travels here, there and everywhere
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
We call our blog Wandering Star. It means planet. And since you’re here, it means you’ve just entered our orbit. We’re going to circumnavigate the Earth. So, come around with us!
We are Em and M.M., a niece and aunt collabo. We love to visit new places, try the food, enjoy the art, listen to the music, and meet the people. So, let’s go!
On to the night in the Big Apple! For dinner, we went to the Birdland Jazz Club. It’s a famous jazz joint in the Birdland Theater on West 44th Street inspired by Charlie “Bird” Parker.
We listened to Birdland’s very own house big band play two sets while we dined. I had the BBQ Salmon Salad. So tasty! MM had chicken. And it tasted like chicken! They had a great variety of food and drinks, as well as dessert, to order while we enjoyed the music. The music was absolutely amazing! It’s something you definitely have to hear live. It’ll make you feel so alive inside!
After to dinner, it was off to Broadway! This was, personally, my favorite part of the night. MM took me to see the musical Wicked! This was my first Broadway show. I had always wanted to see one, so you can imagine just how excited I was.
The production took place at the Gershwin Theater. The theater was absolutely beautiful. We sat in the mezzanine, second row. They were excellent seats! We could hear the music and see the performance perfectly.
Everything about the show was outstanding. The set was amazingly constructed. It made you feel as if you were in the show yourself. The special effects were off the charts. The actors themselves were the best part. They were brilliant! The songs were my favorite. My first time seeing a Broadway show was definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life!
As if that weren’t enough entertainment for one night, to top it all off, we went to the Broadway Comedy Club after Wicked. About six comedians performed their routines on stage. They were so funny! One guy is a writer for Jimmy Fallon; another writes for Comedy Central; another one has a show on Sirius Radio. They were absolutely hilarious, and I would totally go again some day!
But it was time to get back home. After getting to bed around 1:30 a.m., we slept in then headed to the train station for the Southeast Regional train back to Virginia. Stay tuned, though, for our next adventure!
All right, now. Time for a little fun in the Big Apple! We started our day in a nice little shop called Angelina’s Bakery. They had a lovely selection of scones, pastries and different types of coffee. MM got a much-needed cup of joe. I got a pastry with cream cheese glaze and strawberries, blueberries and blackberries on top, along with a mocha. It was delicious!
Since our hotel was in the Garment District, we had to make a pilgrimage to a place MM has longed to see since Project Runway made Tim Gunn famous — MOOD! The famous fabric store has gorgeous material and notions. MM looked like she was in heaven. Thank you, Mood!
Time for Times Square! We made our way to the most famous intersection in the world for a little shopping and people-watching. We went into American Eagle, Loft, H&M, Levis, the Disney Store and a bunch more. I don’t think I have ever shopped in stores that big before!
We also went to the World of M&M’s. They have every single flavor and color of M&M that you could dream of. This is a must do, especially if you love chocolate!
After a few hours of shopping, we were dropping and decided to pop into Junior’s for some authentic N.Y. cheesecake. The original Junior’s is in Brooklyn, but the Times Square location is DEE-LISH, too! It’s “the most fabulous cheesecake in the world.”
What an afternoon! Back to the hotel for a little rest, before our big night on the town. All about that in our next post!
We arrived at Penn Station and went straight to our digs for the final chapter of our adventure — the Stay Pineapple in the Garment District.
Check out the drapes and the zebra rug! This room really reflected Fashion Avenue. It was called the “Fashionista Room.”
Besides bikes and comfy rooms, the hotel offers cupcakes and lemonade every afternoon — and, of course, pineapple water any time of day.
It was late when we arrived, so we decided to dine in — in bed! With a pizza delivered from Joe’s and Jurassic World on TV, our first night in the Big Apple was sweet.
We caught a Via Rail Canada train from Quebec to Montreal. It was so clean, so organized, and ON TIME! We can’t praise the Canadian railway enough for running such a great service. A layover in Montreal gave us a chance for coffee and croissants, so we were happy to be there.
The next train was Amtrak from Montreal to New York City. While the train was comfortable, the boarding process was crazy! We assumed we would have reserved seats, like we did on Via Rail Canada. NO! Everyone piled on and grabbed seats, leaving Em in one place and MM in another. By the grace of God, a mom had been separated from her children, who were sitting behind me, so she was delighted to switch and give Em and MM a seat together for the 11-hour ride.
The ride on the Adirondack train was beautiful — right along Lake Champlain, past Ticonderoga and Saratoga Springs, through the lush Hudson Valley into the Big Apple. In preparation, we had watched Last of the Mohicans! “I will find you!”
MM was thrilled not to have to drive. For Em, planes, trains, automobiles — it’s all just sitting for a long, long time! Except for the initial confusion getting on the train and the terrible food, the trip was really pleasant. And we pulled right into Penn Station, in the heart of the heart of the Big Apple. In our next post, we’ll tell you all about our adventure in NYC.
We returned from Tadoussac to Quebec City in time to participate in a bit of the New France Festival — or La Fete de la Nouvelle France, which celebrates Quebec’s history as a French colony.
We didn’t take the pictures in the slideshow above. They are shared images from the city’s website. But we thought you’d enjoy seeing how the Quebecois mark the event. We had some crepes for supper and walked around to watch the street performers, pick up last-minute souvenirs, and see a few sites we hadn’t reached at the start of our trip.
When the sun set, we heard the familiar BOOM of fireworks. It was the Grand Feu Loto, an international fireworks competition that takes place each week for six weeks in the summer. Judges and locals choose the winner among the six contestants each year. We were there for the first entrant’s show.
After that, it was a VERY short night. We had to be up at 4:15 a.m. to get to the train station for a 5:25 train. UGH! We were tired, but we did it! And the monastery sent us off with a healthy picnic breakfast to eat onboard.
Farewell, beautiful Quebec City. Until next time…
The village of Tadoussac sits at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers. When Jacques Cartier arrived here in 1535, he discovered members of the Montagnais, Algonquin, and Etchimin tribes who used it as a base camp to hunt seals. Cartier called these people Innu. Next thing the Innu knew, whalers from Basque country in France had settled there.
We went there for the whales, too. We didn’t want any baleen; just a view of the belugas and occasional blue or mink whales in the fjord. FUN FACT: Tadoussac is one of the best places in the world to see whales. But first, we had a lovely evening in the Tadoussac Hotel, established in 1864. If you’ve ever seen the movie Hotel New Hampshire, it was filmed here.
It gets our only bad review of this adventure. Our room was musty and the service in the restaurant was terrible. That said, the exterior, the grounds and the setting are all gorgeous. And getting to the marina for whale-watching from the hotel was a short five minute walk along the beach.
We met le Capitaine Florent for a morning cruise around the foggy fjord. After a briefing about the brackish water flowing from the salty St. Lawrence into the freshwater Saguenay and why whales and seals like to feed there, we were out on the water. In all we saw more than a dozen whales and a bob of seven harbor seals. The lumpy little belugas were especially cute!
Le Capitaine Florent took us up into the Saguenay fjord to look for a bit and showed us a beautiful waterfall that has a slow trickle. It was larger than usual because of heavy rains when we saw it, but normally it’s a small stream tumbling over a tall ledge. So, the French settlers named it la Chute du Caribou-Qui-Pisse. Translation: waterfall of the caribou that pees.
Tadoussac is home to the Marine Mammals Interpretation Center, where visitors can learn all about seals and whales from museum displays or watching along the shore. One unfortunate fact to learn is that beluga whales were listed as an endangered species in 2016.
All in all, Tadoussac is a lovely place, worth the visit! But for Em and MM, it’s time to get back on the road to Quebec City and beyond!
ROAD TRIP continued! From Sainte Anne de Beaupré, we drove further north between the Laurentian Mountains and the St. Lawrence River through Charlevoix, known as the first vacation spot in Canada. Holiday-goers have been making a splash in the region since 1760. President William Howard Taft even had a summer home there in his day.
It’s a ruggedly beautiful area. FUN FACT: the landscape is the product of a meteorite that crashed into the area and left a 40-mile-wide crater. Happily, things have calmed down and filled in over the past 350 million years. Charlevoix today is green and fertile, with farming and fishing villages and pastures dotted with cows, sheep, goats, alpacas and ponies.
All of those milk-producing creatures make for delicious dairy products in the region. Along the “Flavor Trail,” we saw cheese stores and “cheese bars” and ice cream parlors all along the way, selling dairy products from the region. We stopped for some local frozen custard dipped in the richest, most scrumptious, locally-made dark chocolate ever imagined. DELISH!
At Baie Sainte-Catherine we reached a fjord created by the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers. To cross it, we caught the ferry that runs every half-hour or so, 24/7, that has been crossing the fjord since 1927. We drove our car up onto the vessel, parked, and climbed up to the deck to see the beautiful views as we headed to the other side.
Just as storms were about to begin, we reached the little town of Tadoussac, where we spent the night. More about that in our next post!
Road trip continued! Sainte Anne de Beaupré continued! This place was so gorgeous that we paused at many of the details — mosaics, carvings, paintings, statues, murals and more. Everything in the shrine (see the previous post for the basics) feels life-giving because it’s so artistic and colorful and, most of all, beautifully illuminated.
When you enter the shrine, the vestibule welcomes you with mosaics that celebrate creation. The signs of the zodiac and other symbols around the space represent the universe and time as a reminder that God created all of it. And we figured that out without a guidebook! It just screams of God’s love for all creatures.
The end of each of the 260 pews in the basilica has a different carving of one animal and one plant, again, to celebrate God’s creation. They are really charming and couldn’t help but make us smile.
The Immaculate Conception Chapel beneath the main sanctuary features beautiful paintings of the many holy people of New France.
Visiting St. Anne de Beaupre is an experience of beauty and hopefulness. We recommend it highly!!
ROAD TRIP. Stop Two! From Montmorency Falls, we drove north along the St. Lawrence River to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and its famous shrine.
The strawberries and sandwiches we enjoyed in the shade of some old trees really hit the spot. And we had plenty of entertainment from two seagulls arguing over who would get our crumbs! Having a rest gave us a chance to read up on the history of the place — and we learned that a shrine has been in this spot since 1658!
The interior of the basilica is breathtaking. The sunny day gave us a wonderful show of colors from the stained glass windows above the main altar. This church was built in the 1920s, after a fire burned down the basilica from the 19th century, which had replaced the original wooden chapel from the 17th century.
Many people make pilgrimages to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in hopes of miracles. On the walls, hundreds of crutches and canes and other medical supports represent the many healings attributed to visits and prayers here, especially under this statue.
The side chapel in the pictures above is filled with flowers and notes of thanksgiving for healings. This chapel honors the many Canadian saints.
The vibrant use of color throughout the basilica was striking. It highlighted the hope found in this lovely place. Tomorrow, we’ll share some of the interesting artwork we discovered inside.
ROAD TRIP!! Up the St. Lawrence River. First stop: Montmorency Falls. These beautiful waterfalls are right outside Quebec City. Fun fact: they are 30 meters (more than 98 feet) taller than Niagara Falls! But they’re not nearly as wide. And it’s actually three waterfalls coming over the same continental margin. But who’s counting?
We parked in the upper parking lot as soon as we entered the gate. We strongly recommend that, although we did it by chance! If you park in the lower lot, you either have to walk a long way to the top or take the sky tram up. The upper lot puts you right in the flow of things, so to speak.
After we parked, we took a nice walk on a well-marked trail to the suspension bridge across the falls. The bridge is right atop the falls, so we could see every beautiful aspect and feel the mist.
From the bridge, we noticed a zip line strung alongside the falls. So, what’s a normal adventurer to do? We quickly crossed back over the bridge to the starting point of the zip line, of course! After a little bit of paperwork and a proper fit for gear, I was off to the top of the zip line platform, and MM was racing to the suspension bridge to capture the moment on her iPhone.
At the top, the instructors let you know all of the precautions you must follow in order to ensure your safety. Once they hook you up and count to three, though, you’re off!
That’s me on the zip line above. It felt as if I were flying! The air rushes against you as you soar past the huge falls. (If you’re scared of heights, I really don’t recommend partaking in this activity.) The falls are taller than Niagara, so you can imagine how far up you are.
The zip line people take videos and put them on their website so you can have a keepsake of the experience, but get someone to take a few pictures just in case. I had a trouble with my video and couldn’t download it from the website. Fortunately, MM caught the ones we have.
Overall, Montmorency Falls was an amazing experience. We didn’t see the ghost of “the lady in white,” who threw herself over the falls in 1759 when her intended was killed in battle, but we still highly recommend a trip there!
Wandering Star