Brace yourself Canadians, my family and I are heading north

Our son graduates High School and we gave him a choice of Mexico or Canada. He chose Canada(I wanted Mexico). He wanted a new country to mark off of his list.

Pancakes with Canadian Maple Syrup.

Canadian Bacon.

Poutine.

Bonhomme Carnaval.

Flying Porter Airlines to Toronto, then on to Quebec and Quebec City. I have absolutely no idea what Porter Airlines is, my wife made the plans. I don't want to know either. I will be surprised. From the sounds of it, I am not expecting much.

 

Well at least you are entering it with an open mind!

 

Have fun! I salute the kid. I'm kinda burned out on Mexico and really loving our trips north o' the 49th. The north-south corridor thing always delivers us to BC or Alberta but I'm getting off to Quebec, too, this summer, for a quick getaway. Do they still put mayonnaise on everything in Montreal? lol

 

Have fun, but do you realize that Carnaval with the Bonhomme is normally in February? I absolute love Quebec City - lived there for 8 years. You should also consider renting a car and driving to Tadoussac to see the beluga whales.

 

Quebec City is my favourite place in Quebec summer and winter.

Bonne visite!

 

You have a smart kid - the exchange rate will help! ($1US equals $1.30C today).

I've never made it to Quebec City but loved, LOVED Montreal, Quebec with our teenagers. It was a different vacation than the usual destinations. There was so much history, entertainment, architecture and delicious food. We found ourselves really going outside our normal areas of interest. The people of Montreal were extremely friendly and never thought twice to offer assistance if we looked lost. I bet you'll have a great time in Quebec!

What's with American's putting ketchup on everything? Ketchup is not a substitute for mayonnaise. It's a distinct flavor. Burgers in Canada come with mayonnaise, the ketchup goes on the fries. Otherwise, they'd both have the same flavor. Why the US thinks ketchup goes on fries, burgers and everything else confuses me.

Just hassling you ken, it's all good I know there's a myth out there that mayonnaise goes on everything in Quebec but I sure didn't see it in Montreal.

 

This Americano doesn't touch ketchup! I was wondering if anyone was going to get the movie reference, but I guess not.

 

Porter Airlines, have small planes, but exceptional customer service! Haven't had cause to use them for a few years, but you fly into the City Center airport, instead of the nightmare of Pearson, so you're right in downtown Toronto in a heartbeat! You'll love the trip.

 

I know winter carnival is in the winter, but supposedly there are statues of Bonhomme Carnaval that don't melt so they should be in Quebec City during our trip.

We are doing a St Lawrence Seaway Cruise, which was something I requested. Other than that, my wife is in charge of all of the details. If we would have gone to Mexico, I would have done all the planning.

I wanted to drive through Canada, my wife kaboshed that idea. I really want to go to Northwest Angle, Minnesota, which is nowhere near where we are going on this trip. Northwest Angle is the part of Minnesota that is surrounded by Canada and Lake Superior. Yes, my wife knows I am a little crazy with my ideas. But, we always seem to have a blast when I make the family do odd things.

If you want to visit the Angle now, you’ll need to drive up through Minnesota to the Canadian border and then, ignoring the little part of your brain that logically demands you stay in the United States to visit a Minnesota town, cross into Manitoba and go through Canadian customs. You’ll pass a few border towns, hang a right after Moose Lake, and continue along several kilometers of unpaved road before crossing another border back into the United States. Here, you’ll need to go through customs again, though it's a little different from the first time. At the intersection of two gravel roads a few miles past the border crossing is a place called Jim’s Corner, where you’ll stop, go into the shack on the side of the road, and call a U.S. Customs agent via videophone to make your declarations. If you don’t want to make the road trip through Canada, you can also reach the Angle from the rest of Minnesota by crossing the Lake of the Woods by plane, boat, or, when the lake is frozen over, car.

 

yes Ken they still put mayonnaise on the whole nine yards lol

 

Enjoying the lovely weather here in Eastern Canada.

Had three different versions of Poutine, I know which one I liked best.

My French is terrible. I can order eggs but I stumble on saying over easy and I want wheat toast. Those are important things I should have learned in French class. Or maybe I did, and I just forgot.

Anxious to try Tim Horton's, I have only seen one but no idea where it exactly is, and by the time I wander to it, it will be time for lunch.

 

Hmmmm, you haven't seen a Tim Hortons? ... Are you sure you are in Canada?

I hope you have a great time!
Enjoy

 

I've never been to a Canadian restaurant that has asked, "Do you want white or wheat toast." Its always do you want white or brown toast.

 

I have Tim Hortons all around me and you're not missing anything. Lol I do eat an occasional donut from there though. Have fun!

 

Never had Tim Horton's while up north.

New favorite cocktail is the Aviation made by Sebastian at Sam's Bar in Chateau Frontenac. Not sure how many violet flowers need to be crushed for Creme de Violet, but I found the cocktail to have a lovely violet aftertaste after one minute.

My oldest son and I climbed all 487 steps at Montmorency Falls. Not as death defying as our Preikestolen hike in Norway or swimming 50 miles off shore in the middle of the Caribbean with whale sharks.

 

What?? Timmie's is the best!! Try their muffins, they're excellent!