August 2022

Hello there! Thank you very much for visiting the blog today! Today I am linking up with Joyce for her weekly link-up:

1. August 24th is National Waffle Day...what's something you've 'waffled' on recently?

While in Quebec, I walked by a gift shop (La cinquieme saison) and fell instantly in love with a painting/collage in the window.  Upon returning with my husband, we learned the one in the window was close to $300, but there were smaller ones for under $200.  We chose one with sailboats.  Here is the collage we bought by artist Claudette Castonguay:

2. Do you like waffles? Make your own or 'leggo my Eggo? Any favorite toppings or add-ins? Waffles or pancakes-which do you prefer?

I am definitely a waffle person! On Sundays, I'll treat myself to some frozen waffles with real maple syrup!

3. Do you have any mementos from this summer (or past summers)? What do you do with them?

I always like to buy a t-shirt or sweatshirt. In Quebec, one of my favorite stores was Cool as a Moose which has stores in the US and Canada! Who knew? I bought some fun tie-dye sweatpants like these:

4. One thing you'd like to do before summer ends?

I would love to finish cleaning my classroom and organizing my classroom library. I am in the process; it just takes a lot of time to clean and organize!

5. Life is too short to not enjoy sunny days and to not eat ice cream.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I love summer!

I hope you soak up as much summer as you can!

Bonjour! Today I am delighted to link up with lErika from A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea from Momfessionals for their weekly Friday Favorites Link-Up! If you want to go somewhere in North America that feels like Europe, you will definitely want to visit Quebec City!

IMPORTANT: In order to visit Canada, you must provide evidence of your COVID vaccination!

How to Get There

From Massachusetts, Quebec City is a six hour drive. However, you can also fly there. We drove because there was no direct flight from Logan Airport in Boston

Where We Stayed

Most people think of the Hotel Fontenac (the tall building in the picture) when they think of Quebec. It is a beautiful hotel:

However, we stayed across the street from the Fontenac at Auberge Place d'Armes. If I went again, I would stay at the Hotel Clarendon which is bigger than where we stayed, and it has a lobby.

All the action in the city is in Old Quebec which is a walled city. Old Quebec is very charming and historic. Everyone speaks French and English (usually with a French accent). There were so many shops and restaurants. There were a LOT of tourists! Canada closed its borders during COVID so tourists are making up for lost time!

Most importantly, you can walk every where! We had at least 20,000 steps every day! In Quebec, they even have a sidewalk sweeper which almost ran me over when I was looking in a shop window! Check out these beautiful butterflies made of flowers:

If you want to get outside of Quebec City...

One day we took the bus to Montmorency Falls. When you arrive, you have a choice: walk up almost 500 steps for free OR take the gondola for $16 round trip. I took the gondola while my husband ventured up the steps. He was quite proud of himself but was unable to walk back down. Cost: $14 one way ticket down.

Anyway, this waterfall is bigger than Niagara Falls. There is a bridge that allows you to walk on top of the waterfall. You can even zipline across the falls or do rock climbing.

Another beautiful place we visited was St. Anne de Beaupre. St. Anne was Mary's mother (Jesus' grandmother). The church is extremely ornate and beautiful. I bought a St. Christopher medal in French and had it blessed by the priest who happened to grow up in Springfield, Massachusetts!

300th Peloton Ride!

I do love my Peloton! I reached a huge milestone last Sunday. My Peloton name is Mrs. Watermelon! I am the name next to the llama with the pink blanket!