend Quebec and as away welcome your questions or comments should you anticipate a similar trip or have some your own thoughts to add. Thanks for following along!