We told you about the performing arts we enjoyed in Quebec — the circus acts, the opera, the ghost tour led by actors — but the whole city is filled with art. At every turn, it is possible to see something imaginative or colorful or both!
The Chateau Frontenac (in the pictures above) displays art in every nook and cranny, from what we could see. Sculptures, painting, topiaries, jewelry, designer clothing — it’s amazing! We didn’t even stay there, so take time to tootle around the lobby and shops on a trip to QC to see genuine works of art from around the world.
All over town, beautiful monuments represent historic and cultural events in Quebec. The photo just above is the parliament building and gardens with one of the many statues of prime ministers of the past.
It’s not unusual to find art installations in local parks or on street corners in Quebec. We found these on our stroll to the theater to see the opera.
Wherever you go in Quebec, just remember to really GET INTO the art and you will have loads of fun! We promise!
Our time in Quebec City was tranquil and refreshing, mainly because we stayed in an old convent. The Augustinian sisters who founded it once ran the hospital next door. Like most Catholic religious orders, numbers have dwindled since the 1960s.
In a huge stone home built for hundreds of nuns, set right in the heart of the old town, the small group found a way to continue to live in the monastery and carry out their mission in a unique, forward-thinking way. They renovated, made the place a haven for healthy living, and accepted guests.
I had no idea nuns would be there when I booked the hotel. But one afternoon Em and I heard singing. Ghosts? Angels? Then, we discovered the sisters on the second floor at vespers. As it turns out, they maintain the whole second floor, while the rest of the building serves as top-notch lodging for rest and rejuvenation, in keeping with the sisters’ mission of healing and healthcare.
Lounge on our floor
We stayed in a historic room once used as a nuns’ cell, although modern rooms are available and extremely nice. With twin iron beds and a sink, the room is almost Spartan, yet comfortable. (The bathroom is down the hall!) Light-filled, without TV and with a little knitted pouch for cell phones to encourage detachment from them, the room is made for rest. And we slept well and peacefully under our patchwork quilts.
Our room at the monastery had twin beds.
The monastery is also a museum filled with artifacts. The sisters arrived from France in 1639, so the exhibits focus on the development of their healthcare mission, their faith, their furnishings, and a bit about the early founders.
Medical exhibit at the monastery museum
The restaurant only serves delicious, healthy food and encourages mindful eating. In fact, we couldn’t say a word at breakfast! We could speak at the other meals, though.
Our time in the monastery was truly relaxing. We found quiet and rest from the moment we arrived. But we have to go back — we didn’t have time to try out the massages, the stretching classes, the daily Mass and so many other wonderful things. Yep. Going back is the only solution!
Off to the opera! We decided to see a show in the Opera Festival of Quebec — The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, performed at the Théâtre la Bordée. (The theater was about a twenty minute walk from our hotel. Catch a cab if you don’t enjoy walking that far in your fancy shoes.)
Figaro is a brilliant opera– an absolutely hilarious comedy. And we were able to understand all of the lyrics because the festival provided English and French supertitles above the stage.
The performers were all Canadians. They had the most beautiful voices! Even if you have never experienced the opera before, if you are in Quebec during the festival, we totally recommend you try to get tickets to at least one of the shows!
Sunday Mass at Quebec City’s Notre Dame Cathedral was a memorable part of our trip. The beautiful setting was only the beginning, as the music and the liturgy were equally glorious. Music is an important aspect of Quebecois culture, and Mass at Notre Dame includes a generous serving.
Basilica Cathedral Notre Dame de Quebec, the oldest church in Canada.
The basilica has a rich history. It stands on the site of the first mission chapel of New France, built in 1647, and the first parish church of New France, founded in 1664. The original structure was flattened in the Siege of Quebec in 1759. A rebuilt church stood until 1922, when it was ravaged by fire. What we see today was rebuilt after the fire as closely as possible to the original.
The golden canopy is a replica of the original that burned in the 1922 fire.
The gorgeous golden canopy above the high altar was created by François Baillairgé between 1787 and 1795. It was considered a masterpiece. After the fire, a replica was made by French sculptor André Vermare, using Baillairgé’s plans. Vermare made an important improvement, though: the new one was constructed in non-combustible material.
Beautiful flowers were in place for a lavish wedding taking place that weekend. We happened to see the reception at the Chateau Frontenac, too! Over the top!
The liturgical music was especially lovely, with a schola and an amazing organ designed to look like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The organ was refurbished in the 1980s, and we agree it sounds wonderful. So clear and crisp!
The 1927 French organ sounds amazing!
We were also delighted to find a chapel in the cathedral devoted to St. François de Laval, the first bishop of Quebec, canonized in 2014 by Pope Francis. In preparation for our trip, we read Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather, in which Bishop Laval is depicted as a benevolent soul, founder of the seminary that is now Université Laval, the oldest institution of higher learning in Canada.
The tomb of St. Francois de Laval, first bishop of New France
St. Francois de Laval is easy to love. He was a fierce advocate of education and equally fierce opponent of mistreating Native Americans in settling the new continent. Remarkably, he chose to live in complete poverty and truly walk the Christian talk. We lit a candle there for everyone.
From the museum about St. Francois de Laval….the way he looked in New France
Many people take a tour of a church, but the best experience is found in going to Mass, especially one with great music, to encounter the living, breathing Church at its most reverent and inspiring. Catholic or not, it is an unforgettable moment.
Time to get a little spooky! Old Quebec, where we were staying, was founded in the 17th century. With a city that old, you can imagine some terrible and haunting things have occurred within it walls over the last few hundred years — murders, executions, ghostly encounters, tragedies… We wanted to explore the town and hear some stories, so we decided to take a ghost tour.
Our ghostly escorts
The tour began at approximately 8 p.m. in the lower part of the city. Our group of about 20 people met with our tour guide, who was dressed in 17th century costume.
We heard the tragic tale of the Empress of Ireland.
From the lower city, we made our way up the rock, stopping occasionally to hear a ghost story about a tragic event that happened in that very spot. I won’t tell you the stories. You might just want to hear them yourself!
Louis XIV in a snow globe…. or is that a ghost?
The ghost tour is not for the faint of heart. In some parts of the tour you might get a creepy feeling that some of the lost are looking right at you. At the last stop we made, this was especially true.
l’Universite Laval, where ghosts roam the courtyard
Our last stop was at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Nobody was in the church but us. It was pitch dark and completely quiet. That alone was pretty creepy.
A busking trumpeter…. OR the ghost of Einstein… You be the judge.
If you make it up to Quebec anytime soon, be sure to experience the terror and unease for yourself. You may even catch a glimpse of a shadow out of the corner of your eye. And you’ll know what it is…
Time for tea! We made our way up the rock of Quebec City to the Chateau Frontenac for some tea and lunch at Place Dufferin. Upon arrival, we were greeted with some seasonal kombucha and shown to our table.
House-brewed Kombucha
As we browsed the menu, a pianist and a singer, Mademoiselle Fizz, performed old standards for us in several languages. Among the many varieties of tea, we could choose black, green, oolong, white, or herbal loose leaf blends. I ordered the Flora’s Berry Garden, a fragrant herbal tea with dried berries to flavor it. MM got the old standby, Earl Grey.
The dry tea smelled heavenly — like chocolate! When the hot water was added and we waited for it to steep, the true tea fragrances steamed from the pour spout. Vanilla and berry and bergamot and more! Our waiter served a fruit salad, consisting of strawberries and a lemon-mint jelly. It was very refreshing!
Next, they brought scones — one regular scone; and one lemon-mint — to enjoy with the bowls of raspberry jelly, orange marmalade, and clotted cream. When that course was done, the waiter delivered a tower of small finger sandwiches, including a blue cheese lollipop, a cucumber sandwich, a duck and apple slider, and a shrimp wrap for each of us.
Just when we thought we had no more room for goodies, the water brought us each three pastries, made by their very own pastry chef — a raspberry and cream tart; a chocolate sea-salt caramel brownie; and a pistachio sponge cake with raspberry filling. Scrumptious! My personal favorite was the gooey, delicious brownie.
The final piece de resistance was something we couldn’t resist — CHOCOLATE PRALINES!
Quebec is home to Circque de Soleil and many great circus performers.
We are in Quebec! Em did the heavy lifting for our blog on her travels in the Southeastern U.S. for softball tournaments last week. This week, we are together on an adventure. First stop: Quebec City, where it is HOT! But the heatwave didn’t keep us from exploring this beautiful place.
From our Old Town hotel (more about that later!) through the winding streets on this old rock, we found a charming, vibrant city. Circus performers are offering pay-what-you-can shows all over town.
The tightrope walker was a great entertainer, equaled perhaps by a couple of acrobats near the Chateau Frontenac who juggled knives and fiery batons and even fell into a burning ring of fire.
Glassblower doing his thang.
We encountered even more fire at a glassblowers’ shop. One artisan was making a hummingbird; this one was making an ornament. Both worked with such speed and precision that it felt like a show — and they had a tip jar…
The heat led us to a big trough of ice with a jolly guy in a plaid shirt selling maple taffy. The recipe is easy. Make snow; pour maple syrup over it in a strip. As the syrup starts to harden, roll the taffy onto a stick and eat. SO GOOD!!
More later from this great city. We are off to take a GHOST TOUR, and we’ll tell you all about it later.
One more stop in Atlanta before we head to our next destination: the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House. If you are a Chick-fil-A lover, this is a must-do! It’s the original restaurant in a small diner-style building with a brick facade and a little red roof. You might overlook it at first. In the brick front, go through the little red door…or the regular door right next to it… As you enter, take a minute to learn about Chick-fil-A’s history, how S. Truett Cathy opened his restaurant on May 23, 1946, and there developed the recipe for his original chicken sandwich that we all know and love today.
The building has two parts. One side looks like a diner; the other looks like a regular Chick-fil-A. We sat at the high top bar on the diner side.
The Chick-fil-A Dwarf House
And here’s where the Dwarf House differs from any other Chick-fil-A: the menu has a much wider variety of food to order. Besides the traditional chicken sandwich, nuggets, and fries, you can order a steak, cheeseburger, BLT or the famous Hot Brown. (That’s a toasted chicken sandwich smothered in gravy and cheese.) For sides, choose from mac and cheese, collard greens, green beans, Cole slaw, cornbread, fried okra, and many other delicious menu items.
To top it all off, indulge in a tasty dessert, like a chocolate, lemon or coconut ice box cake, a fried apple, peach or sweet potato pie, a milkshake or, my personal favorite, a frosted lemonade. Next time you visit any Chick-fil-A, I suggest you try one!
If you are in the Atlanta area, take time to stop by the Dwarf House. It’s a great home-style version of Chick-fil-A with amazing comfort food. The people there are so friendly that you would think you’ve known them your whole life. For a really good experience and even better food, head down to the Chick-fil-A Dwarf House. You won’t regret it!
After a long day of playing softball, we thought we would head over to Woodstock for dinner. Some friends, along with my family and I, went to the Salt Factory. They have everything you could think of to eat: pork, salmon, shrimp, burgers, pizza, and much more. For dessert, we walked next door to the Pie Bar. I indulged in a slice of bourbon chocolate pecan pie with a scoop of ice cream on top. How yummy! They have other flavors of pie like apple streusel, blueberry crumble, chocolate chess, coconut cream, key lime, peach crumble and peanut butter cream.
After dessert, we walked over to the Madlife Grill and listened to some local artists play. They have live music there every night, and lots of people come out to listen. We must have stayed there for about three hours just enjoying the music and each others’ company. It’s a great place to spend an evening with your friends and family, especially if you love music!
After another morning of softball, we came back to Woodstock for brunch. We decided to eat at Freight Kitchen. They had a lovely brunch buffet, with biscuits, fried chicken, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, collard greens, cinnamon rolls, fruit, an omelet station, and more. Just to let you know, it was all very delicious! They also have other scrumptious foods like chicken and waffles, French toast, fried green tomatoes, salmon BLT, and more. If you’re in the Woodstock area and you’re looking for a place for brunch, lunch or dinner, Freight is a great place to go, especially if you love classic Southern food!
Now on to the Peach State! We made our way to Atlanta for some touring fun before the start of the my softball tournament. First stop: World of Coca-Cola. The museum highlights how Coca-Cola was founded and how it has been made into one of the most popular drinks we know today. The museum itself is a self-guided tour that starts with a short film. Warning: it’s a tearjerker, but it will leave you smiling and happy for the rest of the day.
After the film, proceed into the hub. There, you explore the Vault of the Secret Formula; Bottle Works, where you can see how Coca-Cola is bottled and packaged; and you can even get your picture taken with the beloved Coca-Cola polar bear! Who wouldn’t love that!
Now, time to investigate the second level. Here you can gaze upon the Coca-Cola Portrait Wall, Pop Culture Gallery, and Perfect Pause Theater. At all of these spots you can see how the company came to be what it is today.
Finally, it’s time for the best part. You get to taste different Coke products from all around the world! My personal favorite is the Fanta Melon Frosty from Thailand. It has a taste of watermelon and honeydew. There are about 29 more sodas for you to try yourself!
To top it all off, purchase yourself a souvenir or two from the gift shop so you’ll always remember your experience at the World of Coca-Cola. Overall, the World of Coca-Cola was a 10/10. I totally recommend you take a trip down to Atlanta to learn about the biggest soda company in the world!
Lunch time! We stopped by The Varsity to grab a bite to eat. This food stop has been in operation since 1928 in downtown Atlanta. Thousands of people stop in per day to indulge in a tasty meal. As you walk up to the counter to order your food, you’ll hear the famous slogan “What’ll ya have, What’ll ya have”.
There’s lots of different food to order, such as hot dogs with chili, cheese, slaw, or all three! Maybe order yourself a burger with all the same toppings or a grilled pimento cheese sandwich or some chicken nuggets with some onion rings and a shake. Top it all off with a fried peach pie, and you’re set! If you’re planning a trip down to Atlanta make sure you stop by The Varsity.
Wandering Star 