Off to Quebec

Bonhomme, the official ambassador of Quebec Winter Carnival

This morning finds me half-awake in the Toronto Airport on a 4-hour layover, cozy and increasingly caffeinated in Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge.

Thanks to my Star Alliance miles, I’m flying coach; thanks to a generous fellow travel blogger, though, I’m hooked up for first-class lounge access on my journey to Québec City.

Later today, I’ll meet up with yet another fellow travel blogger to revel in the Winter Carnival, go snowshoeing on the Fields of Abraham, check out North America’s only ice hotel, and even drive to Montreal for a one-night stay.

I’m looking forward to some (temporary) freezing fun and trying Québecois specialties like the Caribou, a four-spirit cocktail guaranteed to make you not mind that it’s, well…zero degrees Fahrenheit.

When my friend Mike Richard of Vagabondish – a lifelong Rhode Islander who genuinely enjoys the cold – first encouraged me to meet up with him and check out Québec’s Winter Carnival, I was immediately thrilled at the thought of hugging the carnival’s mascot, Bonhomme, a big, delightful snowman with a jaunty red cap and sash. Hey, deny it if you want, but I think every trip needs a hook.

We’ll be the guests of the Hilton Québec, and tomorrow will be taken on a tour of 400+ year-old Québec City, a UNESCO heritage site set alongside a mighty river. After many summer trips to the Thousand Islands over the years, I’m familiar with a relaxed, early 1900s and distinctly summery version of the St. Lawrence, so it’ll be both odd and exciting to see it completely sealed in ice.

On Saturday the 57th Winter Carnival begins, and I can’t wait to wander through the Ice Palace and chuckle at knuks. The Carnival will run through Sunday, February 13, and feature night parades, ice canoe races and a bevy of queens and duchesses.

Sunday, we’ll take the Snowshoer’s Walk (a first for me) in the Plains of Abraham, a guided snowshoe tour through one of Québec City’s largest parks.

We’ll then head over to the Hôtel de Glace, the continent’s only ice hotel. Entirely rebuilt each winter since 2001, the hotel features a slide, drinking glasses and even beds made of ice. Apparently, the key to staying warm inside this igloo-esque world is layering both long underwear and fleece, avoiding anything cotton (it retains humidity), and keeping ears and throats covered. However, the saunas and hot tubs should help, as well.

Because I’ve used airline miles to fly, I’m at the mercy of seat availability. To get home from Québec City, I was given a choice of waiting four days to get a decent schedule (read: less than 29 hours), or fly out of Montreal in a far more efficient manner. Fortunately for me, Mike was already heading to Montreal, so I’ll hitch the 2 ½-hour drive with him and we’ll be the guests of the beautiful InterContinental Montreal for one night. Without much time in the city, I’ll just hope to wander around downtown and try a famous Fairmount Bagel.

I hope to someday return to Montreal in summer, but for now? Let it snow!

__________________________

See also
C’est Bon, Montreal
TWT Travel Binder: Québec