Plays Well With Others

The Return…

Canada (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Ah. A few days to relax and get back into the groove, I’m ready to finish the story of our trip to Quebec.

As I previously wrote, we got off to a bumpy start getting stuck in Chicago for the night when the city was hit by a rainy, windy, hail storm causing our flight to be cancelled. American Airlines was kind enough to give us a reduced rate hotel room, but we probably would have been better off just staying in the airport for the night on a cot.

On a sidenote, I’ve learned two travel tips that I’m going to share with you all right now. First, avoid flying through Chicago like the plague. If you have a connecting flight, try to get it to connect somewhere else. For some reason this “hub” closes down at the mere sight of wind or at the first droplet of rain. Both flights coming and going were either cancelled or delayed due to weather. I don’t get it. Second, if you want any smattering of comfort on a flight, don’t fly American Airlines. Our first five hour flight to Chicago offered these 13-inch television sets that dangled from the center aisle. That’s how we watched our free movie. If you’re sitting near the window, be prepared to crank your head to actually see the monitor. Our second flight, the cancelled one, was replaced with a flight with Air Canada—a plush airline with small monitors built-in to the backs of the seats in front of you. You had a choice of hundreds of things to watch and the seats were much roomier. Our first flight returning was a two hour American Airlines flight in a small jet plane. They didn’t offer a movie or even music—just the noise of the plane. I figured I could handle it for two hours, no biggie. Our second flight coming home was a five hour American Airlines flight and it also didn’t offer a movie or music—making this a VERY long, boring flight. Luckily I had a book or I’d have probably passed out from boredom. With their old fleet of planes, and really nothing to offer in terms of entertainment, they’ll have one less customer next time I plan a trip.

But back to the trip.

Quebec Canada Fall Colors

Hitting Quebec in the fall allows Californians to see something we aren’t used to—seasons. The fall colors are gorgeous. As you can see from the photos above, the leaves had already done most of their changing by the time we arrived, but it still made for some spectacular views. In California, our trees are basically either green or dead, there’s no inbetween stage. So it was quite a treat.

Old Port Montreal

We also took a day trip to the Old Port area of Montreal. This particular square offers restaurants and touristy shops, where you can buy souvenirs for your relatives and friends. Sort of the touristy equivalent of the waterfront area in San Francisco.

Montagne Noire Canada

Later in the week, Wifey™’s brother took us on a hike up to the top of Montagne Noire (Black Mountain). The 6.4km hike involves basically walking through moist riverbeds—mostly muddy and rocky surfaces. We were ill-prepared with our tennis shoes and I’d recommend getting hiking boots for anyone considering this. The top of the mountain features a plane crash site that happened during World War Two. The wreckage sits atop the mountain as a memorial to those lost during this accident. The roundtrip hike is about eight miles—making it a grueling workout straight up and down the mountain.

Mont Tremblant Canada

Wifey™’s parents had planned an overnight stay in Mont Tremblant, a touristy winter ski resort/summer touristy hiking area. I’d definitely recommend this for anyone considering traveling to Quebec, as a one-night stay. It’s filled with touristy shops, restaurants and hotel/condo’s. The photo above was taken from a lift, which took us over the small village area, giving us a view of the mountain side and more fall colors.

Quebec City

Our final day before heading out, we took a day trip to Quebec City to see the old downtown area and also to get a bit of a history lesson. The downtown is completely cobblestones and old historic buildings from a time when the city was first created. It’s really something to stand where others stood so many hundreds of years earlier.

Quebec City

This photo was taken from the Citidel, a historic and still active military base with in the city walls—and yes, the city is enclosed in fortification walls. The photo is featuring one of the largest buildings, the Frontenac, now a hotel, formerly a castle. You exit the building and make your way to the Funiculaire, a roller coaster type of machine that slowly descends you to the old Quebec City.

Overall, the trip was wonderful and we got to see a lof of family and Wifey™’s old friends. And like all vacations, it’s always nice to make the trip home into familiar surroundings and comforts. In fact, our first stop was to a local mexican restaurant so we could have some comfort foods of our own. Makes you realize that although trips are nice, there’s no place like home.

One Response to 'The Return…'

  1. personal avatar
    Anne Elizabeth | 17 October 2006

    Happy Tuesday, Plays Well !

    Gorgeous pictures of your vacation !!! Thank you so much for sharing about your trip !

    Sincerely,
    Anne Elizabeth


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