She Goes: Québec, Québec?

I don't really understand places that name a major city after the name of the larger entity. For example, Mexico City, Mexico...or more to the point, Québec City, Québec. We spent the entire day there yesterday and in spite of the lack of creativity in the naming of the city, it was really beautiful! Very European in a cobblestones and winding streets kind of way. See for yourselves :)

Luckily, we had an absolutely gorgeous day for our excursion. We arrived late morning and hopped on a ferry to take us across to the city. The views from the boat were amazing and gave us a little taste of what was to come.

If you have ever traveled in a big group or, worse, led a large group, you know how challenging it can be to even walk a block without losing anyone. Complicate that with the fact that the group is made up of people of different ages and fitness levels, people that have different ideas of what a normal walking pace is, and people who have completely different priorities (taking a gazillion photos, listening to the guide, making sure no single ray of sun touches their skin, smoking, making fun of people, souvenir shopping, etc.)...it was interesting to say the least! I can't say that I learned a whole lot about the city of Québec, but I saw enough to know that I'll have to get back there before this trip is over.

When traveling in a big group...keep your sense of humor.

Our tour concluded with a visit to the observatory, which gave us crazy views over the city and the surrounding area. We were promised a "coquetail" (anyone, anyone?...that would be "cocktail" :)...we got our cocktail, but with it got a sales pitch trying to sell us on the idea of studying in Québec. Those of you who know me pretty well can probably guess that I didn't need a whole lot of convincing. A second masters degree in Comparative Literature from the Université de Montréal...oui, merci!