Hola! I’m back to the writing scene on this lovely, hot, January day. Ready to hear about our Canadian trip?! đ You can read about why we didn’t make it to Prague like we were supposed to here.
I found out a few years ago that I cannot handle flying very well. The last time I flew we hit some bad turbulence and the feeling of a plane falling multiple times is what did it for me. Ever since then I can’t even handle roller coasters that have big drops. Lucky for me, we had two layovers which meant I had to get off and on a plane three times. THREE TIMES. Three times of taking off, three times of landing, and three times there was a possibility that the plane would “fall.” I know for most of you flying is no big deal but for me, getting on a plane becomes a rather dreadful task.
Naturally, I couldn’t sleep the day before we had to leave. Whether it was due to the excitement or my nerves getting the best of me, I couldn’t quite determine. Either way, we got there within plenty of time which gave me time to sit and fill myself with anxiety. Kevin decided that after watching me sit with a bouncing knee and fearful tears in my eyes, that I needed a drink.
“No, it’s 8 in the morning, we are not having a drink!” Kevin ended up convincing me that we are on vacation and that it would help. Luckily one cider deep and I was ready for take off! Okay, I wasn’t quite that exuberant but still, my nerves subsided enough to where I wasn’t inwardly shaking and that was good enough for me.
Kevin had this thing of putting our neck pillows on his head to make me (and the flight attendants) laugh. Thank goodness for a husband who diverts to humor to make it through difficult times.Â
Our first day was filled with tears. I swear I cried during take-off, landing, and any kind of turbulence sent me right over the edge. It was a stressful and tiring day to say the least.
We did have one surprise and I wish I had a picture to prove it, but unfortunately once we figured out who they were, it was too late for pictures. On our second to last flight, we sat next to part of the Tampa Bay Lighting hockey team. We didn’t realize it until they were picking up their hockey sticks at baggage claim and people were surrounding them for pictures and autographs. I don’t have pictures but at least I have something to brag about. đ
Once I discovered that our third flight was going to be on a tiny propeller plane, I almost begged Kevin to cancel the trip. “You mean we have to get on this thing that is barely bigger than a puddle jumper?!” I was not a happy camper, but alas, we made it!
As the pilot was landing our final plane, I said my praises, and once I saw that we had set foot in a whole different world, I almost immediately forgot about my fears. It was snowing! Being a Florida native I’ve never seen more than a few flurries, but as we landed there were millions of snowflakes falling down all around and it completely melted my heart.
It’s a little blurry but you can see that we were on a propeller plane. These tiny planes are super loud so make sure you bring earplugs or headphones if you plan on flying less than 2 hours within Canada.
I have never ever seen so much snow in my entire life!
Love how they decorated the Quebec Airport for Christmas!
We landed, exchanged our American Dollars for some fake looking Canadian money, hopped in a cab and off we went to our Hotel: Acadia. Hotel Acadia was not a good experience, but I’ll go more in depth on that later. After checking in, we decided to get some grub and explore the area for a bit.
The hotel itself was quaint, enchanting and had this welcoming sense of coziness to it. It helped that almost every time you looked out the window it was snowing. Our room was small but adorable as ever. We were on the fifth floor and had to climb about 200 steps whenever we wanted to reach our room. I felt like Rapunzel in her castle climbing our way to the top every day.
Outside our window you could see the jacuzzi that was all open. You would think it would be freezing, but soaking in 100 degree water with snow flakes falling on our face at a brisk 16 degree was actually quite enjoyable. We spent many hours out there sipping on some blueberry wine.
This was the sitting room. We spent some time in there planning out our days and watching the snow fall from the window. It was also the half way point to our room so we stopped to take a break just about every time.
Kevin said he felt like Canada had the feel of a northern state such as Pennsylvania, but I felt like I was in a whole other world. I couldn’t stop staring at all the snow and the buildings were just so beautiful.
During our wondering, we had stumbled upon a park. Unlike being in a park at night in Florida, parks in Quebec at night are peaceful. The only people around were residents walking their pups. I could not get over the amount of white, fluffy powder we were immersed in.
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
We had some of the best times within the Le Chateau castle but I’ll elaborate more on that later. We stopped at a three-story McDonald’s for dinner and then headed back to our room for some much-deserved sleep.
This concludes our first day in Quebec. Comment down below if you have any questions! To be continued…
