Chez Victor

I was told of this place by a couple of friends. Unfortunately, I was told close to my return back home. If I would have known about it before that, I would have been there a lot more often.

If you like burgers, you'll love this place. Not only are they tasty, but huge too. This meal cost me about $10. That includes drink, too. For drinks you can get your typical sodas and juices. I opted for the "limonade de maison", or the house lemonade. It was a pink raspberry lemonade. It wasn't too sugary either, like some lemonades can tend to be. The french fries come with your choice of dipping sauce/mayonnaise. I recommend the curry and garlic (ail et curry) mayonnaise. Although they are all strong flavors on their own, they mix quite well together and you only get a subtle taste of each.

It is really easy to get to. It's a short walk from the Université Laval campus (towards the PEPs, or Sports facility, centre). There is also another one on Rue St.Jean in Vieux Québec as well.

Ice skating

Right in there center (or just about the center) is a place called "Place D'Youville". During the warmer months, you can find skateboarders and roller bladers. But during the winter, it turns into an ice skating rink. And it's FREE! Well, free provided you bring your own ice skates. If not, there is a little office right next to the rink where you can rent skates for a mere $6. There is really no time limit on how long you want to skate. They keep it well maintaned too. Every half hour or so a zamboni comes out and cleans the ice.
And after a day outdoors, there are a bunch of bars and restaurants to warm up in and get some hot drinks, such as cider, coffee, or hot chocolate. One place I enjoyed was Pub St.Alexandre, which, is about a 5 minutes walking distance from the rink. It's main claim is an international beer pub, carrying beers from all over the world. I like my occasional beer, but on after a cold day ice skating, you'll want something that will really warm you up. I noticed on the menu they served some dessert coffee's with liquor. So, instead of getting thier "café avec Baileys" (coffee with Baileys), I asked the waitress if she'd substitute the coffee with hot chocolate. It was perfect and just what I needed. The drink also came with (optional) whipped cream (crème fouetté) and a sugar coated rim.


Although it was a bit more that I had liked to have spent, it was really worth it. It ran me $7 canadian. (which, at the moment, is probably about the same in US dollars as well).

Poutine anyone?

Any Quebecois will tell you, you HAVE to try the poutine. I guess you could call it a type of initiation rite. This food is a huge thing here. And only Québec serves it the right way. You can find similar versions other places, but Québec has the true poutine. It looks and sounds disgusting, but in my opinion, it is unbelieveably good. It's definitely a comfort food and fills you up on a cold day. I can see why the Québécois fill up on this during their winters. It's made up of french fries and cheddar cheese curds, topped with brown gravy. It isn't the healthiest of foods. I once heard it described as a "heart attack waiting to happen". But, if you don't eat it all the time, there is no harm in having it. Almost every restaurant you will find will serve this traditional plate. Chez Ashton (sorry, the only link I could find was in french) was a favorite of mine. It is a simple fast food restaurant. The dish came in many sizes and you could also have the option of different toppings, such as sausage or peas, or onions. I liked the original the best. Whether you like it or not, when in Quebec, it is something you just have to try. Now, of course, I'm addicted to it. It is hard to come by in the States. I can't even find cheddar cheese curds to make it on my own!

Arrival

My first days in Québec were terrifying. I didn't think there would be any language barrier. I have taken french for over 10 years. (since middle school) I thought I was well prepared. I was wrong. I'm sure nerves played a big part of it too. This is my first time truly away from home for a long period of time. To make matters worse, I didn't have internet! I wasn't allowed to sign up until I had enough classes to qualify me for a full-time student and the library on campus only had limited hours. So, that meant I didn't have much contact with my friends and family. I had my cell phone, but I knew that would get expensive if i would have used it too much.

I remembered seeing a "free Wi-Fi" sign at a little coffee place near the hotel we stayed at the first time my mom and I got there. It was called Presse Café. I also knew they spoke at least a little english seeing how they were right next to a hotel. The shop was only about a 20 minute walk from campus.

They served great sandwiches. My favorite had to have been the goat cheese and sautéed mushrooms. Also, since I couldn't find my normal iced coffees, I settled with an iced cappucino, which was wonderful. The cost wasn't too bad. It would probably be what you'd pay at your average Starbucks, but get a much better food selection.

So, for the first week or so, (until I was able to get internet on campus) I'd walk to this little coffee shop, with my laptop, and talk with friends and family.


Presse Café homepage

Flag of Québec.

I took this picture within the first few days in Quebec. I decided to go out and explore some of the area around the school. I was walking outside one of the malls and just thought I'd like to have a photo of the flag. It's not the best photo in the world, but at that point, I just wanted to start taking as many pictures as I could so when I returned back home I'd have lots of memories (whether big or small).