Quebec City has a very special place in my heart. Any time I get back to that city a flood of childhood memories bring a smile to my face and feel like they are a constant companion as I explore the city anew. Last year a conference returned me to this beautiful city and gave me the opportunity to combine some new experiences with a collection of personal touchpoints that now date back almost forty years.
When I’m traveling solo, one of my favourite past times is simply wandering around the city I’m visiting. In Canada, I can’t think of a better city in which to walk around aimlessly than Quebec City. I’ve been there often and think I’ve walked every street in the old city many times over. But seeing the architecture, the art and the people never gets old. On my most recent visit in June, although my time was limited as this was a work trip, I managed to put a few kilometres of wear and tear on my shoes retracing some of my favourite steps. Seen many times over by my eyes, Quebec City will always hold a special place for me. It is a uniquely beautiful city.
My recent trip to Quebec City didn’t have a lot of time for sightseeing and exploring, but I did manage to squeeze in some craft beer samplings around the work and networking that goes hand in hand with a conference trip. Shortly after arriving in one of the most beautiful cities in Canada, I was in need of a quick lunch, and the craft beer bar Le Projet was a short walk from my hotel. The delicious Horreum Beta, a session saison from Microbrasserie Pit Caribou, was a wonderful match for a truly outstanding poutine. Solid start to the trip.
Favourite 2016 travel photos. Quebec City, QC. June 2016
Favourite 2013 travel photos. Quebec City, QC. April 2013.
My favourite activity during my recent trip to Quebec City was just wandering around inside the walls of the old town. The street scenes in Vieux-Québec are unlike anything else in Canada. You feel transported to Europe if you let your mind wander along with your feet. Here are some of my favourite scenes as I wore down my shoes over five days:
Pretty high up on my “must do” list for Quebec City was a return to a fast food chain I spent some time frequenting in my younger years: Chez Ashton. Poutine, one of the significant contributions of Quebec to the world of food, can be found in all kinds of elevated forms – with lobster, with fois gras, with heirloom potatoes and grass fed dairy cattle organic cheese curds, or a host of other riffs on the basic dish. I have nothing against those. In fact, I’m a big fan of many. But the truest interpretation of the dish is the variety made in casse-croûtes across la belle province.
So, harkening back to my younger days where a poutine and a Pepsi at Chez Ashton held a dear place in my heart, my first meal on my return visit to Quebec was exactly that:
Favourite 2013 travel photos. Quebec City, QC. April 2013
It’s the most photographed hotel in the world for a very good reason. Over my five days in Quebec City, I’m proud to have helped add to the total. The Château Frontenac is striking. When you think of Quebec City, it’s the visual image that pops to mind first. Even if I had no intention of pulling my camera out as I walked past, the hotel seemed to will it into my hand for another picture – a different angle, a different light falling across its spires, a different scene playing out in its shadows. It’s a landmark that begs to be photographed. Here are a few of my favourites from more than a hundred pictures I took of it on my recent trip:
From the Terrasse Dufferin
I fell in love with Quebec City in my teenage years. Summer vacations spent roaming the streets of Vieux-Quebec will do that to an impressionable youngster. At that time, I was also in love with the Quebec Nordiques. They were truly mine; I didn’t know another Nords fan in my junior high or high school. My hockey heart was first broken by their escape to Denver then completely destroyed by them winning a Stanley Cup in their first year away.
Although the team left the city, it’s clear the memories remain. Fast forward almost twenty years, and there it was in all its glory throughout the streets of Quebec in so many shop windows – the big “N” and hockey stick logo and that most appealing shade of blue:
Bluenose Traveler 