Quebec

Brrrrrr! Oops! I mean, bonjour! Welcome to Quebec City, in Quebec, Canada! Quebec City was founded 1608, making it one of the oldest cities in North America. Quebec City is known for it's Winter Carnival, and that's exactly what was going on when I arrived. These people love the yearly onset of snow and ice, and celebrate them to the fullest extent. The picture above is me on a bench that was carved out of ice, and then had a fresh coating of snow.

This is the Château Frontenac. This amazing castle-like hotel was built in 1893 by Canadian Pacific Railway to lure travelers to ride their rails. It certainly lured me to stay there! It was pretty cool, and convenient to everything downtown.


Nifty boutiques and restaurants were all over the place, though many of them close for the winter season.


Below you can see the Opera House and part of the city's fortified wall. Quebec City is one of the few cities in North America that still has their old fortifications intact, making it a World Heritage Site. The city walls really enriched the historical experience.


The streets of downtown were quiet at night, and the warm glow of the streetlights against the blanket of snow created an enchanting effect.


This is an all-too-inviting toy store window! The white snowman guy is the official mascot for the world's largest Winter Carnival! In size and scope, the Carnival falls just behind Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and Mardi Gras in New Orleans, making it the third largest party in the world!


Snow sculptures adorned the public spaces in many parts of the city. Some were abstract art, while others were realistic or fantasy based.


That's me, standing in the snow in front of a snow penguin in only my crocs, shorts, and t-shirt. Do I look a little blue to you? I think it's time for a hot chocolate!