We're in Europe!!! Okay, we're in Quebec!

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It has been a while since we last posted; looking back at where we left off seems like ages ago. We spent two lovely nights just outside of Montreal, and spent a day taking in the sights of Old Montreal. The weather was incredible, hot and humid and the afternoon was filled with warm showers. We got a little wet, but thankfully we are not made of sugar and didn’t melt. Old Montreal has lots to offer both for the stomach and for the eyes. The area is shockingly European, with cobblestone streets and narrow and winding roads. The street life is active and abundant, with cafés and tables lining the street sides.

We first took in the Notre-Dame Basilica, what a beautiful building! It is one of the largest churches in North America and is filled with gorgeous stained glass, wood carvings, and statues. The pipe organ is enormous and is beautiful to look at. There was a special evening light and music production happening in the Basilica when we visited, so the entire inside of the church was bathed in amazing multi-coloured spotlights. I don’t think the interior of the church is normally lit up like that, so it was neat to see and made for some great photos.

From the church we walked all throughout the old downtown and found the Montreal Poutine restaurant and indulged in REAL Quebec poutine, smoked meat sandwiches and beer. It was great to sit street side and feel like you were on some street in Europe. I was amazed to feel so far from home while still being in Canada!

We had a few hours to kill that afternoon before meeting up with BJ’s friends May and Alex for dinner, so we took a stroll along the old port and found ourselves a Beaver Tail shop. Our friends Erika and Eddy from Ottawa had insisted that we eat the all Canadian pastry, but we had not found a Beaver Tail while we had stayed with them, so we could not pass up the chance to have one now. Both BJ and I thought that these pastries would be about the size of your hand, so BJ got a Reese’s Pieces Beaver Tail and I got the apple cinnamon one. When they came out they were double the size and double the sweetness we expected, but man were they good! So we got to indulge in 2 authentically Canadian meals that day. We spent the evening with May and Alex, who generously took us out for an amazing dinner in Old Montreal. It was great to catch up with them and they gave us lots of inside tips of things we could check out.

From Montreal we spent 2 days outside Quebec City. We found a nice campground with a pool and spent the afternoon of our arrival relaxing poolside until the skies opened and it poured. Thankfully the rain didn’t last long. The next morning we spent in Old Quebec city, another picturesque, historic European inspired city. The Chateau Frontenac is beautiful and stands impressively above the old town. We put a lot of miles under our feet as we strolled the city streets and walked all 310 stairs of the Governor’s Promenade. The area is amazing and reminded me so much of Edinburgh Scotland; this is a place I could live if I could only speak French!

Happy Travels!

Erin & BJ

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Photos

Street View
Looks a lot like Europe!

Ahhh!
The organ