Today we were traveling for a couple hours to Quebec City. Before leaving Montreal we quickly stopped at the world-famous St-Viateur bagel shop to pick up some breakfast for the road. In contrast to the New York-style bagel, the Montreal bagel is smaller, thinner, sweeter and denser, with a larger hole, and is always baked in a wood-fired oven.

We order a few different ones and were all delicious…seriously. We ate them in the car while we drove to Quebec City.

When we arrived to Quebec we decided to go straight to the Montmorency waterfalls, which is only about 20 min past the city.

The waterfalls are 83 m (272′) tall, a full 30 m (99′) higher than Niagara Falls. We took the cable car down as the stairs were closed during our visit. Ariela looooved the cable car.

We walked as close to the falls as we could. You could do a Zipline across the falls and even a Via Ferrata, but that was closed until summer and that is what Eitan was interested in doing.

A few lunch stops during the walk.

They were practicing emergency rescues for those tourists that slipped when taking a selfie for Instagram.

On the way back, we crossed a beautiful hanging bridge that travels directly across the falls. Such a unique view and experience. Ariela was not afraid of the height and enjoyed the walk.

The view was very nice.

At the top there is a beautiful park with a playground where we spent some time.

We checked-in into our Airbnb which was located right in the middle of the city. It was super nice and spacious and walked to find something to eat.

Old Québec is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 400 years of history and the only walled city north of Mexico (Campeche). It’s home to a distinct Francophone culture that’s reflected in its language, architecture, music and cuisine.

The way up was hard, but no match for Sarita and her athletic physique.

We went to a very good restaurant serving local Quebec food (Sarah’s brother suggested) but with a more modern tone. We shared a shepherd’s pie that was superb and a unique salad. We also tried the restaurant’s unique liquor they make that was a mix between absinth, gin and red wine.

Don’t worry about Ariela’s empty plate. That photo was taken before she ate all our food.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the old city, which looks exactly like if you were in France. There are barely any English signs, and everyone here speaks French.

While French Canadians do have a reputation of not being the nicest-most-welcoming people, we noticed that the younger generations speak English without being condescending to us and are super friendly. For the older generation, well… let’s just say we are glad there is a younger generation soon to be replacing them.

We stoped at the incredible Château Frontenac Hotel. Opened in 1893, the Châteauesque-styled building has 18 floors; its 79.9-metre (262-foot) height is augmented by the 54 m (177 ft) elevation it sits at. It is one of the first completed grand railway hotels, and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981.

The hotel was expanded on three occasions, with the last major expansion taking place in 1993.

The Château Frontenac is one of Canada’s grand railway hotels built by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Châteauesque architectural style used throughout the hotel would later serve as a template for other Canadian grand railway hotels erected in the late-19th to early-20th century. The central fortress-like tower design is derived from medieval châteaux found throughout France’s Loire Valley.

The inside is what you would expect this hotel to look like.

We ended up at the Dufferin Terrace.  A long wooden sidewalk located next to the Château Frontenac, affords a stunning view of the St. Lawrence River and surrounding area. In the summer, musicians and street entertainers perform on this wooden promenade.

Then she decided to just run around like a maniac.

Thousands of tourists flock to this terrace named in honour of Governor General Dufferin. Long reserved for private use, this magnificent site has proven popular with local residents and tourists alike since its public inauguration in 1838. Countless people come here to take a stroll, relax or admire the landscape.

Ariela was obsessed with stairs during this trip. This is Sarah following her as she goes up and down this staircase.

The views are very nice from here of the Saint Lawerence River.

We were exhausted so we headed back to the hotel to rest so we could continue sightseeing this beautiful city the next day.

We wanted to do this horse ride but was like $200 for 40 mins. Not worth it!

We walked passed the Quartier Petit Champlain (we will explore it the next day).

Bonus Pic of the Day: Its always interesting to see how other languages work in signs. Here we have one that says “presence of traffic”, which is a weird sign to have in my opinion.