Our great neighbor to the North…so friendly, so peaceful and so big!

The six-hour drive from Providence, RI to Montreal was smooth and uneventful.  After a few hours of making my way through Vermont on a chilly morning, crossing the border into Canada was no problem.  I think the border patrol guy got a kick out of my request for a passport stamp.  I just had my passport renewed so I couldn’t let my pages lay empty when I was in fact entering into another country!

It was smooth sailing all the way into the city.  There were more Canadian gift shops than Starbucks and you can only figure out the parking kiosks if you ask someone to translate the French to English, and even then it was tricky.

I got to hang out in a section of town down by the river where independent art galleries and specialty boutiques greatly outnumbered the people.  I instantly fell hopelessly in love with one particular artists work.  It was a collection of pale, cloudy landscapes in which each contained a single item of vibrant color; be it a frail tree trunk with a few green leaves, or a solitary monk, far-off in the distance with his blood-red robe taking flight in the wind.  It brought me back to my days in Japan, which pulled at my heartstrings, and my gaze couldn’t be torn away.  When I started thinking about strapping one of the pieces to the rental car roof, and also building a new wall in my apartment for the piece to go on, I figured that it was time to walk away 🙂

I at least got to see the outside of the Notre Dame Basilica and the surrounding downtown area before turning in for the evening.

Notre Dame Basilica

The next day began with a three-hour drive to Quebec City.  This was my kind of town.  Although my arrival was later in the day, I managed to get a taste of the Old City, which is inside the wall, and eat a delicious meal at a little place called Cafe Buade.  Le Voyageur Hotel was only a few minutes outside of the Old City, and it was very comfortable and affordable.  All the hotels in the area cost about $60.00 a night…which I was not complaining about!  Since I was on vacation, I decided to make good use of the hotel tub…the only item my wonderful apartment lacks 😦

The next morning was extremely cold and windy, but I made good use of the morning hours which were rain-free.  I got to explore the entire Old City, complete with pictures of me sitting on the imposing wall that surrounds that section of town, including the Citadel.  The Chateau Frontenac is the iconic symbol of the city, perched high on a hill which overlooks the river.

Chateau Frontenac

Due to the cold and the wind, I did not stay very long in that location, but it was nice to see the view and walk along the huge boardwalk, even if only for a short time.

Next, I made a pit-stop for coffee and crepes to warm up (delicious) before exploring all the little crooked streets with quirky restaurants and whole-in-the-wall gift shops.  It definitely felt European.  There was one whole alley where artists were selling their work and horse-drawn carriages were aplenty.

Just outside the wall sat the stately Parlement building, which is always worth a picture in my opinion.  That was the last piece of grand architecture to ogle before heading out on the 7.5 hour drive back to Providence.  The return trip took me through a small piece of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, which were really pretty…too bad I couldn’t have taken a detour.

Parlement Building

A short getaway, but well worth the drive.  It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in New England for 6 years, and I’ve not gotten to see these close Canadian cities until now!