Ms. Shuttergirl's dreaming of a White Christmas...Days 28-32 done, Boston & Washingto

[WAMUMOF4]

Sounds magical except for the cold feet bit, can't wait to hear about NYE not trying to rush you or anything

 

[aussietravellers]

Have just caught up.

So excited you went to Carlos Bakery. I've been wondering if you did end up going. I read he has a cafe in Times Square now. Did you see that? So were there not any of the family there? In the show it looks like the girls pretty much run the counter area, but weren't they there?

Glad you eventually got to Quebec. What a nightmare, miss the plane, have forever then to wait for the next flight, so much time to kill and they all of a sudden a big rush It's always the way. You know, if your DH had been sitting there waiting and bored, you would still have been on the 11pm flight. It's because he was no where near that the universe thought they would stir you all up (always happens to me that way! )

Quebec sounds just magical. Can not wait to see the photos.

Sneakers and jeans . Well.... I will say that even whilst travelling, I will never do the sneakers and jeans thing, I wear the same shoes I do at home. It's mainly because they make my feet look big, wide and manly but only the sneakers that are sports sneakers, like running shoes, Asics, Brooks, etc. Not the cute trendy sort that are kind of flat, in cute colours (or white), with the white bit on the toe and the white bit around the bottom, or the vans type ones (for kids), the ones that you would not actually wear on the sporting field or gym I would wear. What's funny is that I haven't actually thought about it before, about the touristy thing In saying that, I don't mind if anyone else wears them, I just don't like how they make my feet look

 

[WanderlustNZ]

It sounds magical. What a wonderful holiday you're having.

 

[Andona]

I have definitely added Quebec City to my list! It sounds so pretty, just my kind of place. However, I think I'll go when it's a teensy bit warmer, I'm so glad you were able to do your carriage ride, it's one of those things you will all remember.

Bummer about the pubs, I remember we struck this problem a bit in the UK too.

CAnt wait to see some photos, I'm sure they will be stunning , winter wonderland shots

Andona

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I am with your son. When my feet are cold I am miserable and I whine and whinge and I could too have been hiding under a blanket crying.

Sounds great though and it will make a wonderful reference, not as cold as the horse and carriage ride in Quebec.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I am so looking forward to seeing Quebec with snow. Sounds like it was a magical day....except for the frozen feet and snow stings.

 

[Marlea98]

You poor thing, getting hammered by the snow in your face. It hurts, doesn't it!

Have you found some of those little warmer pads that you can use on your hands and in your shoes? I don't remember what they're called but they kind of look like half a panty liner and you kind of give them a little crack and they warm up really well and stay warm for hours. I used them skiing and through Yellowstone in winter.

Looking forward to some laundry shots. And red solo cups.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Sounds beautiful!

I had wondered what dd thought about the hiking boots , mine would be the same!

Yes she so is not a fan. And then to hit NYC and find all of the girls wearing fabulous boots just added insult to injury for her.

Sounds magical except for the cold feet bit, can't wait to hear about NYE not trying to rush you or anything

Yes I'm getting there

Have just caught up.

So excited you went to Carlos Bakery. I've been wondering if you did end up going. I read he has a cafe in Times Square now. Did you see that? So were there not any of the family there? In the show it looks like the girls pretty much run the counter area, but weren't they there?

Glad you eventually got to Quebec. What a nightmare, miss the plane, have forever then to wait for the next flight, so much time to kill and they all of a sudden a big rush It's always the way. You know, if your DH had been sitting there waiting and bored, you would still have been on the 11pm flight. It's because he was no where near that the universe thought they would stir you all up (always happens to me that way! )

Quebec sounds just magical. Can not wait to see the photos.

Sneakers and jeans . Well.... I will say that even whilst travelling, I will never do the sneakers and jeans thing, I wear the same shoes I do at home. It's mainly because they make my feet look big, wide and manly but only the sneakers that are sports sneakers, like running shoes, Asics, Brooks, etc. Not the cute trendy sort that are kind of flat, in cute colours (or white), with the white bit on the toe and the white bit around the bottom, or the vans type ones (for kids), the ones that you would not actually wear on the sporting field or gym I would wear. What's funny is that I haven't actually thought about it before, about the touristy thing In saying that, I don't mind if anyone else wears them, I just don't like how they make my feet look

Nope none of the sisters were there, all young staff. Not sure whether it was because it was a few days after Christmas and they were on a holiday or whether now that they have the massive big baking facility located elsewhere - perhap they are all too busy running the global empire to work in the shop. They probably only work there when the show is filming????

I thought that too abut the flight and DH. It was definitely sent along as a little jolt to toy with us.

As for the shoe thing, I have alot of trouble with my feet and shoes. I have to be very careful to wear something with good support when doing alot of walking.

Actually my feet in general are *****'s. Because I work from home I often do not wear shoes, or in fact I wear slippers so my feet hate the whole sock and shoe situation. On our first trip in 2009 I suffered the worst blisters you can imagine. In fact it was so bad that when we got home I didn't wear shoes for a week, trying to get my feet to heal. When we went on the next trip I did an enormous amount of research on what to do to maintain good feet conditions and it worked 90% and I didn't suffer too much.

This time due to constant care, I have not suffered a blister at all. A few hot spots on occasion but I know who to nip that in the bud now and with daily maintenance it has been all good. I know it sounds dramatic but I will never get over how painful my feet were on that first trip.

It sounds magical. What a wonderful holiday you're having.

Thanks Wanderlust

I have definitely added Quebec City to my list! It sounds so pretty, just my kind of place. However, I think I'll go when it's a teensy bit warmer, I'm so glad you were able to do your carriage ride, it's one of those things you will all remember.

Bummer about the pubs, I remember we struck this problem a bit in the UK too.

CAnt wait to see some photos, I'm sure they will be stunning , winter wonderland shots

Andona

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I definitely think you would love it there Andona.

Please tell me they let kids into pubs in the UK. That would drive me crazy. We aren't bar flies by any means but I like to have a meal in a pub and relax. We don't really have pubs in Canberra and it drives DH and I crazy. We grew up in Geelong where there is a pub literally on every corner.

Don't hold your breath for amazing photos like Shushh, I don't feel like I have captured anything amazing at all.

I am with your son. When my feet are cold I am miserable and I whine and whinge and I could too have been hiding under a blanket crying.

Sounds great though and it will make a wonderful reference, not as cold as the horse and carriage ride in Quebec.

Ha , good to hear my son has company in the cold feet/whining stakes.

I am so looking forward to seeing Quebec with snow. Sounds like it was a magical day....except for the frozen feet and snow stings.

I'm sure it looks just as pretty with or without the snow PIO, I remember your photos of your time there. It's just such a gorgeous place.

You poor thing, getting hammered by the snow in your face. It hurts, doesn't it!

Have you found some of those little warmer pads that you can use on your hands and in your shoes? I don't remember what they're called but they kind of look like half a panty liner and you kind of give them a little crack and they warm up really well and stay warm for hours. I used them skiing and through Yellowstone in winter.

Looking forward to some laundry shots. And red solo cups.

I've heard of those warming pad things but no I haven't found we need them. Gloves on hands seem to do the trip. The coldest part of our bodies are our faces but so long as you wrap the scarf around it's all good.

 

[zanzibar138]

Quebec sounds absolutely magical, and the snow sounds amazing! Can't wait to see pics!

I can't believe you live in the ACT and haven't worn thermals before! I need them to get through Melbourne winters! But then I'm from Perth, so 15 degrees is pretty freezing by my standards

We have a horse and carriage tour booked for Paris (it's a very late birthday surprise for Mum), and after reading about your experiences I'm both excited and scared We should be ok though as it's only an hour, they provide blankets too, it should be starting to warm up over there by the end of Feb, and worst case, I think they can close the top on these ones.

 

[gogo65]

Hey Ms shuttergirl
Thought I would drop by and saw that you were on another amazing tripso a few hours later I have skim read your TR, wow what a fantastic trip!
Also love Quebec and one place in this world that I want to return too
So I better go back and read your trip report properly so I can say something useful and appear to be an intelligent person
Nice to see you again

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Day Twenty Three – New Years Eve

The good news about Quebec is that we don’t have to be up and out the door early the whole time we are here so the family are definitely making the most of it – much to my frustration since I struggle to truly sleep in.
I finally dragged the sloths out of bed and we went to a local bakery for breakfast. We had the most delicious cheese and bacon bread. It was a sour dough style of bread with cheese and bacon pieces baked inside. Deeeeelish!

After filling our tums we decided to explore some more and headed through the streets towards The Chateau Frontenac which is this amazing hotel set high up on the hill which was built in 1893. It is such a beautiful building, so majestic. It almost looks like a castle. It was very traditional and lovely inside but the exterior was what was truly stunning.

We walked along the boardwalk near there overlooking the St. Lawrence River which was a mass of frozen ice and was flowing very quickly. Watching the ferry’s cross over was so interesting, the way they fight against the tide upstream and then once they are halfway, they float along with the tide.

We then watched some very crazy people have a go at the massive big ice slide/toboggan thing. It was so high and went so fast and to say the structure was “thrown together” would not be out of line. Yikes!!! Our kids wanted to have a go at it but there simply was no way at all. They weren't happy with the mummy and daddy but we just thought it wasn't safe.

After we finished here we hopped on this weird little contraption called a Furnicular which is like an elevator that goes down the side of the hill at an angle. The members of the family who don’t like heights weren’t too sure but we braved it and were glad we did. It was a great way to get down to the “lower town” of Quebec.

The furnicular took us down to the most pretty street in the whole of Quebec City – Quartier Petit Champlain. Seeing wintery pictures of this street were what finally convinced me we had to visit this city. The street is lined with all little boutiques with cute little wooden signs hanging outside of eat store. Every single doorway and window was decorated for Christmas and truly festive.

We stumbled across this strange “sweet” fast food set up where a man had a wooden tray filled with crushed ice and he was pouring some warm golden stuff in a straight line right along the ice. It looked kind of like honey or treacle but turned out to be Maple Taffy. Small portions then get wound around an icy pole stick like a lollipop. The ice is there to quickly cool the taffy down and it is a truly delicious little treat. What a fun and unusual thing and oh so yummy.

We saw the Notre Dame des Victories, a beautiful little Catholic church that was built in 1687. Such lovely craftsmanship and a sweet little church.
We then headed to a little crepe place for lunch. These crepes were not like any crepe we had tried before. Paper thin and delicious. DH and I tried savoury ones and of course the kids went with strawberries and ice cream. Yum.

Some more wandering of the streets and shopping and we then headed back to the hotel for a big rest.

Soon it was time to get ready to go out for New Years Eve. I had booked us into a restaurant that had great reviews that was on the Grand Allee which is where all the New Years Eve action is concentrated. We were going to walk here but since it was not in an area we were confident we could find easily we set off a bit earlier. The snow was falling from the minute we left the hotel.

The snow here is just awesome, I love it. Nothing more can be said to explain it. It’s definitely a life highlight to enjoy it.

The Grand Allee was alot closer than we thought so it was a pleasant walk in the evening. Once we arrived to the area we were surprised to see so much going on. All of the restaurants and bars were lit up, many of the bars hat outdoor “ice bars” set up which were pretty cool. There was a ferris wheel which the kids just had to go on. DH and I sat that out, we both aren’t fans of ferris wheels. The kids loved it and said the views across Quebec at night were beautiful. There was such a party atmosphere everywhere but very family orientated which I liked.

Above our restaurant was a bar and the guest DJ that night was going to be Boy George. DH and I were a little spewing we had the kids with us, would’ve been fun to check that out hehe.

The restaurant we were booked in with was the Cosmos Cafe and it was lovely. Very modern upmarket vibe but with a really broad menu with something for everyone. It was so good to finally see some nice asian meals on a menu. DH and I had both been craving stir fries and asian salads and flavours.

We had a few drinks, some lovely food and a fun evening. Once it was time to wander home the kids and I had a little snow fight but ever sensible daddy put a stop to it quick smart because the kids didn’t have snow pants on and he didn’t want them walking home wet. Party pooper lol.

Once home the sleepy head of the family was soon in bed so the kids and I stayed up until midnight. I admit to nodding off a few times while watching the tv but hey, I’m getting old hahaha. We did make it to midnight which I think was DS’s first time to see in a new year which was very exciting for him. Big kisses and Happy New Year’s all round then finally crawling into bed for a big sleep.

I love the beginning of a new year. I always feel a little excited at the possibilities the new year may bring. It’s a clean slate, anything bad from the previous year is wiped, the new year is pristine and exciting and full of promise.

My New Year’s Resolution – I won’t make those usual boring “eat less, exercise more” resolutions. That’s a given and I don’t want to start the new year off on a losing streak hahaha. My plan for this year is fairly simple so hopefully I can achieve it.

My New Year’s Resolution is more “ME” time to do some things I love to do. I want some time to read, scrapbook, catch up with friends, relax. That is my goal for 2013. Let’s hope I can make it all happen.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

Highs – Cosmos Cafe, beautiful snow, the possibilities a new year brings

Lows – having the snowball fight cut short, feeling like this cold is getting worse

Weather – high of -9, low of -16 (cold right)

​

 

[dabecs]

How exciting that your son now has the lifelong memory that his first NYE midnight was in Quebec! Those kind of moments are what travel is all about to me

Sounds like another enchanting day - you have seen and done so much on this holiday!

 

[5ofus]

I think this may be the first time I've commented in here, but I'm reading every update very greedily I can assure you!

Your time in Quebec sounds magical. The picture you paint with your words is really delightful Can't wait to read more

 

[battymum]

Boy George!!! OMG I would have to tag team it!

 

[alicia1506]

wow, just caught up on day 22 and 23. your NYE sounds very magical and what a great start to 2013 to usher it in in quebec after having such magical experiences in such a lovely place in the world.

have you captured pictures of individual snowflakes yet? if i ever get lucky enough to travel to a destination where snow is falling, i will have my camera out quick smart, trying to capture some of those babies in mid-flight

i think your ordinary photos are probably still better than my best photos on my best day just think when you come back you can have them made into a 2013 or even 2014 calendar and relive the experience for the rest of the year that's what i have done to remember the best parts of our 2011 trip and psych us up for our 2013 trip

once again, awesome TR update. thanks for writing them for us

 

[Andona]

You are building so many amazing memories on this trip! What a fantastic way for DS to see his first NYE midnight

Andona

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Hey Ms shuttergirl
Thought I would drop by and saw that you were on another amazing tripso a few hours later I have skim read your TR, wow what a fantastic trip!
Also love Quebec and one place in this world that I want to return too
So I better go back and read your trip report properly so I can say something useful and appear to be an intelligent person
Nice to see you again

Well hello Gogo, long time no see. You should so pop in here more. What's happening with you?????

Glad you've enjoyed a skim-along of the TR. I'm very wordy so no need to read it all.

Glad to hear from another Quebec lover. It truly is a stunning place.

Quebec sounds absolutely magical, and the snow sounds amazing! Can't wait to see pics!

I can't believe you live in the ACT and haven't worn thermals before! I need them to get through Melbourne winters! But then I'm from Perth, so 15 degrees is pretty freezing by my standards

We have a horse and carriage tour booked for Paris (it's a very late birthday surprise for Mum), and after reading about your experiences I'm both excited and scared We should be ok though as it's only an hour, they provide blankets too, it should be starting to warm up over there by the end of Feb, and worst case, I think they can close the top on these ones.

I know, I am totally going to embrace the thermals for cold Canberra mornings now.

I think the horse and carriage ride through Paris sounds amazing. You will love it I'm positive.

How exciting that your son now has the lifelong memory that his first NYE midnight was in Quebec! Those kind of moments are what travel is all about to me

Sounds like another enchanting day - you have seen and done so much on this holiday!

Absolutely I am sure he will remember it. And yes we sure have seen and done alot.

I think this may be the first time I've commented in here, but I'm reading every update very greedily I can assure you!

Your time in Quebec sounds magical. The picture you paint with your words is really delightful Can't wait to read more

Glad to see you are reading along.

I hope I can convince others to visit Quebec. PIO convinced me and I hope to share the magic with you all. It is a beautiful place.

Boy George!!! OMG I would have to tag team it!

I know right, DH and I were beside ourselves. I may have busted out a verse or two of Karma Chameleon hehe.

wow, just caught up on day 22 and 23. your NYE sounds very magical and what a great start to 2013 to usher it in in quebec after having such magical experiences in such a lovely place in the world.

have you captured pictures of individual snowflakes yet? if i ever get lucky enough to travel to a destination where snow is falling, i will have my camera out quick smart, trying to capture some of those babies in mid-flight

i think your ordinary photos are probably still better than my best photos on my best day just think when you come back you can have them made into a 2013 or even 2014 calendar and relive the experience for the rest of the year that's what i have done to remember the best parts of our 2011 trip and psych us up for our 2013 trip

once again, awesome TR update. thanks for writing them for us

I have captured any pictures of actual snowflakes and alas our snow days are done. I did capture some of us standing when snow was falling though so hopefully that will do for snow shots.

The calendar idea is a great one.

You are building so many amazing memories on this trip! What a fantastic way for DS to see his first NYE midnight

Andona

Well I hope we are building amazing memories, fingers crossed.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

sounds like you had a great NYE I think only 1 person made it to midnight in our house this year

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Your days in Quebec sound totally fantastic. Can't wait to see the pics (and I bet they are fab) though you paint such a good pic with words its easy to imagine. -16 is a pretty scary low though!

You've done it now -2014 or 2015 (prob won't be able to convince DH 2014 is a goer-maybe late in the year?????) to Quebec then south over the border to Niagara Falls and on to New York again for a few days-home via Orlando for a dose of the mouse and HP at Universal - sounds like a plan!!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

..and I've have ditched DH and kids and mosied up to the nightclub for a hour of Boy George!!..well I would have tried...