Day 16: Goodbye Quebec

Quebec. Long needed, much anticipated, thoroughly enjoyed. We had an amazing trip up here and I am so sorry to see it end. But, reality is setting in, jobs need to be done, classes need to be attended, and it is time to leave. 

There were so many firsts on this trip that I could not possibly fit them all in so Day 16 is dedicated to the sights we saw today and every other day we were here. More picture based that usual but that isn't a bad thing.

I cannot wait to return during the warm months. This city lights up at night and is meant for walking, sightseeing, eating, and enjoying oneself. I plan on revisiting all of these things during the summer when it is not 7 degrees out at night and you can enjoy a dinner outside or a walk along the promenade seeing the town and it's gorgeous surroundings.

I am sorry to go but I'll be happy to return.

Until Tomorrow,

Cat!

Day 15: Sugar Pie

My life has been changed. No seriously. On day 15, I was introduced to Sugar Pie and it was, arguably, one of the most interesting and delicious things I have ever eaten!

Bob and I had finished up a long day of sight seeing in more 15 degree weather when we decided to get dinner at Le Couchon Dingue (The Crazy Pig). It is a small, casual restaurant, set along this street:

The atmosphere was warm, welcoming and exactly what we needed after a long day spent at museums, shops, and walking the city. The dinner was good, not particularly remarkable (although that may have something to do with the bottle of wine we had), but the dessert....wow. There are no words to describe our initial reaction to this stuff. We had been told that Sugar Pie is a Quebecois specialty and we were excited to try it but neither of us had expected this!

The pie does not look particularly remarkable. In fact, it's actually fairly bland in appearance. It consists of a pie crust and a caramel like filling made of flour, butter, salt, vanilla, cream, and, on occasion, maple syrup or brown sugar. It kind of reminds me of pecan pie but without the pecans but the texture is different, more smooth and creamy. I have never in my life tried anything like it, flavor, texture, appearance....everything was very familiar but....not.

We liked it so much, we went back the next day to buy a full pie to bring back to the U.S.

Sugar Pie is found predominately in Quebec, France, Belgium, and the midwestern United States (random I know). However, it appears to be very easy to make so if you are interested and you cannot find any near your home, try making one of your very own! You never know, you could discover a new favorite!

Until Tomorrow,
Cat!

Day 14: Mont-Sainte-Anne

Again, I know I am wicked behind. I lose. It's been a crazy week+ but, while I haven't been blogging, I have still been doing 1 new thing a day. I hope to catch up with everything in the next few days so have patience!

Pretty much everything I did day 14 was a first! But, in the interest of keeping this short and sweet, I am focusing on XC Skiing at Mont Sainte-Anne.

Mont Saint-Anne is a ginormous mountain/ski resort just north of Quebec City that opened for skiing in 1966. It offers 66 trails and night skiing with the highest elevation in Canada. The resort also offeres roughly 150 km of cross-country ski trails, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and an indoor/outdoor spa!

Bobby and I did just under 9 miles worth of xc trails over the course of about 2.5 hours and we only had 1 wipeout! And yes, it was me. And yes, it was while I was going up hill. Lets be honest though, not a single one of you are surprised right?

If you need to take a break, there are cabins that you can stop at every 2-3 miles that are heated and have benches that you can pull out into beds (bring your own sleeping bag!). We stopped at one and, while there was not much going on inside it, it was wonderful to be able to sit down and thaw out next to the heater.

It is the off season up here (for some reason, tourists don't really seem to be attracted to 15 degree weather during their vacations) and it was during a weekday, but, that being said, there was a surprising lack of people. Which was awesome!! We had miles and miles of trails all to ourselves and, for anyone not familiar with the sport, you really work up quite a sweat so a 15 degree temp. is actually pretty preferable.

The trails were well groomed and wide and the views were spectacular. Totally considering going again tomorrow but I suspect we go to somewhere in town because, yes, you can totally xc ski IN the city of quebec. Thus making this city the Best. City. Ever.

Until Tomorrow,
Cat!