Wintertime in Eastern Canada – February 2020 - Some people live for plunging temperatures, chilly evenings and snowy mornings.  We don’t see much of that in South Carolina, so every now and then we join Carolina Tours for a “Snow Trip.”  This was a frigid winter holiday, with stays in Quebec City for Carnaval de Quebec and in Ottawa for Winterlude. 

The trip started off easily enough, with an overnight stop in Charleston, West Virginia’s capital city at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers.  On the way in, we stopped at Tamarack, West Virginia’s center for promoting the work of the state’s artisans – lots of beautiful and/or delicious handmade products, plus nice dulcimer music. The local Embassy Suites was “home” for our first night on the road. 

Our next stop was Niagara Falls, the spectacular group of waterfalls on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.  Almost a mile wide, the falls lie between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York.  The largest is Horseshoe Falls, also known as the Canadian Falls, which straddles the international border.  The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie entirely within the United States (to the left in photo).

The combined falls have the highest flow rate of any North American waterfall with a vertical drop of more than 160 ft. During peak summer hours, more than six million cubic feet of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute.

Niagara Falls in winter is a wonder to behold.  The falls themselves don’t freeze, but everything else does!  Icicles frame the bordering edges of the falls and frozen mist blankets the surrounding trees.  Our view was somewhat obscured by the snow and the freezing mist blowing off the falls.  It was seriously cold!

 

We stayed in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the falls – the side with the best views and nighttime illumination.  The western shore overlooks the Horseshoe Falls, the cascades' most expansive section.  The cliffside park features a promenade alongside the 520-ft.-high Skylon Tower, which stands 775 feet above the falls.

Atop the Skylon Tower is the world-famous Revolving Dining Room Restaurant.  The restaurant rotates 360 degrees every hour, giving diners a constantly changing vantage point. Normally, it offers a spectacular view of the Falls, the Great Gorge, the Niagara wine district and the city skylines of Buffalo and Toronto. We had a lovely view of the inside of a cloud, but dinner was excellent.

Our hotel, the Embassy Suites Fallsview, is situated 100 yards from the edge of the falls and all suites have a wall-to-wall view of the falls – all day and all night.  In any weather, this must be THE best location at Niagara Falls!

Leaving the Niagara area, we saw more and more snow – but the roads were clear and travel was easy.  In fact, this was true everywhere we went in eastern Canada; these folks aren’t bothered a bit by a few feet of snow.

 

Near the town of Lincoln, we spotted what appeared to be a crashed and forgotten pirate ship on the shore of Lake Ontario.  It’s actually the wreck of the Grande Hermine floating restaurant, a dilapidated replica of an earlier ship.

Ottawa is one of the ten coldest cities in the world.  It has come a long way since 1857, when Queen Victoria named the muddy lumber town as capital of the newly unified Province of Canada.  Today, Ottawa is a bustling city, a beautiful world capital.  The average February temperature is a bone-chilling 15.4° F, but it was even colder than usual this year.

Each February, Ottawa celebrates the joys of winter with Winterlude, 18 days of skating, sliding, ice-carving, and fun in the snow.  Over 650,000 visitors show up every year for the festival, which includes a host of events: a winter triathlon, a hot stew cook-off, figure skating performances, ice-carving, snow sculpting, and evening entertainment.

The centerpiece of Winterlude is the Rideau Canal, built in the 19th-century as a military route linking Montreal to Kingston.  During winter, five miles of its length are groomed for skating and to serve as Winterlude’s main drag.  The Rideau Canal Skateway is said to be the world’s longest naturally frozen ice rink; it has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Its sides are dotted with food concessions for hot chocolate, beavertails (wedges of deep-fried dough covered with cinnamon sugar), and maple syrup on shaved ice. 

Winterlude’s International Ice-Carving Competition draws people from all around the world to showcase their carving skills.  Professionals are at work during the first week and amateurs the next.  Once the sun goes down, colored lights go up to decorate the sculptures and create beautiful displays.   

Historic Sparks Street, just south of Parliament Hill, is the place for fancy ice, interactive lights and urban fun.  This Winterlude site hosts several ice carving competitions throughout the festival, along with street parties and various live performances Interactive light structures.

There’s much to see and do in Ottawa beyond the festivities of Winterlude. 

The Parliament Buildings dominate the city from Parliament Hill.  The complex includes three Gothic buildings with green copper roofs; they were built in the mid-1800s. 

Rideau Hall, or Government House, has been the official home and workplace of the Canadian Governor-General since 1867.  The state rooms are decorated with Canadian art and furnishings, along with other exhibits about the Governor- General.  The present Governor-General is Julie Payette, a former astronaut, who serves as the official representative of the British Monarch. 

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica was built in 1835.  It has two prominent spires that make it a local landmark. 

The National Gallery of Canada is a modern building with lots of glass and massive bronze spider by its front doors.  The spider is Maman by Louise Bourgeois. 

We traveled south of the city to visit the Stanley family’s Old Maple Lane Farm.  It’s a 200-acre spread, with a fresh coating of overnight snow. We enjoyed a horse-drawn sleigh ride around the property, following by hot chocolate and a “tasting” of a variety of maple-flavored snacks and treats. 

Our hotel in Ottawa was the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, the grandest hotel in the capital city and a great location for enjoying all festival events.  Built in 1912, the Laurier has a historic castle-like setting with handsome furnishings and old-world service. 

Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America, and the continent’s only walled city north of Mexico.  The city was once capital of New France and a fur-trading empire that stretched west to the Rocky Mountains.  Quebec City was established in 1608 by the explorer Samuel de Champlain and still today reflects its French birthright.

As we drove into town, the amount of snow was eye-opening for the crowd from South Carolina.  Many homes have temporary garages with a tunnel to the house; this is much cheaper than building a regular garage, which is required to be insulated and heated. 

We also learned that in winter, landscapers turn into snow removers – they clear snow from sidewalks, driveways, even yards.  The streets are a wonder unto themselves – the city does snow removal from 11pm to 6 am; woe unto the person who leaves a vehicle on the street after 11. During snow days, the city crew plows all day.  It has been over 40 years since snow shut down the city – life goes on….

Our hotel was Loew’s Le Concorde, overlooking the St. Lawrence River – and with a revolving restaurant on top.  After a long day’s ride, we enjoyed a delicious and relaxing meal while taking in the sights below. 

In the middle of winter – partly in defiance, partly in celebration – Quebec City comes alive with the Quebec Winter Carnival, or Carnaval de Quebec.  The first Quebec Winter Carnival was held in 1894. Serving as Quebec City’s Mardi Gras, the festival features music, parades, winter sports and high spirits.   The world’s largest winter carnival, this event attracts over a million visitors. 

Some of the excitement derives from the carnival’s traditional beverage, called the Caribou – a mixture of brandy, vodka, sherry and port served in a red plastic cane. 

 

Presiding over the carnival is Bonhomme Carnaval, a snowman-like creature who serves as festival mascot, master of ceremonies, and mythical resident of the Ice Palace.  Bonhomme is a walking, talking snowman known for his trademark grin, arrowhead sash and red cap. There’s only one Bonhomme throughout the whole festival, so spotting him can be rare.  We were lucky to see him several times around town. 

Bonhomme is a snowman who lives in style.  His home is an ice palace built just for him, complete with ice towers and a giant snow sculpture.  Inside is a photo booth and “Bonhomme’s Dream”, an interactive and immersive experience full of lights, projections and shadow puppets that happens day and night.  Construction started in mid-January, requiring 1800 ice blocks and 55,000 cubic feet of snow.

 

The “other” ice palace is an enormous Hôtel de Glace (Ice Hotel) built entirely of snow and ice.  This 30,000-square-foot structure is constructed anew each winter from 12,000 tons of snow and 400 tons of ice.  The only one of its kind in North America, this architectural marvel is a wonder to behold.  Indoors, the temperature stays about 23 degrees F.

The Chapel hosts several weddings each year; more than 150 couples have been married here since the Ice Hotel first opened and winter wedding packages include details such as walking down the aisle on a red carpet, arriving at the chapel by horse-drawn carriage, and having a fireworks display to cap off the ceremony.  The ice benches are covered with warm furs, but it’s still a very cold place to sit.

The Grand Ice Slide is one of the favorite public areas for kids of all ages.  It is constructed inside the hotel, with a different theme each year.  This may be the most seriously fun hotel ever invented!

 

The hotel has 44 rooms and themed suites available including premium suites with fireplaces and private spas. The themed suites that are most impressive with their carved ice sculptures, murals carved in snow walls, and snow-carved headboards.   

The rooms and suites are stark and beautiful. The solid ice beds are covered with a bedspring, mattress and blanket. Put on a cap and thermal undies (no cotton) and climb into your Arctic sleeping bag, and cinch it at the top to keep the heat in.   Sweet dreams.

The Nordic-style spa with hot tubs and sauna is a good place to stop before jumping into a cold, cold bed.  The hotel recommends that guests warm up in the outdoor spa to help raise body temperature so guests (might) stay warm all night.

The Ice Bar was our last stop at the hotel.  To add a touch of warmth to our visit, we had time for a winter cocktail served in a glass made of ice!  These ice glasses are made in a special process so that guests’ lips don’t stick to the ice; and yes, the glasses are recycled. 

Back in Quebec City, we walked from our hotel past the provincial Parliament Building, through the St. Louis Gate in the old city wall, along the streets of Old Town, and into the warmth of the Ursuline Convent and School. 

After a short thaw, we came back outside to watch some workers shoveling snow off the roof of nearby buildings.  Too much snow means too much weight on the roof; looks like a risky, slippery job.

Near the convent is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.  Built between 1800 and 1804, it was the first Anglican cathedral built outside the British Isles and marked the establishment of the Church of England in Canada.   

Our next stop was Le Chateau Frontenac, said to be the world's most photographed hotel.  The Canadian Pacific Railway built the hotel in 1894, and it has endured as the historic city's most impressive landmark. 

From the hotel, we rode the funicular down to the Lower Town, sometimes known as the French Quarter.  This is the oldest part of town, a walk through 400 years of history, with its quaint stone buildings and narrow, winding streets. 

This area is loaded with interesting shops and restaurants.  We picked Lapin Sauté (the Sautéed Rabbit) for lunch.  They serve a variety of dishes made with rabbit, but most of us stuck to the French onion soup.

Place Royale is the spot where, in 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded a fur trading post that soon grew into the capital of French America.  It is widely considered to be the birthplace of the French colony and the French-American community. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this was the French colony's center of business and industry, supporting a thriving marketplace and housing many wealthy merchants.

The Church of our Lady of Victories (Eglise Notre-Dame des Victoires) is the oldest stone church in the Quebec province and one of the oldest churches in all of North America.  It was built in 1688 atop the ruins of Champlain's first outpost.

The Quebecers’ Fresco (Fresque des Québécois) was completed in 1999 and is located near Place Royale. The huge trompe-l'œil mural is 900 feet long and covers 4300 square feet.  The piece pays homage to the history of Quebec City by depicting a number of its key figures, as well as some of the city's most notable architectural, geographical and cultural elements. 

The Fresco of le Petit Champlain (La Fresque du Petit-Champlain) was created in 2001 to depict the major stages in the history of Cap-Blanc, a working-class neighborhood in Quebec City.  The mural portrays the fishing and sea trade activities, the stories behind some of the city’s famous characters, and a number of major historical events such as a devastating fire in 1682, a military attack in 1759, and landslides in 1889.

Nearby, there was a nice fire for warming up before heading off to find some beaver tails., our favorite Canadian food.  

Beaver Tails (or Queues de Castor) are a fried dough pastry, hand-stretched to resemble a beaver’s tail.  The pastry is topped with a choice of condiments, such as whipped cream, banana slices, crumbled Oreos, cinnamon sugar, and chocolate hazelnut.  

 

During Carnaval, Lower Town has lots of ice sculptures, including 30 created by the team from Sculptures Lepire.  The theme this year is "Popular Animals."

The Quebec City Winter Toboggan Ride is an old tradition in this century-old city.  At Dufferin Terrace, near the old town, there are three giant wooden toboggan runs.  Adults and children lug their wooden toboggans up the stairs for the thrill of racing race down the icy chutes.  It’s fast – riders reach speeds up to 45 mph – thankfully, there is a stopping device at the bottom, and a warm cup of hot chocolate!   

The Christie North Slope is a new snow sliding site just opened during the 2020 Carnival celebrations.  It features the Christie Descent – a 300-foot incline that launches inner tubes from a pad high above the street. 

Beyond the festivities of Carnaval - the Beaupré Coast extends for about 30 miles north of Quebec City along the St. Lawrence River.  This is one of Quebec’s most historic regions – explorer Samuel de Champlain had a livestock ranch here in the 1620s. 

Montmorency Falls, 275 ft high, are the highest in the province of Quebec and 98 ft higher than Niagara Falls. The falls are at the mouth of the Montmorency River where it drops over a cliff into the St. Lawrence River.

Avenue Royale is the main highway along the river; it is dotted with quaint farmhouses, some of which date from the 1700s.  

The Albert Gilles workshop and museum showcases the art of metal embossing and the copper art created by Gilles, his wife, daughters and granddaughter.   The Gilles family prides itself on creating artistic and useful objects from a natural resource of Canada. 

The Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupré is the oldest pilgrimage site in North America.  It honors the patron saint of Québec, who is credited with many miracles of healing the sick and disabled.  This religious shrine was first constructed in 1658; the current structure was built in the 1920s following a fire.  

The lower floor of the building houses the Immaculate Conception Chapel, which features beautiful mosaics and an exact replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta.

Other buildings in the complex are the Memorial Chapel, built in 1876, and the Scala Santa, a replica of the stairs that Jesus ascended at Pilate’s tribunal.  On the same hillside there are life-size bronze statues representing the Way of the Cross; a bit too much snow to tackle the hill on this visit.  

 

Chez Marie, a bakery located in a stone house built in 1652, is today operated by the fourth generation of the same family.  They’re still baking in an old stone oven and storing vegetables in an even older root cellar.  We enjoyed a slice of homemade bread covered with maple butter.   Delicious!

Orleans Island (Ile d’Orleans) is a small (5 miles wide, 22 miles long) island in the St. Lawrence River, stretching between Quebec City and Beaupré .  It is readily visible across the frozen river, dotted with colorful fishing shacks.  The island was discovered in 1535 by the French explorer Jacques Cartier.  Its fertile soil and abundant fishing made the island very attractive to settlers.    

 
    

Our destination was Le Relais des Pins, a sugar shack offering traditional French-Canadian food, live music, and freshly-made maple syrup taffy.  The menu included lots of things involving maple sugar – baked ham, baked beans, pancakes – along with mincemeat pie, potatoes, and other traditional dishes.

Our meal finished up outdoors, with the making of maple syryp taffy.  Warm syrup is poured on the snow, and then each person uses a tongue depressor to roll up a gooey popsicle of pure maple goodness.

Saratoga Springs is home to the Saratoga Race Course, the hub for thoroughbred horse racing in New York.  The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is here, as well as Saratoga Spa State Park. The history of Saratoga Springs can be traced back to the 14th century; much of the area's appeal had to do with its mineral springs, which were credited with curing myriad ailments.  

By the mid-1800s, the city was the summer home of many wealthy Americans and internationals, and a hotbed of both tourism and gambling. In 1863, John Morrissey organized Saratoga's first thoroughbred meet; over 5,000 people came to watch and wager on the eight races.  This success led to the formation of the Saratoga Racing Association and the construction of the Saratoga Race Course.  It is considered to be the oldest organized sporting venue in the U.S.

 

There was plenty of snow on the ground when we arrived, and an overnight snow shower turned the place into a white wonderland.

A trip with Carolina Tours always includes something special, and this one was no exception.  We made a slight detour on the way home to visit Lancaster County PA, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  Our first stop was at the Good’n Plenty Restaurant for a late lunch that was a feast – homemade bread, fried chicken, buttered noodles, shoo-fly pie, and more.  If anyone left there hungry, it was their own fault. 

We stretched our legs (and tried to stay awake) at the Kitchen Kettle Village, home of every imaginable Amish product and food item – baked goods, jams & jellies, pickles & relishes, sauces & salsa – fortunately, we were too stuffed to over-indulge any more.

Hagerstown is a small city in western Maryland, northwest of Washington DC and near the West Virginia state line.  Despite its semi-rural Western Maryland setting, Hagerstown is a center of transit and commerce. We made it there in time for dinner but nobody was hungry!  Maybe next time – for now, we were ready to head on home to thaw out.

Final Note: This tour had some extra excitement in the realm of transportation.  The coach froze up on our first night in Ottawa, leading to a series of different rides – a school bus, a mini-bus, a couple of Canadian coaches, a French-speaking driver, and a rescue coach sent up from SC.  Luggage and supplies had to be moved back and forth, one riding tour became a walking tour, but … we really weren’t inconvenienced and we didn’t miss any planned sights or activities.  Many thanks to our fearless leader, Ingrid Long, who handled the daily crises like the pro that she is.  “Expect something special when you travel with Carolina Tours.”