Québec City – Day 3
For the few who read my blog, (Does my mom read my blog?) you can probably tell I have fallen in love with Québec City. It’s charm, sophistication, European feel, walkability and artsy surprises sprinkled all around the city make it one of these cities that’s lingered with me long after I returned home.
We had the entire final day free which is rare for my friend, Amber GIbson, luxury travel writer, who invited me on this particular work trip. Amber travels all over the world for writing assignments. She packs her schedule pretty tight, meeting people from one hour to the next, writing in between, using all her time effectively, and not overusing commas like I do. Since she works traveling from one city to the next, she does not have the liberty to leisurely go through photos four months later, or a year later like me.
Our private tour the day before helped us decide which areas we wanted to return to and explore, and which places we were satisfied to have already driven past.
Repeat Anything You Will Miss Once You Return Home.
The Eggs Benedict at Panache Restaurant were so good, I ordered them twice. And oh, the bread in Québec City. They do French food well! 😉 I couldn’t decide which photo to show you so I’ll post both.
Exploring Québec City
After breakfast we started our full day of walking. It was hard not to stop and take photos of every single street, shop and sign.
Marche Du Vieux Port
When traveling , I like to go to the farmer’s market to see what grows locally because it gives you great insight on what drives the local restaurant menus. I also like to visit a grocery store to view prices, get an idea of what people’s refrigerators look like and ogle at package design.
You can click through the collage to view the photos in detail and read the captions.
J.A. Moison – The Oldest Grocery in North America
Okay, so this isn’t your typical grocery store. This grocery was a labyrinth of fine and rare foods. Their liquor section has walls and walls of beer and liquor bottles from Canada and all over the world. I threw those photos away when I was sorting and editing, but the labels were cool.
Quartier Petit Champlain
All of Québec City was a surprise to me because I hadn’t really seen or heard anything about it before this trip. Being here just before Christmas, this section of town was breathtaking to first see from above and then getting to walk through the quaint area. Quartier Petit Champlain is the oldest commercial district in North America. I just realized it would be nice to see this at night too.
I apologize for the vertical format but I mostly post quickly and randomly from my Instagram account in my Stories and they are best shot vertically. But look how adorable this area is!
Catch Me If You Can
Do you recognize this church filmed in the Leonardo DiCaprio film “Catch Me If You Can?”
This video clip shows the general area where Québec City started when Samuel Champlain set up his fort and trading post, Habitation, in 1608.
The Ramparts of Québec City
There are four remaining ramparts of Quebec City. They are the only remaining fortified city walls in North America.
McDonald’s
Érico Chocolate Shop and Museum
Les Delices de l’Enable
It was inevitable that we would step into a shop that sold hundreds of items using maple syrup.
Basilique-Cathérale Notre-Dame de Québec
On our tour we learned that this church had one of the seven Holy Doors in the world and would be sealed shortly after our visit until 2025.
Rue du Trésor (Artist’s Alley)
Here’s the same alley shot at night in the rain.
And all the Rest
Final Night
We had an early drive the next morning so we hung out in the hotel lobby in the evening and listened to live jazz while I wolfed down a cheeseburger. Hanging out in hotel lobbies is something I should do more of back home in Chicago. They are always spacious, never crowded, have great people watching, and food and drinks are always close by.
Québec City – Day 1
Québec City – Day 2