Brrr...Quebec in January!
Our first big trip together! At this point, the National Parks Passports are still at home, waiting to be given to Adam as a birthday gift. Adam has a friend who lives in Rigaud, Quebec- a small city of 7,000 about an hour from Montreal. While Adam house sits for his traveling friend, we get to use his house as our personal home-away-from home, complete with a dog who needs regular walks and a trip to the groomer (an adventure, when the all the websites are in French!) The house itself sits right on the banks of the Ottawa River, which is frozen over this time of year. Sitting in a hot tub looking out over the riverbanks while the snowflakes freeze on our eyelashes is a new kind of beautiful.
Sunset over the frozen Ottawa River
Morning walks
We spent one day in Rigaud snowshoeing at Les Sentiers De L'Escapade, a network of wooded trails that made for a perfect, magical hike through the snow. At far below freezing, I lost feeling in my feet long before our trek was over, but the breathtaking silence and the crisp air made it easy to forget and focus instead on the snow-covered landscape.
Snowshoeing at Les Sentiers De L'Escapade
Snowshoeing selfie
I could have spent the rest of the winter oscillating between snowy walks and cozy fires, but my time in Quebec was short. To see something different, we made a quick side trip to Ontario to pay a visit Ottawa for half of a day to see Canada’s capitol and to ice skate on the canals. Sadly, the canals were not yet frozen solid enough for skating, but we still found plenty to do to keep ourselves busy. In our search for a drink to warm ourselves up, we stumbled into The Blurry Pixel, a bar sporting classic video games to play at your table at no additional charge. Their beer selection was great, and their video game selection was better! We chose some of my old favorites for Adam to lose at, and my slew of Mario Kart victories kept my spirits high in the low temps.
The Blurry Pixel
A short walk from Parliament Hill
Parliament buildings and Peace Tower
Live blues at Smoke Meat Pete
I now believe no trip to Rigaud would be complete without a night at Smoke Meat Pete in nearby Ile Perrot. While the only vegan option on the menu was fries, our companions ate up their smoked meat entrees and got seconds to go. I could practically hear Adam’s mouth watering! The best part, in my opinion, was the live blues music. Fries, blues, and a beer were more than enough to keep me satisfied for the evening. Vegans and vegetarians be warned though- if fries aren’t your thing and a stout can’t pass for dinner, eat a snack before you go!
Adam claims that I haven’t seen Quebec until I’ve also seen it in summer, and after only a week I’ve hardly seen it at all! Looking forward to future adventures in the great white north!