La Belle Province

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Quebec has just celebrated her 400th anniversary, dear reader, and this gorgeous part of the world is known throughout Canada as La Belle Province. This is where you'll find a little bit of Europe right in the heart of North America. The province features magnificent cities such as Montreal and Quebec City, as well as some of the most spectacular natural scenery in Canada. I'm delighted to be spending time with my lovely host at her new apartment in the centre of Quebec City, from where it's a skip and a jump to the Old Town in all it’s winter glory. We've also taken the opportunity in the last week for a perfect weekend away, exploring several tourist highlights within the province.

My host is still wrapping up work for the year, so I've taken the opportunity during the week to get out and explore the city in her absence. Quebec City is as pretty as a picture, and because of the small population the price of housing is still affordable. It’s possible to rent a great apartment close to the heart of the city for a reasonable price and enjoy a good quality of life, and I've seen the proof! The compact city is at the heart of Quebecer culture, is a breeze to walk around, and features good public transport. Plus the gorgeous buildings in the old town rival those in famous European cities.

I never thought I'd become familiar with the theme music from the Weather Channel, but it seems to be on TV all over Canada. Understandably the locals are interested in checking the weather regularly, particularly at this time of year. We've experienced minus 15 degrees on average this past week, and that’s not been too uncomfortable. But already there's more snow in Quebec City than I copped on the West Coast, and I know from my last winter visit in 2006 there's plenty more to come. My lover is a wonderful cook, and it’s easy to be snug and comfy in her apartment, but on Friday night we rugged up and ventured out for a meal at a great local restaurant. It was heaving with locals out and about at the end of the working week, and we had a terrific meal while finalising plans for the weekend.

The price of hire cars is cheap in Quebec, so we packed our stuff early Saturday morning to head out of town and explore the province. I’m lucky my host has lived extensively outside Quebec City, so I had an experienced travel companion for the weekend. Our first stop was the Parc de la Chute Montmorency, just beyond the outskirts of the city. The falls are higher than Niagara, but don’t see the volume of water to compare with the natural wonder on the border with the United States. However, the waterfall is still a beautiful attraction. with the river almost totally frozen over and no crowds to deal with. We then charged north following the Saint Lawrence River, and had a great stopover for lunch perched high over the river. Then we pushed on before arriving in wonderful Tadoussac that afternoon. This is the third most visited city in the Province outside of Montreal and Quebec City, and is a booming destination during summer, featuring world renowned whale watching. The city is absolutely gorgeous, and situated on the meeting point of the Saint Lawrence and the Saguenay Rivers at the commencement of the fjord.

From Tadoussac we witnessed magnificent winter scenery looking out over the fjord, and the city itself is equally sublime. We stopped over at the house of friends of my host, and enjoyed a glass of wine during our impromptu visit. Our friends live in a gorgeously renovated old house with their two kids, and operate one of the best restaurants in town during the warmer months. Although I can’t vouch for the food in person, the restaurant has a terrific reputation and figures prominently in the guidebooks. They are great people and I'm assured the food is superb, so I‘m giving the Cafe Boheme a free plug. We followed the Saguenay east before night suddenly closed in after 4:00pm, and had a few false starts before a local on a snow mobile recommended the gorgeous Gite du Paradis B&B in Sainte Rose du Nord. Madame Suzanne and her husband are wonderful hosts, and I enjoyed the experience of staying in her beautiful house. Guest will not forget Madame’s huge breakfasts any time soon.

Next morning we travelled further east before crossing the Saguenay and heading back towards Quebec City. Each little village we visited off the highway seems more beautiful than the previous one, and the views of the fjord from L’Anse Sainte Jean are breathtaking. I’m almost at a loss for words to describe the Fjord's beauty, and this region of Quebec Province is up there with the most beautiful areas I’ve visited anywhere in the world. We drove a lot of kilometres and packed in the sights during the weekend, but we weren’t done yet by a long shot.

After arriving back in Quebec around 3:00pm, we stopped off at the apartment for ten minutes before heading off to a Russian themed Christmas party with a large group of friends. As the only person not fluent in French I kept a low profile, but marveled at the sense of community and generosity of spirit from these wonderful people. The food was delicious with each guest bringing a variety of Russian dishes, and towards the end of the evening the “wodka” started to flow as the Russian music cranked up in volume. We had a terrific time, and I'm privileged to have been invited by this close-knit group of Quebecers celebrating the good life in fine fashion.

So then, finally the locals are wrapping up work for another year, and everyone is making plans for the Christmas vacation ... including us of course! This journal completes a marvellous time travelling in Canada, where I have seen spectacular scenery across the length and breadth of this stunning country. And when it comes to La Belle Province, basically all of you should be here now!

The mind is for seeing, the heart is for hearing." Arab proverb

As I continue my travels, until next time it’s signing off for now

Tom

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Photos

Saguenay fjord, Quebec Province
Sublime winter views of the fjord from L'Anse Sainte Jean.

Ice skating in Quebec City
Right at the entrance to the Old Town.

St Lawrence river at dusk
Ice flows floating down the river as the lights come on.

Quebec City in winter
A freshly ploughed street at dusk in the Old Town.

Looking out across the Fjord
Captured at L'Anse Sainte Jean.