Back to Canada

As I mentioned in the introduction, I had the chance to spend a semester in Québec city for my Masters in 2013. At the time, I completely fell in love with the city, the country, the people, the landscapes... In 2015, I made it back to this amazing country. Today, I decided to write about my experience... 😀 On the picture below, you can see me, myself and I, with my backpacks, ready for a month on the road.

"The best thing is the feel of freedom you feel to explore the world."

I remember how I felt when about to land in Québec city after a 6 or 7-hour flight from Paris: I was scared. Scared that Québec would "not be as nice" as what I remembered. I was scared that I "exaggerated" my love for the place. I was stressed. And I took a cab from Québec airport - as there is not much public transportation from there - and the driver was listening to the new album of Mark Knopfler (the singer and guitarist of Dire Straits, my favourite band ever). Then, I knew everything would be fine. <3

I was a bit tired with the flight and jet lag, but went for a walk as the sky was blue. Québec is a very interesting city to me as it is a "Europeanised" city in North America. People are very proud of their "French" roots and culture. It is becoming a more and more touristic city; I noticed the increasing number of Asians between 2013 and 2015. But it remains a "human size" city, which is very relaxing. An overview of Québec on the pictures below, with the "Vieux Québec" (i.e., old part of the city) and the Château Frontenac, which is nowadays a 5-star luxury hotel.

Québec is a very accessible city for French speakers, even if the Québecois accent sounds a bit "funny" to us! 😉 But also to English speakers, as Canadians are really good at speaking English.

Québec is a hilly city. There is a really nice walk around the castle, with a great view on Lévis, which is the city located on the other side of Saint-Laurent river. As an anecdote, the Saint-Laurent can be completely frozen in winter time - I saw that back in 2013, which was quite impressive.

The city center also offers some really nice small streets with a lot of shops, restaurants, and galleries. I would recommend to enjoy a warm hot chocolate with maple syrup or even a Canadian coffee! The town hall is an impressive building which always presents some interesting decorations, depending the time of the year. Some pumpkins etc in Autumn, some snow in Winter... I would recommend having a look.

Le Quartier du Petit Champlain is probably the "busiest" part of the city. It is a pedestrian district with lots of lovely shops, cafés and restaurants. It is always lively, with people playing the music in the streets. This district looks pretty French to me, maybe a bit like a mini-Montmartre... You can taste some local food there, for instance the famous Queues de Castor (beaver tails). Don't worry, it's not real tails from beavers! It is some kind of beignet (French donut); delicious, particularly with maple syrup.

I made it back to the city center for a beautiful sunset...

And I finished the day at the Christmas shop! A big shop open all year long, with only Christmas stuff. Worth having a look! 😀

The next day, I spent a few hours at l'Université Laval, where I spent a semester in 2013. It was full of nostalgia that I went back to this campus. I even had a lunch with Ariane, a lovely Québecoise. And we enjoyed... poutine!!! The typical dish from Québec. A bit of a heavy dish made of potatoes, chips and gravy (necessary for the cold and long winter days!). The UL campus is a lovely place with a lot of grass, flowers, trees, squirrels and even marmots! 😀

I then made it to Kitchener-Waterloo, which was my main destination for that stay, as I went there to visit a research team at the University of Waterloo. I spent my first 3 days with a lovely Vietnamese family. Huong offered to host me on CouchSurfing; it was her first time hosting people. She used a bit CouchSurging in Europe before. She showed me around her city. Her mum cooked me some delicious Viet food, while I taught them how to make French crêpes! Our "main" visit was the Waterloo Region Museum and Doon Heritage Village, a very interesting place to learn about the history of the region. It was actually Huong's first time in that museum, and she enjoyed it as much as I did!

We also enjoyed a nice walk in a park, with the beautiful colors of early Fall.

After my stay at Huong family's, I kept on surfing for a few weeks. I created a public trip on CS and received loads of offers! <3 I stayed at Hanspal's, an Indian yoga teacher, with whom I played board games, went for burritos and bowling. I stayed at Pedro and Anlui's, two Mexican chicos, who cooked breakfast for me and lend me a bike for a few days. I stayed at a handsome Canadian man - I forgot his name - who left me the key of his flat as he had to go to Toronto. I stayed at Ali and Vida's, a lovely Persian couple, with whom I curved a pumpkin... Amazing stories.

And I enjoyed the Indian summer in Ontario. Have a look at these colors!

I ran into the Oktoberfest during one of my walks, and a lady from Canadian TV interviewed me as I was probably the only tourist in the town... 😉 I played a little game and won $10! I was so happy at that time! 😀

I forgot to mention that Tyler picked me up in Kitchener as he was around the area, and his sister drove me back there as her boyfriend was studying in the city. Very convenient for me, thanks again! I kept on exploring the city and found a nice place called Victoria park; a very quiet park with nice trees, lakes and lots of geese. It was mid-October, and temperatures were dropping down already.

During my stay in Kitchener-Waterloo, Huong (my first host) introduced me to a friend of hers, Paulina, a charming Polish-Canadian girl. Paulina then invited me for a cookie party at her place with her flatmates! 😀 We chatted a lot, and I told her about my plans of going to Niagara. She told me that she was actually from there, and would be happy to drive me there, host me, and show me around! Keep on reading this article to find out about the Niagara waterfalls! ^^

I went for a day trip to St Jacobs, a small "conservative" village, with a big farmers market. I remember that it was freezing on that day; it actually snowed when I was waiting for my bus. The village itself had a lot to offer, with some museums, art galleries, small shops...

You may wonder why I used the word conservative earlier. It's because there is an interesting fact about this town: some people refuse to use electricity, wear black clothes, and move around on horses!

I also went for a day trip to Laurel Creek Conservation Area, a place which is not very accessible without car - but I made it, so it's possible. 😉 Lovely forest and lake.

Paulina dropped me in Hamilton on her way back to Kitchener, and I spent a couple of days in this surprising place. I did not expect much of the city, but I finally loved it. I was staying in a hostel where we could borrow some bikes, and therefore decided to explore the "countryside". The weather was amazing, the Automnal colors at their best, and I found some great hiking paths. Have a look at the following pictures to understand why I love Canada so much! (Another reason: Tim Hortons haha.)

Yes, I had no phone when traveling at that time! 😉