The 2018 summer trip was meant to explore the western part of Canada. Sophia had a conference planned in Victoria and I had business meetings in Vancouver, so it seemed like an opportune time to make a 2 week vacation out of it!

If you’ve never been to the west coast, then you’re missing out. Both of us being from the mid-east coast part of Canada, we found the west so much more peaceful, with the gorgeous mountains, hiking trails, and never-ending array of natural beauty. To find out more and view pictures throughout our trip, don’t forget to follow the rest of the blog posts from Victoria to Vancouver to Whistler and all across Alberta. 

So, it was finally time to board our flight from Toronto to Victoria airport late on Thursday night to stay with a couple of friends. Sophia’s sister also accompanied us on the trip which made it even better!

Friday morning was spent hiking the Goldstream National Park, where we did a 1.5 hour hike that was rewarded with waterfall view at the ‘little’ Niagara Falls and a lookout on top of an old train track bridge near the apex of the mountain.

As you can see, the views were gorgeous, the bridge treacherous, but the time spent with friends was unforgettable!

After our hike, we worked up an appetite and went to the very popular Red Fish Blue Fish restaurant on Wharf Street.

Sophia had always wanted to go back to Victoria (since 2014) and actually last in the lineup. So, we took a chance and after a 20-minute lineup (definitely worth the wait!), we were rewarded with some fantastic fish and chips, deep fried pickles, tacones, and ginger beer. While more expensive than expected, it was worth every penny!

After our hearty meal we walked around Victoria taking in the beautiful sights in the more touristy areas.

We ended our night back at our friends’ house where we ate a nice home cooked meal and treated to a wide selection of scotch.

A great end to a first day!

[06-22-2018]

Jay

Hi, I’m Jason Wingate and I caught the travel bug a few years ago with my wife Sophia Bello. Together, we’ve been travelling the world and sharing our experiences here on our blog, hoping to inspire and help you on your own journey!

journeysdawn.com

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DAY 1: April 26 2017
With Sophia having a 2-day conference in Montreal, I decided to take the opportunity to join her and explore Montreal.

After a 5.5 hour drive to the French city from Toronto, we arrived around noon and decided to get a head start in exploring by checking out the Saint Joseph’s Oratory, the largest Catholic dedication to St. Joseph in North America. 

Built in the 1930s, this large structure has multiple rooms and levels to explore. At the time, there was an exhibition dedicated to the portrayal of the nativity scene from across the world.  

A busy place on the weekends for tourists, but going midweek can almost guarantee a quiet and peaceful tour of the Oratory, including access to daily mass.

After a few hours well spent, we headed to our Airbnb accommodations in downtown Montreal. While these can be a hit or miss, with careful research you can usually find a great deal on a good place, in the right location and with a view of the city. 

before ending up at one of our favorite Quebec dessert houses Chocolats Favoris. You’ll find multiple locations across the province! When in Quebec, visit this place for some fantastic soft-serve ice cream that can be dipped in a variety of delicious chocolate flavours. 

As we headed back to our place, we enjoyed a temporary outside art exhibit that featured swings that generated musical beats and lit up as you swing!

With Sophia spending the day at her conference, I decided to venture out and explore the older parts of Montreal by myself. 

While I’ve been to the city numerous times, I’ve never taken the time to explore the old port and downtown, so I downloaded the app Histoire Montreal which is a fantastic app that I can’t recommend enough. With multiple circuits for daytime and nighttime, the app (which is fully downloadable onto your phone so no internet is required) walks you through the streets of the old port and downtown, and presents a series of audio clips and pictures as it guides you through the streets.

The coolest part however is at certain locations there is an augmented reality segment where you point your phones camera an area or building and it superimposes a series of scenes over top explaining about the area. 

As a 100% free tour guided app for Montreal, I can’t recommend it enough for exploring the city. 

After doing my own walking tour with the app, the rest of the night was spent with Sophia at the gala she needed to attend to.

Jay

Hi, I’m Jason Wingate and I caught the travel bug a few years ago with my wife Sophia Bello. Together, we’ve been travelling the world and sharing our experiences here on our blog, hoping to inspire and help you on your own journey!

journeysdawn.com

The post 5 Day Montreal Getaway appeared first on Journey's Dawn.

Today it was back to visiting Quebec City one more time before heading to Sainte-Adèle for some snowshoeing! 

After the adventurous day we had yesterday and since Sophia was still not feeling well, we decided to take it easy.

In the morning, we visited the Plains of Abraham (historic site from the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759)…. 

we entered a beautiful Anglican Cathedral…

and we strolled the frost covered streets one last time to take in the winter beauty of the town.

We then decided it was time to eat some delicious crepes at Le Casse-Crepe Breton in Old Quebec. 

We then headed back to rest up and to get ready for the rest of our evening. We knew it would take approximately 2 hours to get to our final destination and we didn’t want to be late. Sophia was excited and tired, but she wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out on our last evening in town!

Finally, we went to Festi Lumière at the Quebec aquarium. 

It’s an annual festival with lit up decorations around the Aquarium. 

We not only got to see the decorations, but animals as well!  

In the middle of the walk, there was a heated tent with cocoa for sale, tables, and live musicians playing as well – it was a nice little break in the middle of the walk!

It was fun (albeit rainy) and while not a “must see”, it is an enjoyable way to spend an evening!

Finally, we topped off the night with dinner at La Tyrolienne, a nice little fondue restaurant whose interior resembled a Swiss chateau.

While I’ve had fondue before, this was my first experience at a restaurant having it for both dinner (cheese & meat fondue) and dessert (maple fondue).

It was delicious and an amazing experience! PLUS, you can’t really go wrong with melted cheese or maple! I am definitely going to more of these once I get back to Toronto!

Jay

Hi, I’m Jason Wingate and I caught the travel bug a few years ago with my wife Sophia Bello. Together, we’ve been travelling the world and sharing our experiences here on our blog, hoping to inspire and help you on your own journey!

journeysdawn.com

The post Quebec City: Part 4 {Light up the aquarium & indulge in delicious fondue} appeared first on Journey's Dawn.

First off, we forgot to mention how amazing breakfast was at Couette & Cafe Le 253. The hosts created some amazing breakfast, that ranged from smoked salmon eggs on English muffins to pancakes covered in maple syrups and fruits. Everything was presented and decorated as if we were staying at a 5-star resort. Additionally, the hosts were wonderful taking care of me, offering unlimited supply of tea and water bottles to make sure I was comfortable all day. They respected our privacy and even offered Jason alcohol on a countless number of occasions. If I was feeling better, I’m sure we would have spent more time with them! 

Today we decided to venture outside of Quebec City and visit Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Hôtel de Glace – both a must see when in the area of this old city! 

In the morning, once we were full and ready to go, our host brought out our car (which was parked in a private garage) and we made our way to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré! The drive was calm, so I was able to rest, but also took the time to take some pictures of the lake and Montmorency Falls (access closed due to weather conditions). We definitely recommend taking the time to visit the falls during any other season!

Upon arriving, the first thing we noticed is how small the town was, but how massive the Cathedral was, almost looming over the city. 

Although I had been myself as a child, it was still as picturesque and breathtaking as I remember it to be, even in the gloomy cloudy winter skies. We made it in time for French mass (11:30-12:30pm) and ended up doing our own self-guided tour of the Cathedral, using the pamphlet available at the entrance (bilingual option included). Inside, the Cathedral is as enormous as you would imagine it to be. 

Looking at the architecture, statues, and walking around to the smaller chapels and walkways around the Cathedral, there is a lot to experience here. 

We were lucky that it was not extremely crowded and were able to take in the beauty of the artistic works done within the Cathedral.

Once we were done, we decided to stop by a brewery called Microbrasserie des beaux près were we enjoyed 6 taster sized beers with amazing nachos! We even took the time to enjoy a couple of board games on our phone (although they actually have shelves of books and games available too!). Unfortunately, it began to downpour, but we were excited to check out a restaurant that was supposed to be across the street, called Restaurant Les Artistes. With much regret, we walked into a vapour store and the new owner told us that the restaurant closed down October 2016. Keep that in mind if you plan to go! 

So, we went for the second BEST option and chose the old Quebec staple – ST-HUBERT – a chain of chicken restaurants affiliated with “Swiss Chalet”, but specific to the province of Quebec!!! Apart from missing the falls, it was an amazing start to an incredible day!

Since I was still feeling tired, Jason took charge of driving all day and took us on our next adventure, which I was most excited about – Hôtel de Glace! Note: it is situated behind Valcartier Hotel which means you cannot see it from the road. Once we figured out where to park, we went through the Hotel Lobby and were able to purchase our tickets (which can also be purchased ahead of time online!). We chose to do the guided tour + an iced drink which came out to approximately $25/person. It was SO WORTH IT! 

We luckily made it in time for the last guided tour of the evening, in English, at 5pm. We were joined by a few American couples and began our journey through the ice hotel. The hotel is always kept at -5C and each year, a new project is set by the family who owns Valcartier and comprised of thick ice and milk and LED fluorescent lights. 

Each year, there is a unique design that captures the architects’ vision. This year, it was a northern theme, comprised of the Canadian north, including animals like the white owl, whales, and hot chocolate!

As we ventured from room to room (you can visit the ice rooms before the guests turn in at 8pm), we saw how the architects took time to carefully design each room. It was a fantastic experience that no one should miss!

We finished off our tour and ended up in an ice bar where we enjoyed a drink called “L’érablière“, made of maple syrup and Amaretto in an ice glass. Although I really wanted to take the glass home, it started melting and we had to throw it out. 

Once we were done our adventure, we went home and finished our journey around 10pm.

Sophia

Hi! Bonjour! I’m Sophia, a traveler since birth, a lover of nature and culture and a linguist! I want to share with you all the wonderful things you can do and experience if you just set your mind to it and travel!

journeysdawn.com

The post Quebec City: Part 3 {Religious warmth to ice cold architecture} appeared first on Journey's Dawn.

We arrived in Quebec City, on Tuesday February 21st 2017, at Couette et Café Le 253 after a 3 hour drive from visiting our family in Laval. 

The B&B we stayed at was very comfortable and cozy and happen to be vacant from other visitors at the time. The hosts were extremely helpful and took care of answering all our questions.  Upon our arrival, the host took our bags and we had a bit of an incident, paralleling parking. I almost crushed my husband’s feet with the car! Besides that, it was trouble free and we were ready to begin our adventure in Quebec!

Once we were checked in, we decided to venture out and visit Old Quebec. 

It was only a short, but steep walk from the B&B. We made a quick stop at the bank and actually were within walking distance of Chocolats Favoris. The ice cream is covered in a quick drying mountain of flavoured chocolate that makes you feel like you’re eating a chocolate bar. If you’re in Quebec (locations are spread across the province), you should definitely do yourself a favour and check out this chain. 

We enjoyed 2 scoops of the most amazing vanilla covered ice cream (red velvet and coffee).

Afterwards, we made our way slowly through the ascending streets of Quebec city to one of the entrance ways of the old town. As soon as we arrived in the more narrow streets and cobbled sidewalks, it felt like we were transported back to Europe. The buildings were old fashioned, adorned with small market shop signs and people walking around, giving you a strong sensation that you’ve been transported out of America and into the European continent. 

By the time we arrived it was early afternoon and we had yet to grab lunch! We had a suggestion from my sister to check out Aux Anciens Canadiens. 

While located in a touristy area, it wasn’t overpriced, and as you can see, we had fantastic food and felt like home. The restaurant had a cellar-type design with a fireplace, wooden paintings adorning the walls, giving it a charming old European feel. The menu consisted of a 4 course meal for only $20, including an alcoholic beverage, pea soup grand-mère (which is extremely popular in Quebec), Quebec meat pie for me and Lac St-Jean meat pie made with wild meats (tourtière style) for Jason. The two meat pies we had tasted like Quebec home-style food and if you’re in Quebec, you owe yourself to try it!

As it as our first day, the desserts we had were one of the highlights of our trip. We had the Maple bread pudding and maple syrup pie. The bread pudding was drenched in a sweet maple syrup which was completely absorbed in the bread pudding, allowing it to solidify to its deepest core. The maple pie, while not as sweet, complimented the over-sweetness of the pudding. 

Once we were done, approximately around 4pm, we continued our journey by doing an initial tour of the town. We walked the streets, discovering the cute small shops and took in the atmosphere of the area. Afterwards, since I had a cold, we decided to turn in early so that I could rest up and be ready for Wednesday’s adventures. 

Sophia

Hi! Bonjour! I’m Sophia, a traveler since birth, a lover of nature and culture and a linguist! I want to share with you all the wonderful things you can do and experience if you just set your mind to it and travel!

journeysdawn.com

The post Quebec City: Part 1 {Taking in the beautiful sights} appeared first on Journey's Dawn.

Still feeling quite sick and unable to even speak, I still wanted to make the most of our adventure. We worked around it by trying to stay more indoors than outdoors in the cold Quebec air. So, we chose to catch the bus to the Musée de la civilisation! We knew this would take up a good part of the day and keep me warm! 

A side note on the bus system: The city is fairly small and most buses run fairly frequently (5-10 min wait) in the upper and lower parts of the city (old Quebec is similar to Luxembourg City, given that it is uphill, but has a Pays Bas section as well). In 2017, the bus fair is $3.50 CAD, one way, but a pass can be bought for unlimited day use at $8.25 at most general convenience stores (Jac & Gil for instance). 

We arrived at the museum, where we bought 2 tickets ($16/person) which also included a special exhibit called Library at Night virtual reality segment. Note that the personnel all speak French and English, as is most tourist spots in Quebec. While my headache was consistent, my voice was gone and I felt shivers and had to wear my coat indoors, it was useful to have Jason take charge and orient us towards where to go!

The museum exhibits change from time to time. When we went, there was an exhibit on worldwide revolutions, cats & dogs, inuits of Quebec, nanotechnologies and diaries of Brazilian people. It was very interesting and unique, with all the audio and video available with bilingual options. My favorite part was listening to the revolutions as depicted through one particular author and how his worldview changed the way he believes we need to shape our future.

For Jason, the nanotechnology exhibit was by far the most intriguing and interactive segment of the day. 

We both agree that the Library at Night was really something else!!!! It starts with a five minute intro in a fake old library cellar looking room where you are taken into what looks to be an old fashioned library study where you put on oculus rift 3D lenses and headphones and take a virtual reality trip through 10 worldwide libraries (some still accessible and others destroyed overtime). It was a fantastic experience and if the option is still available to you when you plan your trip to Quebec city, make sure to give it a go!

We also headed towards Terrasse Pierre-Dugua-De-Mons which was evidently covered in snow, and took in the sights and landmarks, including Old Québec and Place Royale.   

Still feeling pretty crappy, we went home and dined in from the take-out menu at Chez Gaston, having our first taste of local poutine (with sausage) and a grilled cheese sandwich. I couldn’t taste much, but Jason tells me it was good when we had it! 

While I napped for a good number of hours, Jason chilled and watched a couple of shows (via free wifi!). Being sick on a trip is never fun, but in order to maximize our adventures, I rested when I could and focused on visiting the places we both really wanted to go to. Plus, tomorrow’s plans are sure to be the most exciting and require a lot of time outdoors!!

So once we rested, we prepared ourselves for a day trip to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and the famous Hôtel de Glace…

Sophia

Hi! Bonjour! I’m Sophia, a traveler since birth, a lover of nature and culture and a linguist! I want to share with you all the wonderful things you can do and experience if you just set your mind to it and travel!

journeysdawn.com

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