Once again, the family voted unanimously to escape Miami’s heat and head somewhere cold for Thanksgiving to kickstart the holiday season. We had last been to Canada a couple of years ago, visiting Toronto and Niagara Falls, so a Canadian trip was certainly welcome, especially when we would all be visiting somewhere new together.
We flew in directly to Montreal and spent a few days in the charming city before driving to Québec City (about a 3 hour car ride).
Montreal was everything we expected it to be, with lots to see and do, and great food. We chose to stay in the historic neighborhood of Le Vieux Montréal or Old Montreal, as we love old-time charm and cobblestone streets. We were also looking forward to discovering 17th century buildings and visit the Notre-Dame Basilica masterpiece.
If there’s something we didn’t limit ourselves to, it was the poutine! We had traditional poutine, poutine burgers, foie gras poutine, duck confit poutine….pretty much poutine everywhere and on everything. In case you didn’t know, poutine is one of Canada’s national dishes, made of fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy. Aside from the poutine, our favorite meal was hands down the smoked meat sandwiches, and Schwartz Deli was the place to go for it. It’s one of Canada’s oldest delis, known for its world-famous smoked meat – and man, is it delicious!
After lots of walking, eating, strolling, drinking, sight-seeing and Christmas-market shopping, we were ready to keep exploring, so off to Québec City we went (of course without stopping by a couple of ski towns on our way).
Do not miss visiting the beautiful, Parc de la Chute-Montmorency. The 83 meter tall waterfall is a spectacular historic site and is only a 15 minute drive from Old Québec. It’s breathtaking!
Fun Fact: It’s 30 meters higher than Niagara Falls.
Spending Thanksgiving day in the neighborhood of Vieux-Québec or Old Québec was simply magical. It’s quite difficult to put into words how magnificent this historic district is. First off, you’re surrounded by fortifications dating to the 17th century, with many of the original cannons still standing in their original settings, beautiful architecture along the St. Lawrence River, all while The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is perched atop. No wonder it’s considered THE world’s most photographed hotel!
That being said, without a doubt, Quartier Petit Champlain is the most beautiful street we’ve ever seen. It feels as if you’ve traveled back in time and landed in a fairytale. This postcard-perfect street is (FUN FACT!) one of the oldest commercial streets in North America dating back to the 17th century. Even though it’s small, it is lined with one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants. The people are simply delightful and really embrace the city’s history and traditional meals.
Even though November is still Fall, it certainly wasn’t the Fall we’re used to in Miami. We were welcomed with an average of 11 degrees Fahrenheit everyday we were there, but to be honest, I’m happy it turned out that way because the heavy snow was an added layer of magic set against the illuminated streets.
We made so many beautiful memories on this trip, but I can’t help but smile every time I see this video of sissy and me, together in this enchanting city, skipping in the snow to the soundtrack of “The Holiday” as it repeated over and over in our heads.
