{"id":6295,"date":"2017-01-03T09:19:31","date_gmt":"2017-01-03T14:19:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=6295"},"modified":"2017-01-17T07:34:02","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T12:34:02","slug":"winter-break-quebec-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=6295","title":{"rendered":"Winter Break: Quebec City"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chateau

photo: Guillaume Cattiaux, creative commons license<\/p><\/div>\n

Three nights in Qu\u00e9bec City was a perfect post-Christmas getaway for three generations in our family. In warm coats, ear muffs, fur-lined gloves, tall boots, and ski-wear, we stayed comfortable, even though daytime temps were in the teens and low 20s and nighttime temps in the single digits. On Thursday, there was what in New Jersey would be termed a blizzard, but to the Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois was just 18 inches more snow.<\/p>\n

We stayed at historic Le Ch\u00e2teau Frontenac<\/a> (take the hotel tour). Though there are other hotel choices that look charming, many Frontenac rooms have panoramic views of the St. Lawrence River\u2014persuasive evidence for why this city was considered so strategic by the French and later the English. Qu\u00e9bec is an Algonquin word that means \u201cwhere the river narrows,\u201d and it\u2019s only a kilometer wide here, covered in snow now. We saw a canoe filled with crazy people row across.<\/p>\n

A Great Lakes freighter slid past the city one morning, en route to Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, or possibly even Milwaukee, Chicago, or Duluth, since the Straits of Mackinac appear not yet impassable. (This ship tracker<\/a> showed the John B. Aird<\/em> going through this morning.)<\/p>\n

At the Mus\u00e9e du Fort<\/a>, you get an excellent bird\u2019s eye view of the several battles that have been fought for control of this location. Presentations are in English and French. We also visited the Citadel on Cape Diamond to see for ourselves what the military leaders could observe. A general \u201ccould see everything he needed to see,\u201d a six-year-old member of our party observed. It\u2019s an active military base, home of the distinguished Royal 22nd R\u00e9giment Canadi\u00e9n Fran\u00e7ais.<\/p>\n

The hotel has a thrilling toboggan run as well as indoor pool and hot tub for thawing out. Horse-drawn cal\u00e8ches right outside the front door offer an hour\u2019s leisurely tour through the upper city. Excellent restaurants.<\/p>\n

\"maple

photo: Jaime Walker, creative commons license<\/p><\/div>\n

The lower city is full of charming shops, restaurants, a bustling farmer’s market, and a funicular to transport you back to the top of the steep cliff.<\/p>\n

Not to miss: snow candy! Outdoor vendors fill wooden trays or hollowed-out logs with crushed ice and snow, then pour on stripes of hot maple syrup. As it hardens almost immediately, it\u2019s gathered up with a popsicle stick. Warm and cold at the same time\u2014delicious!<\/p>\n

Reading List<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To understand the place of Quebec in U.S. history, two excellent reads are:<\/p>\n