Trip to Montreal: Day 2

 

We were picked up from our hotel at 6:45 am today. Needless to say the day started much earlier than that. We were about 14 people in the group tour plus the driver and Mae, our tour guide. There were Canadians from the local area who spoke French and there were a few of us from the USA,  most of who didn’t know French.

Apart from an earlier stop for restrooms the first major stop was at Ice Hotel or Hotel De Glace as the locals know it. This is the only one of its kind in North America. Each year a new theme is selected and the hotel is erected anew from scratch. Except for the use of metal for fireplaces the entire set up is made out of ice. Work begins towards the end of September and is completed just in time for a Christmas opening. Sub zero temperatures sustain the sculpted construction for 10 weeks. Anything beyond that is entirely dependent on weather conditions. We were lucky to make it today because it was the last day of the season. It will be closed for viewing starting tomorrow until the new one open on Christmas Day.

The Ice Hotel is constructed on a larger campus where there are other attractions such as roller coasters, skating and ice boarding. During summer they have other attractions. This year they had a chapel made out of ice, a fully operational bar and the main hotel consisting of over 30 individual rooms or suites, entirely made out of ice. A connecting system of hallways took us around the rooms. The walls of the hallways had various animals and other images sculpted into the ice. The suites had anywhere from one to three beds, some with cribs for babies, some with seating areas , fireplaces and other furniture items made from ice. There were mattresses placed on top of the ice. Each room had its own distinct decor and theme. There were animal themes, spiritual themes, oriental themes and more. The sheer innovation, precision and imagination of this project was awe striking. It seemed tolerable to move around with appropriate layering for the most part. But I nearly got a frostbite after neglecting wearing my gloves for a prolonged time while taking pictures of each sculpture. Ran into a young couple who heard us speaking in Marathi. The young lady couldn’t resist telling me that it made her very happy to see me in a saree. They were most eager to take our pictures. 

From the ice hotel we proceeded to our next stop which was the Montmorency Falls. They have a suspension bridge built over them that gives a breathtaking view of the falls as well as the St Lawrence river in the distance and the township of Quebec. Part of these falls were flowing water and part of it solid ice. The height of these falls is 83 meters ( 30 meters more than the Niagara Falls) but there are not too wide like the Niagara. It was freezing and there were flurries as we walked around. 

By the time we were done seeing the falls it was past 1 pm. Everyone was hungry. It was time to go find lunch. The bus took us inside the fortified grounds that is Old Quebec City or Vieux Quebec which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are plenty of remarkable buildings here within walking distance of each other. The Fairmont Chateau Frontenac Hotel ( CFH for convenience) , the City Hall ( National Assembly) building, the Post Office , the Notre Dame Basilica, the museum of fine arts and others. A statue of Samuel de Champlain, the founding father of Quebec stands tall in front of the CFH. The viewing walkway in front of the hotel offers grand views of the St Lawrence River and the other shore. 

We walked over to St John’s street which is known for its restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops. Found a nice shop to enjoy lunch. An artist played accordion to enthrall the patrons of this cafe. These were likely popular French songs that he was playing as several guests were chiming in with the lyrics as he went on playing. After lunch we browsed in some souvenir shops before heading to see the basilica and the CFH. A truly magnificent building that is over 200 years old and has a lot of history, this one reminded me so much of the Taj Hotel at Gateway of India in Mumbai. 

Our departure time from Quebec was delayed past 5:00 pm because one of the tourists in our bus slipped on ice right after we stopped for the lunch break and broke her ankle. She was taken to the local hospital where she got a cast on the ankle. It took some time getting her back from there and into the bus before we finally left and made the 3 hour trip back to Montreal. A beautiful view of sunset followed by the sight of a bright Jupiter in the western skies after sunset was fitting conclusion to a beautiful day. 

My no jari silk Paithani from Faizal Quereshi of Himroo Fabrics in Aurangabad garnered several compliments today. I felt happy in this all day long. A warm jacket, some warm leggings underneath the petticoat and warm gloves kept me comfortable in the 19 degree or less Fahrenheit temperatures. 

Some facts about Quebec City:

It is the capital city of the province of Quebec in eastern Canada, the 11th biggest city in Canada, with a population of almost 550,000. It is about 300 km or a 3 hours drive from Montreal. It was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, thus a French Settlement that came much before Canada became a nation. The official language is French though English is widely spoken and understood.