Montreal and Québec

Montreal

Before we arrived in Montreal, we had to pass the border crossing, which was uproariously funny. Have you ever gotten in to a traffic control and gotten nervous for no obvious reason, and you knew you haven’t done anything wrong /against the law? Well that’s kind of what happened at the border control. The customs officer asked us the simplest questions that usually are asked when someone crosses the border, beginning with, where our journey started. Now imagine me sitting in the driver’s seat, not understanding acoustically what the officer wanted to know and waiting for my friend to hopefully answer his question. She’s sitting quietly next to me, staring down at her hands, as if they knew the answer. We then look at each other, me asking her: „What’s the question?”. She repeats it for me and also admits that she doesn’t remember where we started our trip, because her mind just went blank. I remember and respond to the kind officer. We are getting even more nervous and the situation is getting really hilarious and embarrassing. The officer obviously is making fun of the situation, by asking endlessly (or so it seems) questions, he sure knows, didn’t need to be asked and chuckles the whole time. Finally he approves us to be honest and worthy to pass the border and let us drive ahead. As we proceed , we burst out into a long enduring and hysterical laughter, I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was epic. 

Finally we made it to Montreal during high traffic in the evening, which made for quite some stress and hectic. Unfortunately our stay at a motel didn’t make it better for various reasons. Too dirty, bed too small and then some. Honestly we were pretty frustrated, but luckily we worked to manage this situation well and with humor in the end. Looking back now, this whole experience makes us laugh so hard. Lesson learned. Imperfection while travelling, makes for pretty hilarious memories in the end sometimes.

The next day we explored downtown Montreal. It’s a cool city, not my favorite though and I think I can say the same about my friend. We walked on top of Mont Royal, the view wasn’t as nice as we hoped though. However we headed to Lac Aux Castors and had a drink there. Went back to the city for some shopping and lunch. Sought shelter from the rain that started to pour down in the late afternoon and found a pretty neat place. We spent a few hours at Café Tommy, drank tea and read the books we brought with us, before we made our way back to our motel for one last night.

We were both happy to leave Montreal and before we knew it, we were on the road to Québec.

Lac Aux Castors

Downtown Montreal

Café Tommy

Québec

I was so giddy with anticipation and excitement to see this city, although I knew very little about it. As we arrived at our guest house a little outside the city, it felt as if we would be regarded for the inconveniences we had to face in Montreal. It was the loveliest place with two very welcoming and helpful hosts, who provided us with good advice on where to eat and what to see.
Le Gite Du Hu-Art, as the guest house was named, was located right at Lac Saint-Charles.

Freshly made breakfast in the most cozy dining room.

The food at the Bistro Les Moutons Noirs was to die for. It was so good, we even went to eat there twice. Although it looks a bit unremarkable from the outside, it's absolutely worth to dine there. The waiters are very welcoming. They serve fresh and local food in edible amounts, beautifully arranged on the plate. The prices are reasonable. Also they have these creative lights there. ;)

Shortly after we arrived, I was on my way to explore Québec, while Salome stayed at our cozy place and did some Yoga and reading. We figured, some “me” time would be nice for both.

I visited the old part of Québec and it was so charming and pretty, really enchanting, especially as the sun started to set down and the city lights put their golden glow over the city. I fell in love with Québec immediately, it felt like being home, it was perfect.

You can see it from the architecture, it's a very European city.

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, it's a well known hotel in Québec, as seen from the Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine.

A closer look at that beautiful hotel.

Also in the evening it looks quite charming.

The next day we got up early and went to see some waterfalls in the Québec area. First we stopped at Parc des Chutes de la Chaudière. From the parking lot, there’s a path leading down to a suspension bridge, crossing a river, on the other side it’s about a ten minute walk to the waterfalls. But you already can see them from afar. Also, we saw some beautiful fall colored trees, which made for the perfect contrast to the grey and cloudy weather in the morning.

See the suspension bridge on the picture below. Made me just a tad bit nervous to cross it...

We headed back to the parking lot and drove to Québec, so that Salome could explore it as well. I think it’s safe to say, she was charmed by it as well.

And last but not least, we stopped by at the Parc de la Chute-Montmorency. A giant waterfall, we got as close as possible, while trying to not get too soaking wet. It was impressive and fun and made for a good ending to our Québec trip, before we were headed up to the mountains.