Quebec City Cont.

Some more pics of our time in Quebec City...
It was so charming and delightful after one day that we decided to cancel our Montreal portion of the trip, and remain an extra 2 nights in the Old Port. Because our stay was now extended we truly felt no rush to get out and see things, so it was a relaxing holiday indeed.
Our days mostly consisted of sleeping in; grabbing a late breakfast (Oh.My.Word. the French toast at the hotel restaurant was literally out of this world and the very best French toast I've ever had or am likely ever to have again. Their poached eggs on a spinach puff were also delish!); wandering around the cobblestoned streets, popping into little boutiques, stores and art galleries; visiting a museum or two (the Museum of Civilisation was 10 steps from our hotel and we experienced a few very interesting exhibits on Gold, Temps Libre (free time) and one called Urbanopolis - the future of urban centers in the world.); going back to the hotel to rest, maybe watch a dvd, work out, have a bubble bath; and then out somewhere for dinner. Altogether too much rich food was consumed, and we only did brunch and dinner!
But it was lovely and it was good to have a little retreat in a magical world. At the same time I was ready to come home, so Friday we drove through to Toronto (where immediately upon entering our hotel room after a 7,5 hour drive the fire alarm went off, and we had to evacuate! Silly me didn't take a coat, so had to go outside in the snow wearing just a t-shirt! It was all sorted out within 30 minutes though and most of that I spent in the hotel lobby.) After our pit stop in Toronto we travelled back to Chicago via one night in Detroit, and were very happy to be home by Sunday afternoon. Holidays are lovely but they can't last forever!

Me and Eric with the Petit Champlain Quartier behind us - the oldest shopping district in North America.

Our hotel entrance - L'Auberge St Antoine. (Do not ask me why it is sideways, I tried rotating. I think it might be time for a new camera.)

The art gallery just outside our hotel, where I fell in LOVE with a few pieces (not shown; although that red/gold one is pretty neat.)

A Christmassy store front in the Petit Champlain, where we bought some delicious sounding Arugula and Brie Pesto! (If you know me, you know me and pesto!)

L'Echaude - a charming restaurant where we ate a couple of times...

Eric relaxing in the hotel lobby.

I'll be posting more pics to Facebook - so check them out there. If you don't have FB and want to see, let me know and I can send you a special link.

A Winter Wonderland

Quebec City has proven absolutely charming in the first 20 hours that we've been here. So much so that we decided to cancel our reservation in Montreal, and continue for the two extra nights over here, for a total of five.
We arrived after dark last night, winding down narrow little streets with French names like Rue Dalhousie, and Rue St. Louis, and pulled up outside of our hotel. After checking into our room, we decided to explore a little bit and find a place for a light meal. Not too far from the hotel was a little gourmet pizzeria, where our waiter was tres charmant and the food delicious. Already we were debating the pros and cons of ditching Montreal.
Snow fell throughout the night and we awoke to a winter wonderland, and realised too that our room had an unimpeded view of Le Chateau Du Frontenac - one of the most photographed hotels in the world and a World Heritage Site. We also had a large balcony but decided to keep the doors closed and the warmth inside.
Here are a few photos of our stay thus far:

Below - Rue St Antoine where our hotel is located (with the blue flag).

We had just had breakfast - yummy crepes with cranberry and orange buttery sauce for me and maple glazed apple French toast for Eric!
Our room - it's called The Domino Room. The hotel is built on an archaelogical site and has artefacts on exhibit throughout the hotel. We have some ancient dominoes at the door to our room, as well as in the bedside tables.

I'm a bathroom girl. I just love the walk-in shower and super deep tub!

And finally, the view from our room - Le Chateau Du Frontenac.

Vive Le Canada!!

I'm blogging from a comfy sofa in a corner of the lounge in the Auberge Saint-Antoine, located in the Old Port/Vieux Port of Quebec City. Possibly one of the most charming little corners of the world, Eric and I are spending 5 nights in this historical fortified city with its old-world architecture and cobblestoned streets. As I gaze out of the window, I see the snow gently falling, and the lights in the trees and lamp-posts contribute to my feeling like I'm in a winter wonderland.

We began our trip on Saturday, and spent a night in Toronto to break up the drive. Eric was intent on taking a photo of our entry into Canada. We passed through passport control with no problems - but why do I always feel as though I have something to hide and they may not let me through? :)

Surprise Surprise!! (Eric turns the big TWO-FIVE)

Eric turned 25 on Friday, November 7th, and I threw him a surprise party with the help of some friends the following evening.
He didn't have a clue until the day before and then he had an inkling - I don't know how! I was even stashing food at a neighbor's place, and all our gracious guests contributed to the feast so that suspicions wouldn't be aroused. I even thought I had the perfect ruse to get him out the house at the appropriate time - a Swedish massage at the Red Door spa in downtown Chicago at 5pm.
Friends started arriving at 6:30pm and we had a good crowd of about 35-40 people by the time Eric arrived home. Despite it not being a total surprise, it was still a wonderful evening and we were thankful to be surrounded by such great friends. We are truly rich in relationships in our little corner of Chicago.

On a political note...

The 2008 elections were very exciting. Admittedly I wasn't that interested until the VP picks were added to the tickets, but became engaged at that point. I don't consider myself democrat or republican, liberal or conservative - in fact, I think I'm pretty conservative on some fronts and equally as liberal on others, and mostly moderate on the rest :). However, my preferred candidate was Barack Obama, and I was really glad when he won! No one can claim to be fully conversant with all the platforms and issues and implications - however, for a number of reasons I felt he would make a better President, and some of the more articulate and thoughtful outlines of those reasons can be found here. There are 5 blog posts via the previous link - check them all out.
"Cautiously optimistic" is now the buzz phrase of the day...
Here are some pics from November 4th, 2008.

Yes, he decided to vote after all! Even though I cannot vote I wanted to participate in this historical election somehow, so I stood in line with Eric. We went later in the day and it was very quick. No 6 hour queues for us!

Some election night elation - we hung out with some church friends in their home to watch the results as they came in. We considered going down to Grant Park, but decided against the long hours of standing and waiting. Watching the crowds on TV though we definitely wished we could be there - and from accounts of friends who did get tickets it was a great experience!