Hey everyone!
I hope you all had a relaxing, yet productive weekend! I sure had a busy and packed weekend myself. It’s about times midterms are coming around again. Busy frantically studying for the exams, while still trying to make sure I don’t fall behind in the classes that don’t have exams yet. I also hung out with some of my best friends, which was really nice because we hadn’t seen each other in ages. It was nice to catch up, as if time hadn’t passed at all. We literally can laugh about anything and everything, and it’s just so fun to be with people you can really be yourself around. People who really get you, know what I mean?
Sometimes I don’t know exactly how to start a blogpost. I know I’ve been doing this for awhile now (although not as long as others have but still for awhile), but there are times when I can’t figure out which words to start with. Especially when a post is a Part 2. It reminds me of TV shows where they say “Previously on…” (There I go referencing TV again). It’s not TV and I’m not a narrator. So should I start with a recap..? Hmm no, I’ll just let you guys go read Part 1. There we go. Problem solved. Less work for me to do hahaha
Moving on…
After my first day in Quebec, which was both eventful and not because of that flight experience, we went back to our hotel and recharged. We actually explored the city on the second and third day. Quebec city is really gorgeous. The architecture is in this older style, probably actually was built from back then and still standing. There were many little boutique shops, art galleries, and cafes to explore. We wove our way around the streets, taking a bunch of photos and basically basking in the different atmosphere.
The day we boarded the cruise ship and the first actual day of the cruise were both stationed in Quebec, meaning we didn’t depart until the second day of the cruise. This gave us plenty of time to see the city, and join a local tour. The tour we went on was a short one that basically took us to the old part of town, an area turned into a tourist attraction that is bustling with liveliness and culture. There were street musicians, a ton of small locally owned bakeries, independent artists, and so on and so forth.
Seeing all of the macarons beautifully displayed in the bakery windows made us salivate, and we just had to get some to try. We ended up buying these French macarons both days we spent in the city. They were so delicious, with a perfectly crisp exterior and a soft, melty interior. Flavor explosions really. My mom, my sister, and I all picked out a variety of flavors for a dozen because it’s cheaper to get a dozen than individual ones. We took turns taking bites out of them to get a taste of all the flavors they had. My favorite ones were maple, coffee, and Bailey’s. But, they were all really incredible!
We also strolled around and found a little coffeeshop nearby. I am a big fan of coffee, tea, and the likes. Walking past it, it didn’t seem like much. But, a local passing by saw how I was hesitating to go in, and she told me how this place had the best coffee. She greeted the baristas inside with familiarity, told me that I should really try their drinks, and then made her way down the street. I was already on the brink of entering, but her approval definitely pushed me to actually go inside and order something. I love going into small locally owned cafes because I feel like it is more authentic, rather than going to a chain restaurant that serves the same things everywhere. Although it can be really reassuring to go to any country and find a chain restaurant that is just like back home, I do like trying different things when I’m exploring a new place.
This coffeeshop was so adorable! I loved the small tables, and the cozy interior. The chairs were not super comfortable, but that’s probably because most people sat outside. Most the cafes we passed by had customers choosing to dine outside instead of inside, which is actually so different to me considering how back home in Seattle the weather rarely permits us to dine outside comfortably.
I quite often order the same things whenever I go out for a drink. My usual varies occasionally depending on my mood or the season, but lately it’s become either a soy latte, soy mocha, or earl grey tea. I went with a soy mocha, and it was really delicious! The mismatched mugs definitely added to the charm. I really liked the dim interior with the mostly wooden furnishings, the handwritten chalkboard menu, and the assortment of coffee brewers and home espresso machines for sale arranged around the shop. Although it was very small inside, and most people obviously ordered to-go, it still had a nice welcoming feel that had us opting to sit inside rather than enjoying our drink outside in the sunny afternoon.
I quite often order the same things whenever I go out for a drink. My usual varies occasionally depending on my mood or the season, but lately it’s become either a soy latte, soy mocha, or earl grey tea. I went with a soy mocha, and it was really delicious! The mismatched mugs definitely added to the charm. I really liked the dim interior with the mostly wooden furnishings, the handwritten chalkboard menu, and the assortment of coffee brewers and home espresso machines for sale arranged around the shop. Although it was very small inside, and most people obviously ordered to-go, it still had a nice welcoming feel that had us opting to sit inside rather than enjoying our drink outside in the sunny afternoon.
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| A huge painted mural on the wall that featured parts of the actual town. Many people posed next to wall as if they were stepping into the scene like an optical illusion. |
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| From one of the many art galleries I passed by. |
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| We also walked through a glass blowing studio, where an artist was creating her work behind a large glass wall that allowed onlookers to watch. It was really fascinating to see her hold the glass in the fire and stretch and shape the glass. |
There is so much to see in Quebec City, and we only explored a small section of it. The beauty, the energy, the history and culture, and overall vibe of this city just was so much to take in. I really enjoyed going here. I can definitely see myself coming back to stay for longer. Perhaps we had chosen a good time to visit, which is why we enjoyed it so much. Who knows?
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| My outfit from Day 2. After the first night on the cruise ship. This is the same outfit I wore from the Fashion Mia review post. |
The cruise itself wasn’t much the first couple days, mainly because the focus was exploring Quebec. Also, the majority of our fellow passengers were older people because the time we went was mid September. By then, most kids were in school and it was after the time people usually went on vacations. This was sort of nice because sometimes vacations with too many rowdy kids around can get annoying and crowded. Although, I did wonder if the other passengers though I was some kind of high school or college dropout, considering how a lot of colleges also start by mid September. UW is the weird oddball that starts later.
We had purchased this drink package on the cruise ship that allowed us unlimited alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. This meant that we basically tried out a whole bunch of different drinks that we normally wouldn’t go for. I’m really new to the alcohol world (as in REALLLLLY new), and so we ordered a bunch of drinks based on the description to try. Having a drink package like this made it actually feel so much more like a vacation, rather than having to pay individually for each drink, which can total up to a lot. I’ve found a new love for mojitos and pina coladas. My sister frequently ordered the Moscow Mule, my dad really enjoyed the Long Island iced tea, and my mother preferred strawberry daiquiris. As you can tell, our tastes aren’t super refined, but whatever. We had fun with it.
After a long couple days exploring Quebec, my sister and I sat in a lounge and enjoyed a drink (or two) while reading. I always bring a bunch of books with me whenever I go on trips, whether it be electronically on my tablet or physical books. One great thing about technology these days is that there is a library app that I use to borrow books from the library as an electronic version to have on my tablet. It reduces luggage weight by so much! But I do enjoy physical books more. Here, I’m reading If There Be Thorns by V.C. Andrews. Yes, it’s from the Flowers in the Attic series, and yes it’s about incest. BUT it’s also an incredibly enticing book! The language here, and her writing style is spectacular. I definitely recommend this series! Even if it’s kind of weird… Have you read this series? What books do you guys read when on vacation?
We spent an absurd amount of time just sitting in the library on the cruise ship. It was a nice quite place to read (or take a nap in). There were several evenings where my sister and I wandered in there and just read for a couple hours because we didn’t want to go to sleep yet, but we also didn’t want to watch any of the shows. Sometimes on cruises, I feel obligated to have to watch every show or do every event, but they can get overwhelming. I feel like it’s nice to take some time to just relax and read. I hardly have time to read in my normal busy life, so it was great to just sit there and read for a long time. Yes, I did a lot of reading that vacation. A lot. Especially that night when I was stuck at the airport.
The cruise was pretty great those first couple days. There was SO much food! So many drinks to choose from! A ton of shows to watch! We ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch, but enjoyed dinner downstairs in the restaurants. They were surprisingly very accommodating with my gluten-free diet, and they made sure I had some options to choose from in the restaurant. At first, I was worried that there would only be steaks and pastas and that kind of meal, but I was able to special order things as well. In fact, one night they specially made me a gluten-free pad Thai. Usually pad Thai is already gluten-free as are most Thai foods, but for some reason on the ship, they didn’t originally plan to use rice noodles. But, after my inquiring, the chef purposely put together a gluten-free pad Thai for me. That was seriously such a great moment to find that people can be very welcoming and understanding about food intolerances and diet specifications. Have you ever experienced something like this at a restaurant if you have dietary needs?
I’ve definitely got more to say bout this vacation! I’ll keep posting more about it. At the pace I’m at, watch me finish posting about it by Thanksgiving hahaha although considering how I don’t travel too often, I have every right to drag it out. So bear with me.
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| View of the Quebec skyline from the cruise at night. |
Have you ever traveled to Quebec before? What did you think of it? What is your typical go-to drink at coffeeshops?
Thanks for stopping by to read some more of my recounting of the vacation! I wish you all a wonderful week!
Til next time,
~A
