The Shortest Route to Paris

Day 38-40



Wall mural in Quebec City

I know that many people place going to Europe, and particularly Paris at the top of their bucket list.  Though I have been there multiple times and yes it is amazing, I must say, French Canada is not a bad second choice.  The Province of Quebec  has done an amazing job at retaining its French culture and heritage (though many Canadians may think of them as being problematic because of their constant urgings to secede from Canada and become their own sovereign country).  French continues to be the official language of the province, most schools only teach in French, people do business and communicate on a daily basis in French and all signs and billboards are solely in French.  Thus, Montreal and Quebec City have the same vibe as a scaled version of Paris. 


Street concert and festival

Black beauty!

I was fortunate enough to be in Montreal this past weekend, at the same time as the Canadian Grand Prix, which the locals refer to as the kick-off of summer.  Though, I didn’t attend the race, exposure to it was everywhere.  There was an amazing street festival with a variety of different cars, demonstrations and street concert.  Every luxury or sports car brand was there…Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche – a car lover’s dream.  Also, many of the booths had official Formula 1 cars, which were pretty incredible to see and also to imagine racing down the straightaway going 200+ MPH, then screeching to halt to take a hairpin turn, then back to 200 MPH!!  Given that I have now dabbled around Grand Prix races (I was in Monaco two years ago at the same time as the Grand Prix was taking place), I probably should make a point to actually going to one. 

Blown glass exhibit
art museum

Old Montreal is very much like Paris, with lots of cafes, galleries, museums, an amazing hillside park  called Mont Royal and of course tourist shops.  The cobble stoned streets are so much fun to just wander around.  

Cubans are legal in Montreal

However, my favorite city was Quebec City, which is very much like a European walled-city, with The Hotel Le Chateau Frontenac at the center overlooking the St. Lawrence River.  The Hotel was built in the 1893 and is must-see when visiting.  I spent the three days in Montreal and Quebec City wandering through art galleries (I bought a great piece for my home in San Diego), sipping wine, smoking cigars, visiting museums and trail running in the park.

For those of you who haven’t been to French Canada (particularly you Northeasterners, since it is a drive-able distance), I would encourage you visit…it’s a heck of a lot closer than Paris!