Celebrate Winter In Quebec

Nowhere is winter so welcomed and embraced than in Canada’s Montreal and Quebec City. Residents celebrate the advent of cold and snow like polar bears after a long, hot summer.

Hibernation is a dirty word - people want to enjoy winter’s transformations, not sleep through them. Urban parks change into white playgrounds perfect for sleigh rides, skating, tobogganing and crosscountry skiing. Outdoor cafes curl up into cozy coffee houses. Leafy treelined streets become snow-draped avenues of colored lights and dazzling ice sculptures.

While these two cities have excellent ski resorts close by, it’s their urban winter experiences that make them unique. The best time to visit one or both is during winter’s doldrums. Any seasonal blues can be danced away in the tremendous exuberance and gaiety of two major winter carnivals, Montreal’s “La Fete des Neiges” and Quebec City’s “Bonhomme Carnaval.” And warming the revelers, like a mug of hot chocolate, is each city’s distinctive French flavor and flair - found throughout the entire province of Quebec (pronounced “kebek”).

Montreal, the larger of the two cities, lies on an island at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers. Near the center of the island rises Mount Royal, whose name was slurred by early trappers into Montreal. Today, the mountain and rivers lend natural beauty to an already graceful, attractive city.

Montreal, with 2.8 million residents in the metropolitan area, is the largest French-speaking city outside Paris. Visitors to Montreal - and Quebec City - can usually get by with English, although many residents appreciate even a few mangled words of French.

Getting around Montreal is easy on the Metro subway system, which has stations at major streets. One of these is Saint-Laurent, the multicultural boulevard that divides English-speaking people to the west from French-speaking people to the east. Another important street is Sherbrooke, the Fifth Avenue of Montreal, which boasts designer stores, antique shops and posh hotels like the Ritz Carlton.

Most Metro stations are part of Montreal’s famous underground - a city within a city. Eighteen miles of climate-controlled pedestrian malls make this a veritable rabbit warren for shoppers. Altogether, the underground has a staggering 1,600 shops, 200 restaurants and 30 movie theaters.

Above ground, at Metro’s Pie-IX or Viau stations on the northeast edge of town, are two of the city’s most interesting sites: the Insectarium, and the Chinese Garden.

The two-story Insectarium, with fine exhibits and interactive displays, gives insight into the surprisingly fascinating world of bugs. Visitors can sample insect dishes from around the world, including mealworm canapes (“a light, savory spread”) and Chien tam con (fried silkworm pupae).

The Chinese Garden - the largest outside Asia - is part of the Botanical Garden and features a lake and seven pavilions in Ming Dynasty style. During February, Chinese sculptors transform more than 1,000 blocks of ice into dragons, life-like figures, a giant slide and a labyrinth. At night the works sparkle with colored lights.

Other magnificent ice sculptures can be seen during Montreal’s winter festival. For more than two weeks the city celebrates with 125 events - both inside and out - centering around six citywide activity areas. Clowns and make-up artists stroll the parks, while the festival’s mascot, “Boule de Neige” (jolly polar bear), is seen everywhere. One of the carnival’s activity areas is Old Montreal, where the streets are narrow, winding, and the cobblestones can be felt through the snow. Ice sculptures of all shapes and sizes line the streets like flowers beside mountain trails. They highlight the numerous boutiques and intimate restaurants.

Old Montreal is the historical heart of the city - site of the first settlement (1642), first graveyard (1643), and home to the city’s oldest buildings. A must-see is the Archaeological Museum that sits over the graveyard, protecting and preserving the earliest remnants of both European and Indian cultures.

For those interested in history, particularly French influences in the New World, Quebec City - 250 miles upstream from Montreal - is the place to go. A 50-minute flight from Montreal, or a three-hour train ride on Canada’s VIA Rail brings visitors to this little bit of France on the St. Lawrence.

Founded in 1608, Quebec City (known as Quebec, but not to be confused with the province of Quebec) is the only walled city in North America: Surely the model for the expression “Old World charm,” Quebec sits daintily on the 350-foot high Diamant bluff as a full skirt of cliffs cascade down to the river. Seventeenth and eighteenth century buildings play chorus to the castle-like Le Chateau Frontenac and its magnificent turrets and spires.

Around the oldest part of the city are the fortification walls erected by the French in 1720 to protect its trading post from the Indians and the English. Unfortunately, they didn’t work - the city fell to the British in 1759 and was ceded to England in 1763.

Maybe it’s the walls, which were never taken down, but English ways never seemed to get into this French city. The Gallic “joie de vivre” (love of life) is as inseparable from Quebec as snow from a northern winter, and can be found in everything from the haute cuisine to the boisterous winter celebrations. The old ramparts and narrow, crooked streets only heighten this French ambiance.

But not everything is old in Quebec. The 20th Century part of the city extends up the hill beyond the walls. At the Saint-Louis Gate, the Grande Allee runs out into modern Quebec and between a series of turreted mansions. Because many of these have been converted to eateries, the street is now known as restaurant row. Numerous “petit bars” affiliated with the restaurants keep weekend revelers warmed up late into the night.

Within the walled Upper Town, much of life revolves around Le Chateau Frontenac, which celebrated its 100th birthday in 1993 and is one of Canada’s premier hotels. Running beside it is “La Promenade des Gouverneurs,” which skirts the cliff edge and gives great views of both the city and the river.

To get down to the Place Royal (the heart of old Lower Town that sits between the city wall and river), visitors can descend a stairway or ride the “funiculaire,” a glass enclosed, cliffside elevator. At the base of the elevator is the start of Petit-Champlain, the oldest commercial street in North America. Gingerbread style buildings, draped in snow, are filled with gift shops, art galleries and coffee houses.

The annual “Bonhomme Carnaval” attracts 500,000 people every year. Eleven days of festivities are presided over by the carnival’s mascot, a seven-foot-tall snowman in a bright red cap and broad sash.

A giant snow palace is erected just outside the old city. Many of the carnival’s activities take place there, including the opening night’s fireworks display. Numerous balls, contests and night parades keep the atmosphere charged and excited. Ice sculptors from 20 countries display their creations. At “Place de la Famille,” children gather for outdoor games, clowns and rides on a giant ice slide.

Crazier elements include a car race on ice, a canoe race among the ice flows of the St. Lawrence, and a beach party where some participants roll in the snow - wearing only bathing suits.

This kind of winter enthusiasm might be surprising to some visitors, but it’s normal for residents of Quebec City - and Montreal - who love the invigorating cold and snow. They don’t just embrace winter, they bear hug it.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with story: If you go Weather & Clothing: Snow usually starts falling in November, and spring arrives in May. Between times there are plenty of days of belowzero weather and impressive wind chills. Dressing warmly is a necessity, especially for extremities such as hands, feet and head. Neat casual is fine for most places. Accommodations: Montreal and Quebec City have a full range of bed and breakfasts, motels and hotels - everything from the Ritz Carlton in Montreal and Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City to international chains such as Best Western and Holiday Inn. Depending on the accommodation chosen, prices per night start at around $70 (U.S). Expect to pay more during winter carnival. Further Information: For both cities and the entire Quebec province: (800) 363-7777.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Story and Photos by Jeff Miller Special to Travel