It was shaping up to be a cloudy, rainy, stuck in the house sort of weekend. We had planned a long hike to view several waterfalls in the Moosehead Lake region but my enthusiasm was waning as the rainfall increased. It was my wife who came to the rescue with four simple words. “Let’s go to Quebec,” she casually said. To me it was like a ray of sunshine had burst through the clouds. We had two whole days and it was only a few hours away. We got up early, Made sure we had our passports and the kids birth certificates and headed north.

We crossed the Canadian border just north of Jackman, Maine and made it to the heart of old Quebec in just a few hours. 

It is always a pleasure to stroll along the boardwalk adjacent to le Chateau Frontenac. There are tourists from all over the world snapping pictures, looking at sculptures, climbing on the cannons and enjoying the street performers you find all over the city.

After giving all the cannons a full inspection, we headed off down Rue du Tresor to enjoy the rest of this beautiful, historic city.

Everywhere you go there is art and culture as well as history and beautiful architecture.

One of our favorite ways to see the city is to walk atop the wall that surrounds the oldest part of town. The views are amazing and it is a good way to see a lot in a short amount of time.

There is so much to do that we have never needed an itinerary to have a great time. Every time we visit, we eventually stumble upon something amazing going on. Wonderful surprises are waiting around every corner. Shortly after we stopped for a break near the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec, a delightful circus performance began right in front us! My son loved the slapstick humor and laughed incessantly as Monsieur Rene rode his unicycle, juggled and joked with the audience. It was a perfect way to finish a great day in Quebec.

Afterward, we stopped at a small cafe for sandwiches and poutine before heading back to the car. As we left the city and headed toward the mountains of St. Anne de Beaupre, I saw the first few drops of rain on my windshield. I enjoyed the magnificent view of the St. Lawrence River as the rhythm of the road rocked the children to sleep.