Canadian Summer: Quebec City
I’d visited Quebec City a couple of times before – once as a grade seven class trip, and once on a road trip with my grandparents when I was 20 years old.
It was nice to be going back to such a classic city with my Canadian Contiki group in July 2022, as an adult with the ability to experience it the way I wanted.
On our drive from Ottawa, we made a stop at St. Albert’s Cheese Factory to learn more about how cheese curds are made. The iconic squeaky cheese is one of the three main ingredients in poutine, the most important Canadian dish you will ever try (cheese and gravy over french fries).
After a little tour and cheese curd tasting (yum), we finished the drive to Quebec City.
The group was dropped off in the heart of the city, and we had some time to explore before dinner at Chez Victor. Of course, I got a buffalo chicken poutine to satisfy that craving from the morning’s tour.
Poutine at Chez Victor (July 2022)
The following day we were given a lot more of an opportunity to experience Quebec City.
We began the day with a tour of Huron-Wendake Village, learning about Indigenous history and culture. As a Canadian, I really appreciated that our Contiki included this perspective and history lesson about the country. Even as someone who grew up learning about Indigenous groups in school, it was eye-opening to continue learning.
Photos from our tour of the Huron-Wendake Village (July 2022)
After the tour, we were taken by bus to Montmorency Falls – a gorgeous waterfall that spills into the St. Lawrence River, only a 15-20 minute drive from the city.
My new friends and I walked over the bridge above the falls (horrifying if you’re scared of heights like me, but totally worth it), and proceeded to hike down the 83-metre side of the falls to a lookout point.
Views of Montmorency Falls (July 2022)
As we reached the base of the falls, it started to rain. So we ran for shelter in the information centre and grabbed a bite to eat as we waited for our bus to take us back to Quebec City.
The weather seemed to cut us a break as soon as we arrived at our destination, which was lucky! The plan was to wander the city freely for the next couple of hours – an activity that would have sucked a little bit in the rain.
One of my favourite parts was getting to share a childhood tradition with my new German friend, Line. Every Canadian child remembers taking a school trip up north to a forest where they tap maple syrup in the winter. You’d roll a line of syrup around a popsicle stick in the snow until it freezes to make delicious maple syrup frozen treats.
It was so fun to be able to share that quintessential Canadian activity with her because it’s just a fun thing to do. Even though it’s summer, Quebec has spots in the city where they have snow on a table to indulge in this iconic treat.
Frozen maple syrup candy (July 2022)
That evening, the group would be going to a Drag Bingo night. I love drag. I love bingo. But since my last Contiki trip, I’ve learned that 3 weeks is a marathon not a sprint, and rest is important.
So I went out with a group of new friends for dinner, walked them to the drag bingo, and then got back on the bus to the hotel for the evening.
Exploring Quebec City at sunset with new friends (July 2022)
I’m so glad I joined that group for dinner before calling it a night though, because that’s where I’d meet Sophie – the Contiki friend who is still a good friend of mine, 3 years later.
We didn’t know it yet, but we’d even go on another Contiki trip together.
