Our epic summer is coming to a close. As I type this, Dave is already back in the swing of things at the University of Richmond....where he is starting his 9th year!!! (Woah!!!!! How'd that happen?!?!?!)
Our Epic Summer began with our wedding anniversary in mid May. Dave and I had promised each other to have a nice dinner out suffice for our celebration...with maybe something small as a gift. I gave him his gift and then he gave me....a guide book to Quebec City. My first thought was: "This is cruel". You see, Quebec City has been on my Bucket List for some time now and it had been my deepest desire to go there for our 15th anniversary (next year). But there is the logistical problem of what do we do with the boys. It had been an emotional and heartbreaking spring for us and a trip away....just the two of us....was something I really needed...but I just didn't see it happening.
Anyway, he directed me to a note inside the guide book....a note that explained we were indeed going to Quebec City...in the middle of August. A note explaining that he had, two months prior, contacted my parents to see if, on top of seeing us in April...and vacationing with us in June, they would be willing to come back out in August and stay with the boys. He says he had an e-mail response from my dad in less than a 1/2 hour saying they were completely on board with the plan....and would keep it a secret from me. :) The note explained that flights and hotel arrangements were already made...and all that was left was for me to determine how we were going to spend our time in Quebec City....hence the need for the guide book. :) If you know me at all....you know that I cried and cried upon receiving this amazing gift. The gift of time with my husband. The gift of getting out of the country. The gift of getting to use my passport! I'm still in shock!!!!
Before we knew it....my parents arrived. And less than 12 hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, my dad dropped us off at the airport and wished us a Bon Voyage! :) And 5 minutes later....I had used my passport for the first time in 10 years! It was an unreal feeling!!!! :)
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| Fueled by large mocha coffees....we're off to Quebec!!! |
DAY ONE
We were standing in the lobby of our hotel by 12pm (didn't have to change time zones). My head was spinning that it was only 12pm...that we still had an entire day to hit the ground running. After dropping our bags off with the hotel, we high tailed it...one block...to the Rue St.-Jean, one of the most popular and oldest streets in Quebec. Having studied the guide book very closely, we immediately had lunch at the Chez Boulay - Bistro Boreal....and we entered culinary nirvana. :) You think I exaggerate. I had blood pudding for the first time....in an Eggs Benedict type of dish. I was pretty pleased with myself! :)
You have to understand something about Quebec and my draw to it. It has been on my bucket list for years but I have, since January, read Willa Cather's novel Shadows on the Rock twice. It takes place in Quebec in the late 1600's. It is one of the most simple and beautiful novels I've ever read. I have been profoundly touched by it. I made Dave read it as well before we embarked on our trip. Cather, in many of her novels, takes real, historic people and events and builds stories around them. Such was the case in Shadows.... After our lunch, we hit the streets and immediately made our way down to Lower Town....where a good deal of my beloved book takes place.
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Before we knew it, we emerged into the Place Royale....the historic market....where sits Our Lady of Victories Church (a key place in the book and the oldest stone structure in North America) and the site of Samuel de Champlain's first house. We just looked at each other and couldn't fathom that we were still on the North American continent...and that this wasn't a theme park. :)
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| Happiness doesn't even begin to describe our emotions! |
We attended a great little introductory presentation on Samuel de Champlain which was held in the basement of the church. As we emerged....worlds collided and proved just how small our spheres are...for helping his wife set up for a harp concert in the church, was the director of the orchestra at the University of Richmond...and the head piano instructor. Too funny!!!
It was blasted hot. Something akin to one of the levels of Dante's Inferno. I'm not kidding. And unlike many of the churches we've experienced in Europe, the churches in Quebec do not offer sanctuary from the heat. In fact, they seem to generate their own heat inside. But I still found it ethereal to be in the church where little Cecile and Jacques (in the book) had prayed and spoken with Bishop Laval.
We hiked back up to the Upper Town and saw the famous...and beautiful....Chateau Frontenac.....
....and cooled off by walking barefoot through some dancing fountains.....after eating amazing gelato.....
....and then returned to the hotel to check in, and took a much needed nap.
At this point, I will briefly depart from our day and explain (very briefly) the history of Quebec City. Stay with me. :)
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Quebec City was permanently founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608...4 years after the founding of Jamestown in Virginia....though the site had been used off and on by the French since 1535 and Jacques Cartier. It sits atop the Cap Diamant where the St. Lawrence River narrows. It is one of the oldest cities in North America and is the only fortified/walled city in North America. In 1639, the Jesuit priests wrote to France asking for help concerning the education of girls and addressing the need to establish a hospital (the first hospital in North America, north of Mexico.) The Ursulines and the Augustines answered the call and sent six women (three from each order) to make their mark in Canada. For the next one hundred plus years, Quebec saw an increasing number of skirmishes with the English until finally, in 1759 during the French and Indian War, on the Plains of Abraham (just outside the city), the French Army and Quebec fell to the English. The battle, that for all intents and purposes ended the French and Indian War, lasted all of 15 minutes....during which both the French and English generals were killed.
Though now under the English crown, the Quebec Act of 1774 returned to Quebec the use of French Civil Law for matters of private law and withdrew any Protestant references in the Oath of Allegiance AND made the Catholic Faith the official Faith of Quebec. The American 13 Colonies termed the Quebec Act as one of the Intolerable Acts as they saw it as encroaching on English territory....and put a Catholic/Papist province on their border. These grievances are actually in our Declaration of Independence as reasons for leaving English rule. !!!!!!!! During both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, Quebec came under attack from American forces and it was in response to the attack of 1812 that they built the Citadelle...which is still a military base today.
Quebec has suffered three...if not four....disastrous fires in its history. There are few building dating back to the middle 1600's....but they can be found. :) In the 1960's, Quebec experienced The Quiet Revolution which saw the secularization of all aspects of Quebec life and, from a Catholic perspective, completely decimated the Catholic Church in Quebec.
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Hey! Not bad for 400 years of history. :) I think I kept that pretty brief. But a condensed history was needed before I continue.
So....cast your thoughts back to the spot in my brief history where I spoke of the Ursuline and Augustine Sisters coming over from France. The Ursulines' vocation was to teach girls...and for a long time in Quebec, those girls belonged to the First Nations. The Augustines' vocation was nursing and they established the first hospital north of Mexico in 1639. I'll discuss the Ursulines later but for now, because of where we stayed, I turn to the Augustine Sisters. The Sister who was the lead of the three nuns who came over was a woman....a girl....by the name of Sister Catherine of St. Augustine. She was 16 years old when she landed in Quebec, having become a nun at the age of 12. Sister Catherine was establishing a hospital....in a remote land far from her home in France....at the age of 16. Think about that for a moment. I was immediately humbled by the thought.
They established the Hotel-Dieu....where they would administer to the health needs of both the citizens of Quebec and to the First Nations people. They experienced the largest number of vocations in the 1940's....seeing 248 sisters in their order just in Quebec City (they had 11 other hospitals throughout the province.) By the end of the 1960's, that number was down to the low 70's. In 2008, with only 30 or so sisters left...and with the State having taken over health care in the 60's, the Augustine Sisters pondered their future and the future of their historic complex. In the end, they turned it over to a non-profit organization which has done wonders with the grounds.
Le Monastere des Augustines is now a Hotel.....a FIRST CLASS HOTEL....that caters to holistic health and well being. It is a non-profit hotel (I've never heard of one) that is still connected to the hospital right next door and reserves rooms at a discounted rate for the families of patients who are undergoing long treatments. A converted monastery that is now a hotel but: 1) it is still connected to the hospital, 2) 9 Augustine Sisters still live on site in a separate and private wing, 3) the second floor of the hotel is built around the historic chapel and choir area of the nuns, 4) it houses a museum that shows the life of the Augustine Sisters over their almost 400 years in Quebec. It is an UNREAL place. It is a place for spiritual retreat.
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| Modern building embracing the historic chapel...that sits right above the hotel reception desk |
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| Displays of the old keys used for over almost 400 years in the monastery |
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| The Choir part of the church...where the cloistered Augustine Sisters would attend Mass |
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| The grill that separated the cloistered sisters from the public in the church |
In the hotel, there are two room options: the Traditional or the Contemporary. The Traditional room is a cell....an actual cell....that used to be used by a nun as her room. You share a bathroom down the hall with about eight other rooms. The Contemporary is a modern sized room with a private bath. We stayed in this room option. There is no TV in the room. There isn't a phone in the room. There aren't even pictures on the walls in the rooms. You are supposed to have no distractions....just time for peace and tranquility. You have to ask the front desk for the wifi password...which they give to you rather grudgingly...and there are signs everywhere encouraging people to "Unplug"...and assuring you that you will survive. :) There are "Communication Rooms" that have a couple of public use computers and a telephone and then a "Salon" where there are couches and lounge chairs in which to relax. You are to walk through the halls quietly and used hushed voices if speaking in the hotel. It was the most peaceful and relaxing place I've EVER been.
And then, you step out the front gate, walk down one back street, and there, in front of you, is the hustle and bustle of the Rue St.-Jean. Our location could NOT have been more convenient or more happily situated.
We decided that savory crepes were a necessity for dinner that night....and boy, were they amazing!!!!!!!
After dinner, we agreed that a walk down the Rue St.-Jean was necessary to help with digestion. :) During our walk, we encountered our first City Gate....all lit up....
....and then had to take cover as a summer thunderstorm came pouring down upon us. The lightening over the gate was impressive, to be sure. It didn't look like the storm was going to let up quickly, so we ducked in to a local pub...the Pub St. Alexandre....and toasted our first day with a pint. And then we decided that it was such a lovely way to end the day...that it would be our new tradition while staying in Quebec.
DAY TWO
Breakfast at the hotel is simply divine. Not just because of the food provided....but because, following the monastic tradition, it is in SILENCE. If absolutely necessary, you can whisper to someone but only if absolutely necessary. It was rather jarring to come back home and hear the chaotic din from the boys that first breakfast back. Dave is a HUGE fan of breakfasts in silence and is trying to figure out a way to implement the tradition here at home. Good luck!!! :)
Two things we quickly learned about Quebec: 1) nobody is out on the streets before 11am. You have the whole city practically to yourself. 2) No locals venture out if it has rained. We passed the Cathedral de Notre Dame......
From here you have amazing views of Lower Town and the St. Lawrence River.
One other BIG thing we learned about Quebec: traversing the constant hills and cobblestones of the city is not for the faint of heart. If you have an ailment or are not in somewhat decent physical shape.....you might not enjoy Quebec so much. At the end of the Terrasse was an area called "The Governor's Walk" which was gifted to the city in honor of their 400th anniversary. It is a beautiful walk along the Cap-Diamant....right below the ramparts....and dumps you out on to the Plains of Abraham....BUT ONLY AFTER YOU'VE CLIMBED 310 STEPS. Totally worth it though!
The Plains of Abraham is just a huge park these days. We took a circuitous route around, stopping at the Joan of Arc Park (which was beyond stunning), and marveling at the Victorian era homes lining the edge of the Plains.
From there, we walked through Parliament Hill and passed under...and over... the Rue St.-Louis gate before heading into the Citadelle.
We marveled at the two guards, in their wool uniforms and bear-skin hats, standing at the entrance and felt bad for them as it was now, once again, a very hot day.
After such a heavy lunch, we decided to walk it off by heading back to Lower Town, where we saw more amazing murals....
....visited Our Lady of Victories again.....
....and walked down the charming Sous le Cap; a street that is only 3 meters across, used to be the red light district of the city, and now has beautiful walkways and balconies overflowing with flowers beds.
I know I have already extolled the virtues of our hotel but seriously....the place is amazing. The halls from your room to the breakfast room or to the reception desk or to the doors outside are lined with historic artifacts from almost 400 years of the monastery. Everything from altar cards used by priests....
...to a whole row of Marian statues....to doors covered in the Gregorian Chants of the Te Deum and the Salve Regina.
Before heading out to dinner, we joined the Sisters in the Choir of the Chapel where we all prayed Vespers. The average age of the 9 sisters was probably 80 years old. And yet, you should have heard them sing the psalms and hymns in French. It was beautiful. Truly beautiful.
Dinner that night satisfied another of my bucket list items - to eat at a street cafe. We had some of the best hamburgers we've ever had while enjoying the very popular activity of people watching the crowds on the Rue St.-Jean.
We then walked down to the Chateau to see it lit up a night...before returning to the Rue St.-Jean where we ducked into Pub St. Patrick for some rounds of fantastic whiskey. It was a beyond awesome day!!!
DAY THREE
We awoke to rain. Which was fine because we knew that was in the forecast (hence, the reason we had done all of the outside stuff the day before). After our breakfast in silence (heavenly)...we walked 5 minutes to the Musee de l'Amerique Francophone. Here, we took a guided tour of Bishop Laval's seminary. Bishop Laval oversaw the Catholic Faith in New France for over 50 years. He was the first bishop of Quebec and built his seminary there where young men from France came and trained to become priests in the New World. Our current pope, Pope Francis, elevated him to a Saint in 2014 as his entire life and life's work was a miracle. He is credited for bringing the Catholic faith to French Canada....which at that time stretched from Maine to Lake Michigan and down to New Orleans. He was a central figure in my book....and I have a special affinity for him. It was extremely special for me to be traveling the halls of his seminary; places where he once walked. The chapel has now been secularized but it still houses the largest number of relics in all of Canada -- over 600.
And it still houses the room where Laval was first buried. It was in this room that Pope John Paul II came to pray at his tomb, after Laval had been beatified. When the chapel was secularized, they moved Laval's tomb to the Cathedral.
The seminary is a wonder of a complex. Parts (like the building in the picture below) date back to the mid 1600's. Other buildings are as recent as the early 1900's. The original building was used as bunker during the French and Indian War. The English positioned themselves across the river in Levis and sent over 40,000 bombs in a two month time span into the heart of Quebec. The citizens took cover here in the seminary.
After our tour, we headed back down to Lower Town to do some shopping.....
We returned to the hotel where we met Sister Sara, who gave us a guided tour of the Sister Catherine Center. The Center informs you of the life of Blessed Sister Catherine....who is on her way to canonization. She joined the Augustines at the age of 12...following in her sister's footsteps...and came from a noble family from Normandy. Always in frail health, her superior in France, called her home when she was 20 years old...but Sister Catherine responded that she must carry her cross and that she was nailed to her cross by 3 nails: 1) God's will (It was His will that she be in this province) 2) Vocation in this Country (she felt it her true vocation to be a nun in Quebec, and 3) Salvation of Souls (through her efforts, she would bring the soul's of people to God). She died at the age of 33.
I was struck at how young she was...and how devoted she was. I don't know many 16 or 20 year olds today who could measure up to such a young woman. It was humbling.
We were then given a tour of the chapel......
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| Behind the chapel sits the still in use hospital |
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| The pedestrian entrance to our hotel |
...before we returned to the Choir area to pray Vespers, yet again, with the Sisters. Out of the 9, only one or two spoke any English but their smiles from across the room were so warm and welcoming. :) Dinner was sandwiches at a renowned bakery, Paillard's, on the Rue St.-Jean, where we also had a croissant and macaroons for dessert. YUM!!!!!! And we got to sit on the street patio and people watch....YAY!
DAY FOUR
Our last full day in Quebec. And it was another cool day....weather wise. I started the day by attending a Vitality Movement class in the hotel....while Dave continued to sleep. :) After the silent breakfast, we hit the streets and went to the public library in Upper Town....which happens to be a gorgeous former Methodist church.
We then headed over to the Ursuline Museum. On the boat with the Augustine Sisters in 1639, were 3 Ursuline Sisters....headed by St. Maria of the Incarnation from Tours, France. Married at a young age, she was also widowed at a young age when her son was only 2. Even before her marriage, she had felt a draw to religious life. When her son was 8 or 10 years old, she put him under the care of her family and entered the Ursulines. (A side note: her son would later become a Benedictine monk and the letters they wrote to each other are beautiful and touching.) She was crucial in the spreading of the Catholic Faith in New France....and is credited for establishing the first school for girls in the New World. She was canonized at the same time as Bishop Laval. With the help of Madeleine de la Peltrie, a very wealthy and religious widow who also journeyed to New France, the Ursuline Sisters opened a boarding school...devoted at first to the girls of the First Nations. The school, now a private day school and open to both boys and girls, is for Elementary grades only. Like the Augustines, the Ursuline Sisters still live on the site. While they no longer teach the children, their job is to teach people how to be teachers. And like the Augustines, they are small in number....and advanced in years. But an absolute joy to speak with....as we can attest to after getting "trapped" in a conversation with one for almost 20 minutes.
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| I'm staying in Quebec....and becoming an Ursuline. |
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| The tomb of St. Maria of the Incarnation...the fourth Saint's tomb in our trip. |
The museum on their grounds was truly fabulous! It followed the lives of two girls: 1 entering the boarding school and then living a secular life and 1 entering the order as a novice. And then the chapel was stunning. The altar is all hand carved wood by some of the best Quebec wood artists from over a century ago.
Departing from the Ursulines, we then wandered through some beautiful and historic parks, explored some interesting side streets, and had lunch. We then returned to our hotel where we took the guided tour of the Augustine Museum. What an amazing museum!!!!!!! Almost 400 years of medicinal history lay at every turn....and all of it a result of these amazing nuns.
Here is a picture of the "Tour". It was the monastery's only contact with the outside world (apart from the hospital). Deliveries would be placed on this lazy susan and then wheeled around for the sisters to receive. Sometimes, parents of a Sister would place a young sibling on the wheel and turn it so the Sister could see their sibling and cover them in kisses and hugs. Not really approved but I loved that story. :) And this was also the place where mother's in crisis would abandon their babies. The weight of the baby would trigger an alarm that would alert a Sister to the baby's presence. In a 45 year span, they saved over 1,200 babies.
As it was our last evening, we got gussied up a little and headed back to the Chez Boulay - Bistro Boreal for a really nice farewell dinner. It was so good....we had to go back just one more time. Food heaven this time included: Atlantic Char (for Dave), Pork Belly (for me), and Bison Cheek Meat (for Dave)...along with a Sweet Clover and Blackcurrant Creme Brûlée for dessert. :) HEAVEN!
We started to walk down the Rue St.-Jean for our nightly stroll, when we were once again, caught in a rain storm. So, we very happily ducked into Pub Murphy's where we enjoyed some fantastic Quebec beer and some pretty decent live Quebecois folk music.
After our final silent breakfast (seriously.....it is the only way to start the day!), we headed over to the Cathedral for Sunday Mass. We had an overwhelming choice of churches to attend for Mass that morning....but attending Mass while practically next to St. Laval was just too good to pass up. :) At least for me. And we're glad we went! It was the most stunning Ordinary Form Mass I've EVER been to. Simply beautiful. It was all in French (except for the parts in Latin) so we followed along on my Kindle's Breviary App. Gotta love technology! :) (It was also how we prayed Vespers with the nuns every night.) Dave was able to get the gist of the homily. And the organist and all male schola (6 in number) were simply divine!
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| St. Bishop Laval |
The Cathedral has 1 of 7 Holy Doors in the world....and it is the only one outside of Europe. As it is the Year of Mercy and Pope Francis has called for all Holy Doors to be opened, we made sure to pass through the door.
After Mass, we headed back down to Lower Town to briefly see another museum, finish some shopping, and make our farewells.
Upon our return, a friend asked me if I had started missing the boys the day we left. My response was: "No. We were gone Wednesday to Sunday....and I only started to really miss the boys on Saturday. We talked about them all the time, but it wasn't until Saturday that I started to need their hugs and hear their voices". She looked shocked and said that I really did need to get away. Yep! We both did! Parents need to have those times away, where they can reconnect and focus on what is most important....their marriage. Kids need a break from their parents as well....and when that break is under the supervision of Oma and Papa....it is a total WIN! It is healthy for kids to see their parents putting their marriage first. And while the boys had a TON of fun with Oma and Papa with trips to the Children's Museum, watching the Olympics, breakfast at Cracker Barrel, a trip to Bass Pro, and surviving an oppressive heat wave....we were all ready to be reunited. :)
A HUGE and eternal thanks to my parents for coming to watch the boys. A huge thanks to David for even asking them!! While we had an amazing trip, I'm sure their time...alone with the boys...was unforgettable for them as well! Though....I know they returned home and enjoyed not having their bedroom door opened at 6:30 with loud announcements of "We're awake, Oma and Papa!!!!!!". :)
So....we returned home. We were sad to be leaving Quebec, so grateful to have had those experiences and memories together, inspired beyond belief by the things we had seen and the people we had learned about, and completely renewed and ready to tackle real life again. Our trip hadn't just been the vacation we thought it would be. It was, for all intents and purposes, more of a spiritual retreat....something which neither of us foresaw but both of us greatly benefited from.
A spiritual retreat where every night ended in some charming pub, lifting a pint of local Quebec beer! My kind of retreat! :)
We are already planning to go back....this time with the kids in tow. With the museums under our belt, we can focus on more kid friendly activities the next time...and drive ourselves so that we can have access to a car and take day trips up to St. Anne's Basillica and over to the Isle d'Orleans. Of course, staying at our hotel would be out of the question. Even picturing the boys suffering through a silent breakfast makes me laugh! :) But an airbnb would work just perfectly!
So....until next time, Quebec. Vous êtes dans votre coeur.
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