Sunday, October 27, 2019

Oh, Canada

Steve thoroughly enjoyed our June vacation in France.


He came home with lots of inspiration for paintings


and a willingness to feed my travel bug.


We weren't up for another 12 hour flight so in September we settled on a 5 hour flight to Montreal.


This was a quick getaway, 4 nights/5 days, with no plans


other than walking the streets of Old Montreal and Old Quebec City.


We definitely wanted to see the Leonard Cohen mural on Crescent Street - that day we walked over 9 miles.


We simply wanted to wander, but thanks to Instagram,


I was searching for this cute spot


and it's smaller version.


I snapped pics


of things that caught my eye


like the fun stairs in Thursday's Bistro on Crescent Street.


I love clock faces and the city of Montreal is full of them.


We wanted to stay in the old part of the city

via

and chose the Vieux Du Port in Old Montreal.


It is the only hotel settled along the Saint Lawrence River - the buildings (originally warehouses) date back to the 1800's which explains the thick stone walls.


The only thing we had planned, and my favorite part of our vacation, was meeting Suzan of Simply Vintageous and her husband John for drinks at 3 p.m. - we ended up leaving our table at 10 p.m.


The drive to Old Quebec City was filled with fall colors despite everyone telling us there was nothing to see on the drive.


I felt right at home when we arrived at our hotel, Auberge Saint Antoine


and saw the red doors.


Just as in Montreal,


we wandered the streets of Old Quebec City.


I loved the greenery


and window boxes full of colorful blooms.


Many of the shops had lovely fall displays.


This fun pumpkin display caught my eye - we popped in for a lunch of French Onion Soup.


We spent less than 24 hours in Old Quebec City


and we loved every minute of it.


Now we're in the planning stages of an April getaway to celebrate 50 years since we met.


We want to keep it in the 6 hour flight range so please leave ideas in the comments.


We're looking for great architecture,


vibrant street life


and wonderful restaurants -


fun art installations would be a bonus.

26 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the photos of my old stomping grounds! Glad you enjoyed it. xox

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  2. Thanks for this charming tour. I'm so happy that you love taking photos and not stopping with just a few. I enjoyed every minute of my visit. Now I want to start all over again :)

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  3. Hi Carol,
    What a great trip and you got to meet up with Suzan too. I bet that was a lot of fun.
    What a beautiful trip. Hope you find something really special for your next trip. How about a trip out East there is so much old architecture there.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  4. I have GOT to get over there, since we are just here in Minnesota and a trip up north wouldn't be that far! Oh Carol, you captured such great areas and STEVE with his rendition! Lovely my friend, and so good to see you here!

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  5. I love Quebec so much! Thank you for the beautiful photos. I am sure you and Suzan had a wonderful visit—she is so much fun!

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  6. What a beautiful trip Carol. How fun to meet Suzan. I followed her blog religiously when she blogged. She always made me laugh. You must have had a great visit.

    Thanks for sharing the beautiful sites. Can't wait to see where you will go next.

    Cindy

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  7. Beautiful pictures Carol. I enjoyed this so very much. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  8. Carol, your photos are stunning. What an amazing eye you have...and you met Suzan?? Had you met before? I've been following her for years. She's got a great eye, too and a fabulous sense of humor. Not bad for a quick getaway!

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  9. I'm so delighted you went to Vieux Quebec. I don't know Montreal so well but I am in love with Old Quebec -- after London and Paris, my favorite city in the world -- and a heck of a lot closer! We spent several days there (Rick rode his bicycle from Michigan -- he needed a rest!) and we barely scratched the surface and came home with art from one of the fabulous galleries. Your photos are just wonderful and bring back lovely memories of grand times. I'm so glad you had a wonderful time, too!

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  10. I'm so glad you enjoyed your time in Montreal and Quebec City. I want to visit those places someday, too. They have both the old and the new world vibes. Your photos are beautiful!
    Charleston, SC is another place filled with great architecture, history, and yummy food. We've been there twice and enjoyed it. I'd like to visit Savannah, Georgia, too. Maybe you should go there, write about it, and then I'll know! haha

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  11. I bet Suzan is as much fun in real life as she was on her blog! What fun that you were able to meet her. Your pictures are absolutely wonderful. Lucky you to be traveling!!! xo Diana

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  12. What a gorgeous trip! Every photo was more beautiful than the last. I vote for you coming to Chicago next spring. ;-)

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  13. That looks like such a great trip...and how fun to meet Suzan, too! Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful photos!

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  14. Love this, Carol! We had a great road trip there a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it also. You might look into St Augustine FL as a potential getaway. I haven't spent time there other than drive throughs, but it's rich in history and architecture.

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  15. What a lovely post. All the photos are just beautiful. Have a blessed day. Madeline

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  16. Wow! What a fabulous trip you took with your husband to Canada! I enjoyed looking at your beautiful photos. Hope you find another great place to travel to.

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  17. Carol, I was hanging on every word and drooling over every picture. And of course, meeting Suzan would be a highlight - I know - I met her, too! I've been wanting to get back to Montreal and Quebec City for awhile (I haven't been since I was a teenager, which almost doesn't count!). Your post has me scheming about when we might be able to go (and it's not even that far!). As for your April vacation, I would highly recommend Charleston. It ticks off all the boxes that you mentioned. Steve's paintings are absolutely stunning!

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  18. Carol, both places sound wonderful. I love the colors, the flowers, and the fall displays at the shops! Red doors would be a welcome sight for me, that's for sure!! Someday I hope you come to Utah and we can meet up!!! Suzan is a hoot!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  19. Such beautiful paintings and photos⭐️
    Have a lovely evening,

    Hugs, Ida

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  20. Fabulous art - both the photos and the paintings! What a fun trip and fun post!!

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  21. As a Canadian I'm very proud of our older cities. I see my bucket list locations have already been mentioned-St Augustine and Savannah.

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  22. Carol, Thanks so much for sharing shots of Montreal. I love the old hotel with the stone walls. Rooms look large as well. I have not been but it looks magnificent. Have a great day! Sylvia D.

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  23. Such a beautiful photo and post. Thank you for sharing.

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  24. Oh My Gosh I love seeing these pictures and I have been thinking I would like to tour a city in Canada especially since Susan puts such inviting pictures on Instagram , so nice to meet her i'm sure


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  25. It has always been a dream for me to visit Montreal and Quebec City and after reading through your travel journal has really heightened my desire to visit these beautiful cities. It’s always lovely to also visit an old friend like Susan. Hope you had a good time catching up. Thank you Carol for giving us a exclusive and Instagramed pictures of your whole getaway.

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  26. Hi Carol, thanks for sharing the pictures of your trip. After seeing all the photographs, I have added Montreal and Quebec City to my travel list for next year. The paintings look so graceful! where you can find the long creepers hanging from its buildings.

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