Nice… we used every second, (after a great breakfast we served up from our kitchenette) in our little cabin prior to the 10:00 AM checkout ! We had a perfect stay… and with super friendly staff and well kept cabins we’d recommend this space. I tended the wood fire through the night (more out of fun than necessity) and the cabin was super cozy! Pretty remote up there, so we were super glad to have come across the space!
Hit the road for the border and after a rough 10 miles of highway we rolled into the duty free, then crossed. No cars headed in either direction. More importantly… no issues. Pretty darn remote. Then into Quebec. This part of the drive quickly turned agrarian as we navigated the communities along Route 204 that lead directly to Quebec City. 🤓
Once in the city, we rallied for a couple of “shopping” stops (I found a handmade set of snowshoes that will be great for the camp) and made for our accommodations at Hotel Chateau Laurier. Holy stuff going on! Out front of the hotel, in Place George-V, we encountered a ferris wheel, huge sound stage, tents with food and alcohol… all the fixings! All set up for New Years Eve celebrations that we didn’t know about.
Nearing suppertime, we headed for Rue St Jean looking for a meal and maybe some entertainment. Our little group came to rest at Murphy’s Irish Pub, with great smells and music echoing from the doorway. I enjoyed a smoked meat sandwich and a Murphy’s while the ladies had eyes on a veggie flatbread pizza and a blanche that Janie had sampled earlier. We had a solid pub style meal, enjoyed the entertainment and a very busy downtown holiday evening.
With meal complete, we stopped to go skating at Place d’Youville, which we’d done our last visit and thought of as a highlight from that trip. We rented skates this time around (note: check for sharpness before heading out as my rental pair had lost their edge) and eased onto the ice for about a 45 minute glide amidst skaters of all age, size and race. Lots of folks with the same idea!
To finish the evening we thought another ale was in order. Interestingly, Monica is legal in Quebec, so we frequented bars/pubs with ease this time around. After wandering about we finally just went into a street side establishment located on the way back to the Chateau Laurier. Pub Terrasse St. Matthew’s had a friendly vibe with some interesting characters rambling about. We ordered up ales in this cash only, VLT flashing, sign laden space and spent about 1/2 an hour taking in the “goings on”. Turns out we missed drag night, which would have been a hoot! Then homeward to rest up for New Years Eve in Quebec City.