My preference in the dead of winter is sunny locales and turquoise water rimmed beaches, but I’ll always make an exception for Winter Carnaval in Quebec. Many shops and restaurants celebrate by keeping their holiday decorations up a bit longer, placing ice sculptures outside their entrances and some even erecting ice bars to serve drinks to the revelers. So even if you don’t want to pay for admission to the official Carnaval sites there is plenty to see and do in the city, and it’s all beautiful.
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We found an extraordinary condo hotel in Vieux Port with views of the Saint Lawrence just steps away from the Funicular and access to the old city. Royal Dalhousie is one of the old buildings in Quebec that was made to last. Brick and stone with large windows, it was built to produce millstones for the flourmills in Quebec and later became the Chinic hardware store. Our unit was called “Chinic”.
It was a two bedroom, two bath unit with exposed beams, wood floors and exposed stone and brick walls. The renovation was beautifully done with a well appointed kitchen, laundry room, really nice lighting and of course those beautiful windows.
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They paid attention to detail when it came to outfitting the place for guests. There is no daily maid service but the place was spotless, the comforters were down stuffed, there were lots and lots of extra towels and everything I could need in a kitchen. When I looked for something I found it, down to laundry soap and martini glasses. The building has 6 units, some with 3 bedrooms and some with 2. I’d love to have a party and fill the place up! Anyone interested?
The Saint Lawrence River has a fast moving tide, and we watched the ice floes moving up or down the river at a good clip depending on the time of day. We could see the canoe races from our windows, a big plus on a snowy, cold day. The entrants spent equal time paddling in open water and pushing with one foot over the ice. I shiver just thinking about it.
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As you can see, Steve was a late entry.
And the food in Quebec! In my next post I’ll tell you about the beautiful and delicious restaurants we visited.
So many bistros, so little time!
Being in Quebec is the closest we can get to old world Europe without crossing the “pond”. Great pics! Brings back fond memories… thanks cousin!
I agree, Annette! So beautiful and so European. So you’ll come to our big house party at Royal Dalhousie? 🙂
D.
Looks great.
We would love to join you.
I’m starting the list!
D.