Quebec City

My husband came up with the fabulous idea to spend a week on vacation in historic Quebec City to round out our summer. I can't say enough about our experience. What an exciting place to visit!





It is one of the oldest cities in North America, founded in 1608. The buildings and fortresses have been so well preserved and the old curvy, cobblestone roads are still intact in the section of the city known as Old Quebec. Just gorgeous. There has been an ongoing celebration of their 400th anniversary as a city for a couple of years now...and boy do they know how to throw a birthday bash...tons of unique events going on day and night throughout the summer months.





One evening, our friends, who live in the area, took us to see Cirque du Soleil perform. They were putting on free full-length shows outdoors a few nights a week, right in the heart of downtown. The backdrop was highway overpasses. Seriously. It was something else. They did all of their trademark acrobatics landing against a cushion hung across the overpass.


The only picture that turned out somewhat with my little camera that night-an image of people along the overpass

Our wonderful babysitters- our friends' lovely daughters adopted from Thailand
and China


Another night, the same friends volunteered to watch our 4 rascals at their place, so Pierre and I could go out on the town. We went to see a movie at an outdoor cinema, but not your typical outdoor theatre. This movie "screen" is actually made up of 83 grain elevators, all in a row. It is hard to imagine, but it was one of the coolest shows I have ever seen. Check it out in the link below (4 min. long)... it's way more awesome (and 1 hour long) in person, but this gives you an idea. It was all about the rich history of Quebec. The special effects were out of this world...unbelievable!!


http://lacaserne.net/index2.php/exmachina/gallery/the_image_mill/#id=album-31&num=0


If you're looking for an authentic European experience without having to fly overseas or pay a hefty price, then you must check out Quebec City. In case you are wondering, the locals are extremely friendly to English-speaking people, even if their own English is often as lacking as my French. They LOVE tourists there. I heard visitors around town with strong southern accents and they were getting along just fine.

I had to laugh when we started talking with a fun family from New Jersey we met at a playground, and they said I had more of a French accent (in English) than my hubby-who is perfectly bilingual! My french is limited to a high school level and I am American-born and raised. Too funny!