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| Montmorency Falls |
In the mind of a boy who finds himself knee deep in snowy nirvana, there are three important things that must be done. #1. Snow ball fight. Check. #2. Sledding. Double Check. #3. Ice Skating. Ever the avoiders of cold, we headed into town to find an indoor skating facility. We did find an indoor rink, but they did not rent skates and in the asking, we further revealed ourselves as the Southern weenies that we are.
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| Smiles on the tram to the top of the Falls |
Since, we were already on the road; we decided to head to Montmorency Falls just outside of old Quebec City. Of course, the falls were frozen, but that made it even more alluring. There were several staircases that allowed us to climb around the falls, but they were reported to be very icy. I had quite enough climbing up ice the day before, thankyouverymuch. Instead, we decided to take the aerial tram to the top. The boys enjoyed the ride to the top, but we had only a moment to enjoy the view from the highest point in Quebec, before the last tram of the day returned us back to ground level.
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| Peering out onto the falls |
Back at our hotel, we still had not had the ice skating experience we needed before we left the land of snow. Right across the street from our hotel, we found an outdoor skating rink, and we headed out to give it a try. The rink provided trainers for the kids that allowed them something to push them around the rink and keep their balance. Just as the sun was going down, swirling colored snowflakes began dancing across the ice as we stumbled and tried not to crash glided around happy and together.
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| The ice rink aglow |
The Winter Carnival puts on its party clothes at night. A spectacular light show dances across the ice castle, but the piece de resistance of the nighttime in Quebec is the parades. As the time for the parade neared, the energy on the street was building. Even the front desk clerks were humming the familiar tunes of the parade as we headed out the door. Out on the street groups of people were marching joyfully towards the parade route and we joined in the rush. Once at the parade we were instantly enraptured in the colors and songs of the celebration.
Around us it was obvious that the sights and sounds of the parade were a tradition that many of them had enjoyed since childhood. And here we were, first time foreigners caught up the jovial festival and soaking in the culture. As we meandered back to our hotel, the boys ran ahead of us belting out the songs of the Carnival, their eyes shining in the moonlight. Did they get the words right? Not a one. But, did they capture the spirit of the Carnival. Absolutely.
