Quebec is one of the grand cities in North America, and their annual Winter Carnival is a great event to attend.  Situated on the banks of the Saint Lawrence River, with its ice floes drifting below the city, and the Chateau Frantenac, the area’s grand dame hotel holding court high above, Quebec is a picturesque city to visit. We arrived in the morning, after a red eye flight, for the 400th anniversary of the city and in the ensuing days enjoyed one of their biggest snows in 40 years.  Our cab dropped us off at the Hotel Manoir Victoria, in the heart of the Old City, as light flurries swirled around us.  We dropped off our bags in the hotel, and went out to get a breakfast of hot chocolate, eggs, bacon, and pastries, and then went exploring. The city is perhaps the most European of all the cities in North America, and between the architecture, the French language, and the culture, Quebec certainly feels European.  Especially the Old City (Vieux-Quebec), which is divided into Upper Town and Lower Town, and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Even if you are not there for the Winter Carnival it is a wonderful city to visit.  But we were there to celebrate and the Winter Carnival more than helped us do that. The upper city has its perimeter of fortification walls including two main gates of Porte St-Louis and Port St-Jean, and very interesting. Each day’s exploration of the city required us getting battle-ready for the elements with layers upon layers of clothes under our snow gear.  As we got dressed, we would look out the window for a weather update.

There are many of food options in the Old City ranging from crepes and pastries, to pubs with dark interiors, to formal restaurants.  In this part of the continent there is a lot of game dishes – pheasant, duck, rabbit, and various red meats – as well as fois gras which is something we don’t see in California.  Don’t worry if your not a meat person as there is something for everyone. One of our favorite quick bite places was Casse-Crepe Breton that had excellent crepes.  In the morning we would eat crepes with ham and cheese, and later at night after dinner we’d get out of the cold and have crepes with chocolate and cream.  Very tasty!

One great find was Paillard, an amazing bakery with a slightly sterile interior.  Don’t let that fool you – get in and enjoy.  We ate with reckless abandon on croissants, amandines, chocolate amandier, and more.  Perfect flakey crusts and, in the case of croissants, an oh so buttery inside.  Paillard had some of the best pastries we’ve tried anywhere in the world.

We decided to mix up the trip with a day on the slopes at Mont St. Anne and got there via a shuttle service from our hotel.  The trip took us past lakes with ice fishing, and frozen waterfalls.  To get cold weather and good snow, we have to get well above 8,000 out West, but here you are barely above sea level, which means we didn’t tire as easily.  Also, being used to pine trees (or being above treeline) it was interesting to ski on slopes with nothing but hardwoods.

The Winter Carnival is one of the largest winter carnivals in the world, and takes place over several weeks from the end of January to the middle February, and there is something for everyone.  Activities include dog sled races, canoe races across the Saint Lawrence River, dog agility contests, snow sculpture contests, and much more.  The city sets up various locations for all of this and it is very well organized.  Quebec truly does an amazing job hosting their carnival.  Place Desjardins, located up near the old fort, is the main area where you can zipline, snow sled, drink liquors from ice shot glasses, and various carnival-type activities.   Bonhomme is the official mascot and you can even ice skate with him as we did one cold night.  He’s a fast skater so be warned.

When you go, don’t forget to load up on carnival goodies.  We wore our red sashes around your waist – carnival style – and you can buy flutes and canes.  Flutes are long plastic trumpets that you’ll hear all day and night.  Even at 3am we’d hear a flute going off in the distance.  Canes are hollow canes that people fill with liquor to stave off the cold and keep things festive.

Before the snow started flying in ernest, we watched a derby race down the street that ended by our hotel.  Starting near a park below Chateau Frontenac, the race descended the steep street as the crowd watched and cheered the speeding carts with nothing but gravity to create their speed.    One night we took a cab down into a suburban area of the city for the official Carnival Night Parade.  The crowds were massive and the snow falling only added to the party atmosphere.  Float after float went by.  Some had dancers dancing, some had easily identifiable characters, while others were a mystery.  I had the camera and would tell my wife what was approaching often saying,”again…I don’t know what this is”.  We’d laugh, and the crowd would laugh at the irreverence of it all.

Getting a cab back was a challenge, but we finally got one and headed back up to the Old City and straight to the Casse-Crepe Breton for some chocolate crepes!

The canoe race across the Saint Lawrence is a must see.  You can either walk the stairs down to lower town or take the funicular.  We chose the steps for exercise and to stay warm.

Heading over to the edge of the river, we felt the wind’s bite and we waited for the start.  Soon the race was underway.  These competitors row their canoes next to the near shoreline (where the water is open) and then turn towards the river and onto the ice to cross.  And I mean ON TO.  They have to get out of the canoes and traverse the moving ice floes to get to the other side.  We yelled,”allez, allez” as they passed us.   After the race, we walked into lower town and fell in love with its charm.  Snow, like frosting, was on everything and made for an old world, winter wonderland.  The architecture of this part of Quebec was our favorite with its stone buildings, beautiful windows and doors, hanging store signs, and even a few ice sculptures.         By this time the snow had started to fall, the temperatures dropped, and it snowed for days.  Walking became an adventure in itself, and at times required us to take a break in a bar or restaurant to re-fuel or rest.  Days were still focused on the carnival, but nights required us to be more organized by looking for routes that were linked by food and bar stops before or after carnival activities. Near the Place Desjardins, is the Parliament building and opposite that is the Carnival Ice Palace.  Bands play music outside as we walked through the palace looking at everything made of ice including a grand piano! The dog agility competition is a great fun, and on a cold morning, with hoar frost sticking to everything, we went over to watch the dogs move through a course of teeter-totters, tubes, and all manner of obstacles.  It didn’t seem like there was any category for the dogs, but they yelped and barked and ran gleefully (in some cases ignoring the course layout) as their breath froze on their muzzles.  All the dogs seem to relish their day in the spotlight.   Dinner that night was a challenge with the snow coming down and we stopped at a restaurant near our hotel and had a pasta dinner while watching the storm outside.  After dinner, we bundled up and walked around the streets that seemed almost abandoned as people stayed in to avoid the night’s weather. The next day revealed clear skies in the morning perfect for more carnival time. We headed over to the Frantenac to ride their ice luge.  Two side by side tracks start at the top of the hill overlooking the river.  You have to climb the stairs covered in snow and ice with your sled and then set it in the ice track, get in, and hold on.  It descents fast and straight down heading towards the finish near the hotel.  It’s a lot of fun.  We got out and walked over to a food area and had a maple toffee pull, which looks like a popsicle.  The vendor hands you a stick, then pours hot maple syrup directly onto a plank covered in snow.  You then take your popsicle stick and roll across the liquid until you have something that looks like a popsicle of solid maple syrup.  With the cold weather, it hardens fast and voila!  So good! The skies clouded up again and more snow came down later as we walked around.  We ended up stopping for an enjoyable lunch at Le Relais watching the snow come down outside.

Our last day was abbreviated due to our flight, but we walked back up to Place Desjardins early in the morning to see who won the ice sculpture contest.  Another perfect clear, cold day.  The artists that make their sculptures are true artists, and their works are completely made out of snow and large – 4 feet to as much as 10 feet tall.  They come from all over the world to compete here.

We left Quebec feeling a little sad to leave but, as we boarded our plane, our thoughts were already on returning to this beautiful city to celebrate winter in the best way possible.