Q. Who chooses to spend Christmas in the company of strangers?
We’ve traveled with Road Scholar (Elderhostel) since
1996. 2013 nearly got away from us
without a RS program – but we made it just in time with our Christmastime trip
to Quebec. During Stevens’ twenty years
in parish ministry he was, of course, at work on Christmas. Now that he’s retired we have flexibility at
holiday time.
We purposely arrived on Friday, a day early, to allow for
bad weather and to provide another day of sightseeing. We’re glad we did
because we arrived at the beginning of a snowstorm that socked Detroit and
Toronto with extensive power outages. (Three others in our group were delayed 36
hours and another couple didn’t get luggage for two days.)
Our accommodations at the Hotel Manoir Victoria were
excellent. Located in old Quebec, It is
an old hotel that has been extensively renovated Most of our group meals were
in its restaurant. The food was excellent.
There were many restaurants in the neighborhood, ranging from Tim
Hortons (like Dunkin Donuts) and Paillard (like Panera) to fancier places.
Sea Dragon |
Bowdoin Polar Bear and the real thing |
Saturday dawned
cold and snowy. We had a free day! After
a Tim Hortons breakfast we called a cab to take us to the Quebec Aquarium. The brochure said it was open and it was not
on the itinerary for Road Scholar. We took a cab (it’s about 8 miles west of
the city). What a wonderful choice! There
were inside exhibits. Sea rays were
swimming in an open pool and we could pet them. It was close to feeding time and
they nibbled our fingers. The jellyfish
exhibit featured large tanks, each with a different species. The tanks were lit
with revolving colors. Beautiful! There were outdoor exhibits, too: seals, walrus, and polar bears. The keepers poured buckets of krill into the
walrus tank and we watched them flip and twirl to get their lunch. We had our own lunch in the cafeteria in the
largest exhibition building, which had more tanks with “regular” fish (cod,
haddock, etc.) and tanks with colorful tropical fish. We
thought we’d need to wait 20 minutes or more for a cab to come to take us back
downtown, but we were in luck: we called and the cab arrived just 5 minutes
later.
(A note about language:
French is definitely the first language, but French-speakers easily
switch to English. I thought I had had a pretty good clipped “bon’zhour,” but my accent betrayed me and the reply would be in English.)
The Road Scholar portion of the trip began with dinner on
Saturday. Participants were from as far
as Sunnyvale, California, and as near as Barrie, Ontario. The youngest participant was 8-month-old
Harper who was with her parents (from Massachusetts) and her maternal
grandparents (from Maine). There were
three physicians (two of whom were retired) and three nurses. I was the only
librarian this time. Susan, our group
leader, is a Toronto native who became a tour guide after retiring from a
career in corporate HR in Quebec City.
This was her first Road Scholar group.
Village Laurentien by Clarence Gagnon |
Ground cherry garnish |
Monday: clear
skies at last, but very cold. We bundled up and walked to the Farmer’s Market,
which was bustling with Christmas shoppers. Lots of wonderful food stalls! Our lunch was at Aux Anciens Canadiens, a
very old restaurant in a very, very old building. (I remember eating there when my family
vacationed in Quebec in 1966.) We had
traditional tourtiere (meat pie) and with maple syrup pie for dessert. That
afternoon, at the Victoria, Stephen presented the next chapter of Quebecois
politics. (To note: Canada passed women’s suffrage in 1917 but
women could not vote provincially/locally in Quebec until 1940. The Catholic
church controlled public schools until the Ministry of Education was created in
1964. Now the province is very
secular.) Monday dinner was on our own.
We chose Paillard (like Panera).
outside Aux Anciens Canadiens |
Tasting at Farmer's Market stall |
overlooking the Plains of Abraham |
This postcard was in an exhibit about correspondence from Quebec to the U.S. I recognized the Waterville (Maine)Public Library right away. The tile floor was in a former chapel now part of the Francophone museum....quiltmakers take pictures of tile floors!
Holy Door -- inside |
Holy Door -- outsde |
RS reconvened for reveillon – Christmas Eve dinner – elegantly-presented turkey with root vegetables and a wonderful carrot-parsnip soup. Christmas Eve services were optional, and we and a half-dozen opted to go to the 10 p.m. mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. 2014 is the 350th anniversary of the parish, which once was the ONLY parish in North America north of Spanish territory. The present cathedral was built in 1929. It has a new feature, a Holy Door – one of eight in the world, designated by the Pope. It’s a real door cut into the exterior wall, made out of bronze with interior illumination. The sanctuary was packed for the service. The archbishop greeted us in French, English, and Spanish.
Wednesday,
Christmas Day: sunny and cold, once
again. Breakfast was on our
own (Tim Hortons for us). We took a walk in the neighborhood – shops were
closed but some restaurants were open.
The group had brunch in the hotel restaurant – another lavish meal. That afternoon I took a long walk along St.
John Street. I found a branch library (closed,
of course) in a former Anglican church.
At 4:45 the RS group, attired in their finery, gathered in the hotel lobby. We divided into groups of four for horse-drawn carriage rides to the Chateau Frontenac. Despite heavy lap robes, it was a very, very cold ride. Our driver was a jolly woman who wanted to give us the tourists’ spiel. All we wanted to do was get there! The event was the Frontenac’s Christmas dinner-dance. It was glamorous indeed – a six-course meal, a live band – for a crowd of 350.
At 4:45 the RS group, attired in their finery, gathered in the hotel lobby. We divided into groups of four for horse-drawn carriage rides to the Chateau Frontenac. Despite heavy lap robes, it was a very, very cold ride. Our driver was a jolly woman who wanted to give us the tourists’ spiel. All we wanted to do was get there! The event was the Frontenac’s Christmas dinner-dance. It was glamorous indeed – a six-course meal, a live band – for a crowd of 350.
Frontenac ballroom |
Thursday: breakfast at 7:00. Time to say good-bye: hugs, good wishes, promises to write. The glow of our shared experience helped make
the next hours (somewhat) bearable. Our
flight from Quebec to Montreal was slightly delayed. Our flight from Montreal to Chicago was
delayed 40 minutes. We were in the air
15 minutes and then called back due to a landing gear malfunction. The pilot could
not continue (maximum flying time for the day). The relief pilot could not get
through customs (which closed at 8 p.m.) Eventually an incoming flight arrived and
its crew could take us to Chicago. We touched down at 11:30 p.m. (CST) and got
home at 1 a.m.!
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The accommodations and the food were
excellent. The mix of sightseeing, lectures, and free time was just right. The
group leader and lecturer were knowledgeable.
And, as always, our fellow travelers were interesting and
interested. What a great way to end
2013!
I restrained myself at the gift shops |
Outside the Cathedral |
Hello, Nan...enjoyed your trip review. We have traveled with RS about 10 times and are never disappointed. (Well, except for the hotel on Moloki....OMG! What a dump) Glad you had fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful travelog! your pictures are great and I'm glad you had such fun and returned home safely. Polar bear, indeed, LOL!
ReplyDelete